Reflections of a Has-Been: 3 : Changing Philosophies
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 by Roy GrimwoodThe third set of reflections as I drift into retirement focuses on what people have considered the purpose of residential childcare to be over the past 45 years or so. Again, these are personal thoughts based on how I saw and remember the residential care I was involved in or encountered. To provide this with a context, it may be helpful if I start with a r
Tags: Approved Schools, Children's homes, Private sector, Residential care, Therapeutic care
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July 16th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
As a former resident of remand centre’s approved school, psychiatric hospital, prison and a concept based TC all before I was seventeen and during the late sixties and early seventies, I have experienced the best and worst the system had to offer at that time.
I am now fifity three and have worked in the field of social care all my life, including two concept based TC’s I am currently a fostercarer, working with difficult to place older children. Foster care is a positve choice for some but not all children and young people. However when it breaks down, the alternative is often poor and sought when a crisis occurs and can end up being a “Bum in a bed” situation. I would be happy to contribute my views from both ends of the spectrum. My main concern is the foster care provision is at breaking point.
I know a number of extremely able and committed carers who are expressing deep dissatisfaction and are considering giving it up. There is no one single issue, but what is being mooted is lack of support, poor communication and information, unreasonable expectations of foster carers, lack of concern for other family members especially birth children and the increasing culture of PC.
One carer put it simply “They want these children to live in a family, then they place them outside by dictating different rules for them, then the reasonable rules and practises, operating within an average family.
Whilst things have improved radically for looked after chidren since my day, the type of child now coming into the system, is far more likely to have a range of complex needs and issues which have to be addressed. The system is failing these children badly. The Children Act whilst laudable in its intentions, seems to have turned into the Parent Act, where despite care orders being in place, the birth parents are able to negatively interfere in their children’s lives and come and go as they please. Leaving in its wake distressed and traumatised children who take out their anger on the carers they live with.
We are also failing to meet the needs of young people who develop serious addictive problems, often in their early to mid-teens. None of the TC’s are willing to take them until they’re eighteen, by which time it may be to late. Provision for this group is poor and is very much geared at low level “At risk” intervention, rather then a full treatment programme to address their specific needs.
I would be happy to discuus any of these issues further if you are interested?
Regards
Jo Sugrue