- The right to special protection measures and assistance
- The right to access to services such as education and health care
- The right to develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential
- The right to grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding
- The right to be informed about and participate in achieving their rights in a accessible and active manner
The UNCRC gives the same rights to children as to adults. After the death of Victoria Climbié the government published “Every Child Matters” paper with the intention of strengthening children’s services. The five outcomes of that are the most important for all children are:
- Be healthy.
- Stay safe.
- Enjoy and achieve.
- Make a positive contribution.
- Achieve economic well-being.
There is also Children and Young Person Act 2008. The main principles of that are to improve the stability of placements for looked after children ensuring more consistency, increase the focus on care planning ensuring the child’s voice is heard when making important decisions that affect their future, increase schools’ capacity to address the needs of looked after children including placing the role of designated teacher on a statutory footing and ensuring that children in care do not move schools in years 10 and 11 except in exceptional circumstances and ensure that young people are not forced out of care before they are ready by giving them more say over moves to independent living and ensuring they retain support and guidance as long as they need it. This is to make sure that children that are looked after have the same chance of achieving than any other person.
Data protection act is for professionals working with looked after children and their families and they need to be aware of it. This act is to protect personal data and to ensure that the data is to be processed only fairly and lawfully. To make sure it is protected at least one of these need to be applicable:
- The data subject has consented to the processing.
- Processing is necessary for the performance or commencing a contract.
- Processing is required under a legal obligation.
- Processing is necessary to protect the vital interest of data subjects.
- Processing is necessary to carry out any public functions.
- Processing is necessary in order to pursue the legitimate interests of “data controller” or third parties.
P2. Types of care available:
Foster care is a temporary home to child. Ordinary people offer to give home to a child or young person in need. The local authority then approves them and pays them enough to cover the expenses and a little extra.
Respite care is also temporary care that some foster carers offer short break or respite care usually for children with disabilities, those who are sick or have complex care needs.
Residential care is temporary where some children will live in maybe because there insufficient suitable foster parents available or because they are difficult to care for.
Adoption is temporary care to place children to live, however it remains easier to place babies than older children or disabled children with adoptive parents.
There is also fostering organization such as British Association Fostering and Adoption.
Organization of care provision:
Home country government is responsible for overall social care, health care and education for children and young people. As well as the government care provision also much care is provided by voluntary or charitable organizations that may be providing some services independently such as e.g. holidays for disabled children. Barnardo’s and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) are examples. The NSPCC has an emergency helpline and is the only non-government agency allowed to take action to protect children at risk. There are also lots of private providers like private nurseries.
Types of services:
Universal service is provided to all children and young people. There is also specialist service to meet the needs of particular group e.g. looked after children or children who are disabled. Also there is targeted service towards certain groups of children or young people to prevent risk for example of harm or offending.
Universal health services are mainly primary care services focusing on the prevention and detection of ill health and early intervention.
Social care service is provided for children and families who need assistance and support so there is not universal provision of social care. There are two primary groups of workers within social care workforce: social workers and social care workers.
Education: through the Children Act 2004 schools have to promote the well-being and achievement of all children especially the outcomes for looked after children and young people in line with the Every Child Matters agenda. They also have to cooperate with other agencies to ensure children remain healthy, safe and protected.
Regulation of care provision:
People are checked if they are safe to work with children and young people. The CRB checks for information on individuals to ensure they have not been in trouble with the law for abusing, exploiting or harming children.
General Social Care Council regulates qualifies social workers, social care workers and social work students on approved degree courses in England. Equivalent bodies in the other UK countries are the NISCC, CCW and SSSC.
Nursing and Midwifery Council regulated nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses.
The General Teaching Council is professional body for teachers and regulating teachers.
Job roles:
Looked after children are part of child protection system. There are lots of job roles which are wide range. Some are specialist and some delivery universal service. Some of them are:
- Commissioning, directing and managing services for example Directors of Children’s Services.
- Directly working with children and young people e.g. volunteers, social workers, health visitors, nursing assistants, youth workers, tutors, educational psychologists, play workers, foster parents.
M2. Roles and responsibilities of two members of the children’s workforce are:
Social worker – Developing effective relationships; working with individuals, families, carers, groups and communities and assessing their needs and circumstances; planning, carrying out, reviewing and evaluating social work with individuals, families, carers, groups and communities; assessing and managing risk; demonstrating professional competence in social work. Social workers help people and their families adjust to problem in their lives such as serious illness, child abuse, substance abuse, mental illness, handicaps, juvenile delinquency, and anti-social behaviour. Often they must help people accept situations that cannot be changed. Frequently they work with the underclass, including the homeless, chronically unemployed and mentally ill. Most social workers work for the government in offices, hospitals, clinics, prisons, or the courts. Some also work in nursing homes, group homes, schools or businesses.
Psychologist - A psychologist can work independently, in group practices or in applied settings, such as schools or businesses. There are several psychology sub-fields, and specific duties of psychologists will vary according to their applied specialty. Clinical psychologists make up the largest specialty and treat clients suffering from mental and emotional problems; counselling psychologists provide advice to individuals dealing with day-to-day problems, such as career issues; school psychologists’ work with students, school agents and parents to maintain healthy school environments; and industrial-organizational psychologists work to improve efficiency and quality within workplaces. Additional sub-fields include developmental psychologists, social psychologists and experimental or research psychologists.
Bibliography
http://www.socialworkscotland.org.uk/resources/pub/roleofsocialworkervisionpaper.pdf (date of access: 10 19, 2011).
http://library.thinkquest.org/15569/car1bmh6.html (date of access: 10 19, 2011).
http://diplomaguide.com/articles/Psychologist_Career_Info.html (date of access: 10 19, 2011).
Elizabeth Rasheed, Alison Hetherington and Jo Iryine. BTEC Level 3 National Health & Social Care. London, GBR: Hodder Education, 2010.
http://www.westkentpct.nhs.uk/images/ZZ_1212486843_childrengroup.jpg(date of access: 10 19, 2011).