Ways of Giving Care and Protection for Children and Young People
There are many arrangements that are available for looked after children and young people. It would all depend on the current situation that the child or young person is in. A looked after child is a child that has been in the care system for more than 24 hours. These arrangements could range from temporary/permanent care, residential care, respite care, foster care, each one of these have special requirements in order to be accepted or to stay there.
Temporary/permanent care is arranged for children or a young person to become permanent, however many assessments and procedures have to be finalised before this decision can be made. An example of this could be a child who has moved into a family where they are being fostered and has been there for a substantial amount of time due to the birth parents of this child or young person being deemed incapable of caring for them.
Residential care is meant for child or young person where their needs cannot be met socially or health wise by their support system (family). There are specialised staff members that can interact with them to ensure their needs are fulfilled. Some of the children or young people that may have to stay in residential care are those with behavioural problems as they can be managed professionally by specialists rather than the parents.
Foster care is frequently short term however it can become long term if the circumstances haven’t changed. Foster carers complete a lot of training to ensure that they are fit for the challenges that may arise and are constantly checked by the local authority. A skill that is very much needed for being a foster carer is they must be adaptable as they could be looking after a baby and then be looking after a 24-month-old.
Respite care is usually a short-term decision that is made in advance, its usually aimed at children or young people who have disabilities or learning difficulties or both and the family need a break from caring for them. This can also help them to have their needs fulfilled as they often go to a respite care facility that will cater to their needs.
Reasons Why Children Could Be Taken Care
A reason as to why children or a young person could be looked after away from their families is because of abuse taking place in the household. There are many types of abuse such as physical, emotional, substance, psychological, sexual, racial, child, institutional, domestic and financial. Domestic abuse is any violent, controlling, bullying and threatening between two people in a relationship. This behaviour is displayed in front of a child or a young person is child abuse.
Domestic abuse would have social services involved to remove the children or young person from this environment as it would be abusive and not appropriate for them to live in. When the child or young person is removed from that environment, they may be left with psychological trauma which can manifest into a series of mental health issues like depression and becoming socially withdrawn. This decision can also be short term depending on how severe the damage is and whether the adults in this abusive relationship are willing to comply with social workers and go to couples/family therapy. With this situation, they would be put into foster care or respite care which are temporary facilities/living situations or moving in with a responsible family member like a grandparent. However, if not this decision could become permanent with the child or young person being adopted into a new family.
Another reason as to why children or a young person could be looked away after their families are because of substance abuse which can vary between drugs, prescription medication, alcohol etc. Substance abuse is when an individual has a repeated pattern of harmful use of any substance to alter their mood purposefully.
This behaviour is highly destructive to not only the person abusing the substance but others around them especially if it is exposed to children or a young person. This is because of the detrimental side effects of most substances, most substances like alcohol can increase emotions to be exposed at a higher rate than normal which is dangerous especially if its anger. The altered state can induce feelings of extreme anger and irrationality which can be presented with physical, verbal and emotional abuse. This is not a suitable environment for children or a young person to be living in as it will affect them emotionally and psychologically. In a situation where substance abuse is present the children or young person would have to be removed immediately before more irreversible damage is done to their emotional and psychological wellbeing. They would either be moved to a trusted family member for a while so that the parent can go to rehab and get healthy or if substance abuse runs in the family the children or young person could be fostered by another family.
Law Protection That Supports Child's Care
The Children Act benefits children and young people when they are being looked after as it assures that the local authorities and the professionals are successfully communicating to make sure that action will be taken if there is a case of suspected abuse. The Children’s Commissioner for England is a non-government organisation that helps to support all children and young people especially the disadvantaged. This benefits children and young people when they are being looked after as they will feel like their feelings have been taken into consideration and they’ll have a say in what decisions happen to them. The children’s commissioner takes into account the child’s social, economic, physical, mental and emotional wellbeing while making these decisions and if these causes anymore added damage, they will reconsider the arrangements. Furthermore, in the future this will instil security in the children and young people when they are being looked after as they are being protected from neglect and other types of harm. Doing this will guarantee that the child or young person’s well-being is taken into account before making important and appropriate decisions.
Every Child Matter benefits all children and young people however especially ‘looked after children and young people’. It considers the wellbeing of children and young people from birth to age 19. This legislation came into place a couple of years later after Victoria Climbie who was a young girl that endured torture, neglect and extreme forms of abuse by her auntie’s boyfriend. The organisations that came into contact with her like social services, the NHS and police did not do enough to save and protect her and ultimately failed her. Due to this outroar by the public it led to a public enquiry where this legislation was made. The 5 main principles in this legislation are every child will be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and experience economic wellbeing. The principles in this legislation will empower and instil confidence in looked after children and young people because it will ensure that they have the same opportunities as other children and young people despite their circumstances or background. It will empower them further knowing that if they have been through abuse or neglect all organisations that work with children and young people will protect them from harm and help them achieve the goals they aspire to reach. Examples of organisations that will do this are schools, police, foster parents, social services and the NHS.
Members That Can Look After Children and Young People
Social worker
A social worker’s role is to interact with the child and the family to confirm that the family unit is functioning positively and to highlight any issues that may occur. If any of these issues arise, they will provide the family or the child in areas that they may be lacking such as emotionally or even financially. However, if the environment that the child is living in is inappropriate or abusive or the parents are not fulfilling their child or young person’s needs the social worker will find another place for them to stay temporarily. An example of this is if the child’s or young person’s parents are substance abusers the child may have to stay with a foster family while they complete a rehabilitation session.
The social worker's responsibilities consist of finding a temporary or permanent foster family for the child or young person to stay while feeling content and happy. This means that the family that chose the child or young person should have regular meetings with the social worker to keep track of the child’s progress they are making with that family. However, the child or young person also has a choice to say whether they want to stay in that foster family because their needs will be affected throughout each decision made. If they do not want to stay with that foster family anymore the social worker could find another foster family for them to stay with or they could move to a residential home until they are of age to leave.
Another role that a social worker has to ensure and provide that the child or young person is moved into an environment that is safe for them with emotional support from the new foster family they may be lacking from their birth parents. Moreover, the child or young person may digest this new routine/transition negatively as they would be used to their own or if they are constantly changing families. However, in some situations sometimes foster care or residential care is vital and the social worker will recognise this, an example of this is the child or young parents are in prison and there is no one else to care for them.
Foster parents
A foster parent’s main roles is to ensure a child or young person receives good nourishments, receive the medical attention when needed, protect them, promote self-care and refrain from using physical discipline methods.
Another role and responsibility a foster parent have is to monitor the child’s or young person’s school progress, this is to ensure that they have a secure and bright future ahead of them. Helping where needed in terms of school work and showing interest can instil confidence in the child or young person and inspire them that they are capable of doing better if needed or to keep going if they are making progress. A foster parent should stay in close contact with the child or young person’s school as there could be issues arising such as bullying especially if the child or young person has had to move schools. They also should ensure that the child’s or young persons attendance is good as not attending often can affect their grades which will disrupt their future.
A foster parent would have to into account the child’s or young person’s emotional needs all the time as they have most likely been neglected. They should encourage them to maintain a good self-esteem as they most likely have negative preconceived ideas about themselves and to spend time with them in order to gain that trust. A foster parent should also respect a child’s or young persons religious, cultural and racial identity as its part of them and should not be taken away. This would make the child or young person feel honoured and nurtured because they can still have that part of their identity in a different household without feeling outcasted. Sometimes a foster parent will contact the child’s or young parents birth family and will allow them to have a choice to see their family or not, however it is important to ensure the child’s or young persons opinion on this decision is taken into consideration with respect.
Conclusion
Some children and young people suffer from different forms of abuse and domestic violence. In such cases they need and can have a protection through social care policy and specific laws that protect child's rights. Social workers and foster parents are that people who can give needed care and protection for children and young people. They could be sent to a foster care family so they can have a better future however it may seem like a negative transition for the child or young person in the beginning but it will be beneficial in the end. The social worker has to consider the idea of emotional breakdowns with the child or young people not being able to adapt to change so easily like trusting their new foster family or adapting to the family’s way of cooperating.
