Strategies to support children and their families
Task 2
P5
Strategies to support children and their families
When problems occur at home, parents and the children need support. The Children Act 1989 states that, children and families are not automatically separated when things go wrong. The children should be kept within the family, if possible.
Different forms of help may be needed in the family home but does not necessarily mean, that the family has to split up, because of this.
Where children have been separated from the family home, every effort is made to accommodate the child with extended family or friends. A place in a residential home or foster care, is the last resort if there are no alternatives for the child.
Families who are involved in abusive situations, cannot be helped by just one agency, i.e. social services. There will be a range of professionals who would be involved, to give their experience and expertise, to be able to work with the family and be there to support them.
Under the Children Act, the social services have a duty to provide services for children and families in need. These needs are:-
* Children, who are not achieving a reasonable standard of health or development.
* Children, whose health or their development is likely to be damaged.
* Children with disabilities.
The service that social services provide is advice, counselling and guidance, occupational, social, cultural and leisure activities, home help, holiday provision, day care provision for the under-fives and activities after school and in the holidays, accommodation for children, where the person caring for them has been prevented for any reason, from providing accommodation.
There is other statutory support for families to help the family stay together in an abusive situation, these are:-
Educational psychologists, doctors, probation officers, drug and alcohol counsellors, play therapists and schools.
Social workers
If the child is on the child protection register, the social worker will visit on a regular basis at home; they make sure that the requirements of the case conferences are being adhered to. They also help to support the family and help them to access other help if needed.
Health visitors
These may visit once a week and ...
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There is other statutory support for families to help the family stay together in an abusive situation, these are:-
Educational psychologists, doctors, probation officers, drug and alcohol counsellors, play therapists and schools.
Social workers
If the child is on the child protection register, the social worker will visit on a regular basis at home; they make sure that the requirements of the case conferences are being adhered to. They also help to support the family and help them to access other help if needed.
Health visitors
These may visit once a week and give practical support on dietary requirements, the health and safety for the children, and parents in the home.
Family workers
These may visit when required, give the family routine in the house, e.g. a time to get the children ready for school in a morning, a time for lunch and help them prepare it. Promote play activities, to help parents play with their children. Take the family out on outings, such as shopping or to the hospital. Help the family to modify positive behaviour.
Psychiatric nurse
Will support the family on behaviour issues; help the family, (parents), if they have depression.
Environmental health officers
They can help with cleaning the house, showing them how to clean, and where to store dangerous chemicals i.e. bleach.
Volunteers - Homestart
These are volunteers who have been trained to help families with practical support, such as helping the family to play with games/activities. Be a friend to them, and taking them shopping or looking after the child, while the parents have a break from the children.
These professionals can support the families in their own home, the family may find that entering outside the home, can be frightening, they may feel intimidated.
There are organisations which can offer services to families who are in need.
Sure start
This is an anti-poverty strategy, child poverty and social exclusion. It also aims to improve the social and emotional development and the well-being of families and children before and after birth, so they are ready to thrive, when the children go to school.
Neighbourhood nurseries
This is childcare and early education learning places, in disadvantaged areas to reduce employment.
Family centres
These are funded by social services and health departments. They offer a wide range of provision to support the families and children by giving them education, parenting skills, provision for pre-school children, after school care, support and group therapy, to improve relationships between the family play therapists and psychologists.
Counsellors
Providing one-to-one support for child or parent.
Guardian
Appoints the child's interest when they go to court.
There also voluntary organisations to support families in need. These are:-
NSPCC, Barnardos, NCH, these organisations have the power to remove children who are at risk of harm from their homes. These organisations provide support to parents and families of children, they run play schemes, day centres, they run advice centres, help lines, raise funds for equipment and lend the equipment out.
Alternative care
If a child has been removed from the family home because of neglect, abuse, they could be moved to one of these environments. These are:-
Residential - these are established by the local authorities, although Barnardos and the NCH also provide this service. Residential care is only used if the child has been removed form the family house. Specially trained professionals look after the children.
Some older children prefer this kind of environment, rather than going into foster care, as they feel that it gives them more stability. Some parents of older children may place them there by agreement, or sometimes on the order of the court. These children who live in the residential homes still attend school and are members of organisations around the community.
Adoption - this is governed by the Adoption Act 1976 and also the Children Act. It is a legal undertaking with all the responsibilities of caring for a child. With adoption both parents lose parental responsibility of the child, it is automatically given to the adoptive parents, once the adoption certificate has been processed. The birth parent must give permission for the adoption to take place and by this, there would be little contact between child and birth parents, unless there is agreed permission for the birth parent to see the child.
Once adoptive, children are able to inherit from their adoptive parents but not off the birth family.
Respite care - strain on the families are alleviated by respite care. Respite care allow parents time out, to be by themselves, to rest and have time with their other children.
Foster care - foster parents provided care to children in their own homes. The children sometimes stay for short periods of time, or may go on to more permanent foster care, where they will stay with the foster parents for many years. Children who have been abandoned, or been left in the house, or children who may have been in trouble with the law, children who have been abused, or even a child who has a long term problem and the birth parents can not handle the situation, may go into foster care.
Foster parents are registered with the local authority. They have training in child care, to help the children who they look after. They get paid for the work that they do, to offset the cost of caring for the child.
Private sector - this is when employers are employed privately by a specific firm for one of the above.
The Early Years Practitioner - will be there to support the child. By effective listening and communication. By being consistent and honest to the child. The child needs to be able to rely and trust you. Reassuring the child at all times, reassuring them that its not their fault. Consulting other professionals and informing the child what you are doing at all times. Giving the child activities, that enable them to express their feelings, if they are sad, happy. Giving them praise and positive reinforcement at all times, to improve their self-image, self esteem. E.g. body image activities, to draw themselves, with the use of mirrors e.t.c. giving them responsibilities and tasks for them to do.
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