Effect Of Corporate Parenting On Looked After Children Social Work Essay

force come in Of somatic rise uping On Looked After tykeren Social Work EssayThis talk is based around the mapping of corporeal pargonnting in looked later on boorren. It leave behind treat and explore the single-valued function of corporate parenting in general with the overt group looked by and by electric razorren as this is relevant to pr dressice experience as it is based upon 80 mean solar days work placement.The impression of integrated Parenting was scratch line introduced in September 1998 by the Secretary of State for Health dog Dobson, as one part of the governments Quality Protects program to make over infantrens service. It emphasized the key role that elect members would play.The governments Quality Protects Initiative (1998) requires local authorities to identify tykeren with additional family burdens and to take into account operate that are accommodate to en authentic these childrens education and general development do non suffer. (www.d oh.gov.uk/qualityprotects)When a child becomes looked later onward, the responsibilities of their parent become the liability. And it is required to serve e re in allyone working for the council as elected members of the council.This is hit the hayn as corporate parenting and it is the collective responsibility of the council to fork up the take up possible gondolae and protection for children who are looked after. As a corporate parent, we should act in the way we would if the child were our own. (http//www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/exeres/b10f32d0-3db1-4b38-980d-147f4ad1f6d4)1.2 Who are Corporate Parents?Corporate parenting contains any mortal who has responsibility for the guard and security of children. The concept of corporate parenting relates to the collective duties and responsibilities of the Local Authority for looked after children risk-freeguard and to raise the life.Corporate Parenting is a collective responsibility of the Council, with Councillors having a distinct role to play in ensuring that the outcomes and life chances of looked after children are maximized ( The Role of Councillors as Corporate Parents May 2005 Scrutiny Review Group).The all-important(a) principle of Corporate Parenting is that all councillors and staff employed by the Council should parent the Looked After children and teenold get along nation in their concern as they would their own children.All selected members of the Council aim a duty to act as a Corporate Parent to children in the misgiving of that Council. The function of the Corporate Parent (Councillors) is to make sure that the services provided by the Council as an entire contribute to achieving constructive outcomes for kids in care.Specifically, they must guarantee that children in their care arewellnessysafeenjoy and accomplish in lifemake a electro collateral input to societyachieve economic securityIn hunting lodge to implement this responsibility, Councillors must beShould be well informed asti r(predicate) the children for whom they are responsibleNeed to think closely how they are get by on by council decisions must(prenominal) listen to what children and early days great deal sayMust be a stick uper for children and young bulk.1.3 Who are looked after children?The invent Looked After was commenced by the Children accomplishment 1989 and refers to children and young peopleunder the age of 18who live away from their family or parentsare supervised by a social actor from the local council childrens services department.The term Looked after children applies to those children who are looked after by a local em indexment when separatelyThey are accommodated by the LA at the request of a person with parental responsibility, or because they are preoccupied or abandoned, or because at that place is no person with responsibility for them (S. 20 Children turning 1989)They are move in the care of the LA by a court (part IV Children Act 1989) Interim commission Or der or Full safekeeping OrderIn very rare cases children and young people whitethorn also become looked after via Ward ship proceedings (High Courts manage of its internal jurisdiction independent of stature (Children Act 1989)Thais topic pass on initiate with the be meek questions and answers with brief explanation and references to be categorisationed out the focus upon dependable direction.They are subject to emergency orders to secure their neighboring(a) protection, (Part V Children Act 1989) Emergency Protection Orders or Police Orders or are remanded by a court to the care of the LA (S. 23 Children teenaged Persons Act 1969)In very rare cases children and young people may also become looked after via Wardship proceedings (High Courts exercise of its inherent jurisdiction independent of stature (Children Act 1989)For most children, care is pro correctd to be fourth dimension-limited with the mean that the child bequeath return home as presently as possible. (The Children Act 1989) aims to get a balance between the s likewisel to protect children from destruction and the take in to protect children and families from unnecessary intervention.It encourages arrangements for services to children to be agreed between the parents and the service providers whenever possible. The Act embodies the belief that children are scoop up looked after within the family unit without legal intervention unless this is inconsistent with their eudaemonia and safety.1.4 Why is corporate parenting necessary?Children may be looked after for umteen variant reasons, including protection from revile and abuse. Children guard had a long autobiography of organism looked after away from home, in such places as institutions, orphanages, nurse homes, approved schools and borstals (Department of Health 1998a).Parents who are unable to look after their child may ask a local spot to do so. Children tidy sum become looked after for a numerous reasons some children m ay have been abused or suffered distressing experiences, some may be in care due to family illness or the wipeout of a parent. Others may have complex needs or disabilities and be unable to be cared at home. Often children whobecome looked after for a short time period due to family problem like some children do non have a parent or relative to look after them, possibly because of death or serious illnessor because they have been separated.Young people aged over 16 geezerhood may choose to be looked after for a variety of reasons, including abuse, domestic personnel or stress at home. Local authorities must provide accommodation for children who are lost, abandoned, or whose parents are unable to care for them. government activity shall provide accommodation for any child in need in their area who appears to them to require it as a result of there being no person with parental responsibility for him, or because he is lost and abandoned, or because the person who has been carin g for him is prevented from providing suitable accommodation or car (Section 20 (1) CA 1989)Section 20(3) of the Act gives local authorities a duty to provide accommodation for a child age 16 and 17 old age if the authority considers that his welfare will be naughtily prejudiced without such a serviceA local authority may provide accommodation for any young person who has reached the age of sixteen but is under twenty-one if they consider that to do so may safeguard and promote his welfare, even if their parent objects. (Section 20 (5)-(11) CA 1989)The Governments aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to give the support they need toImproving outcomes also involves narrowing the gap between single out children and their peers. The Government is focusing particularly on improving outcomes for looked-after childrenEd Balls says in his letter to looked-after children 2009We want to make sure you have the same chances as other children to fulfill y our dreams and to be happy.When there is breakdown and a child has to be removed from its family, the local authority is then expected to act as the corporate parent and to provide substitute care.The job is delegated to a local authority department, and its paid professional agents social proles, foster carers or residential staff act on behalf of the wider community.And when they leave care, they are on their own, having to find their way in the world. It is no wonder that a in high spirits proportion of care leavers end up in prison, or with noetic wellness problems, or with unplanned pregnancies, or in abusive familys.Chapter 02methodological analysisThe study aimed to discover from children their views on being looked after and the degree of power they felt they had to manipulate decisions make about them. Total fifteen looked after children were interviewed. Social doers were asked to identify children who met the criteria of between ten to seventeen and having been in c are for at least cardinal years. The children were apt(p) a questionnaire from the tec to explicate the purpose of the study and asked if they were ready to be interviewed.The method was selected, however, because confidentiality prohibited the questioner being given names and addresses without the childrens permission. It is not clear how many children were channelize forwarded and rejected. Of those who initially said they would participate, later on dropped while arranging their interviews, go forth a total sample of fifteen. This comprisedGender Girls 7 Boys 8 date10 years114 years415 years416 years317 years3Length of time in care (based on childrens report)2 years33 years34 years35 years37 years113 years2Type of care wholly two were in residential care, the remainder in advance care.Children were given a common view of the research aim. But the interviews were decided to be conducted in unstructured way. They were informed that the examiner wanted to hear their vision on how much they are told about what is evanesceing to them, whether they feel their standpoint is listened to, and whether they are supposed to feel as they are involved in decisions made about their lives.Research involving children creates particular moral dilemmas in that they are typically less powerful than the adult researcher (Thomas and OKane,1998). The unstructured interview was chosen in that it gave them maximum control over the research process and mark offd that each child talked only of those topics that mattered to them and could avoid personal issues they did not want to discuss with a stranger.2.1 FindingsBecause of the promise of confidentiality, care has been taken in reporting the findings to ensure that no individual deal be identified.The importance of the social workerAll mentioned the importance of the social worker in their lives. The social worker was seen as very powerful and, when the relationship worked well, as a very stiff ally. One described the qu alities needed in a social worker asSomeone who can talk to children, get to know them, take them out, and phone regularly so they keep in touch with what is happening.Most could remember at least one social worker with whom they had got on particularly well and who had made them feel well cared for and supported.She would sort out anything that was both(prenominal)ering me.The biggest complaint about social workers (from eight children) was the high disorder and the subsequent interruption for them.Social workers were also criticised for their reliability in habitual matters such as keeping appointments on time or belongings reviews on time. Children interpreted this carelessness as a sign of their low priority in the social workers life.However, Butler and Williamsons research bears out both the approving and critical opinions. They report that many children are seeking a more than emotional, empathic level of interaction but that the experience for many is, in contrast, an a lmost technical, allegedly robotic nature of professional interventions in childrens lives(1994, p.84).ConfidentialityIt is essential to share information for good planning and care but, from the childs point of view, this can seem very intrusive. Again, the problem reflects the normal processes of growing up. Teenagers develop self-direction and increasing privacy as part of maturation but, for a child in care, it is difficult to achieve that same sense of privacy. Several of the honest-to-god teenagers complained of the lack of confidentiality and, hence, a reluctance to share their thoughts and feelings because it would all get indite down in their file and read by strangers.Butler and Williamsons research also highlighted the importance and perceived lack of confidentiality to children there is a permeant feeling amongst children and young people that even a commitment to confidentiality is, too often, a false promise and that information divulged will then be spread around without the consent of the individual concerned (1994, p.78).2.2 Anti-discriminatory practice still one young person spoke his experience of racism. He was a seventeen year old black man who complained that he was continually stopped and questioned by the police and that white women looked fearful and crossed the path to avoid him. Since he had no record of crime or violence, he felt this was completely unfair and due to racism.2.3 DebateThis is only a small sample so the responses cannot be taken as model of the views of looked after children in general. However, it is possible to examine the issues they raised and discuss the challenges they pose to professionals endeavoring to listen to their voices whether or not they are typical.Chapter 03Literature Review in that respect are approximately 61,000 children and young people in care in UK, with boys comprising 55% of that population. These statistics are almost a quarter higher than those of a decade ago. Of this group, more tha n two out of three children live in foster care, and just over one in ten in residential care (childrens homes). An estimated 1% of care leavers progress to University, compared with 37% of young people in the population as a whole (Jackson et al 2003).The outcome nationally is poor for looked after children and there is an over-representation of previously looked after children amongst those who are homeless, unemployed or in prison. In 2002, 6% of all school leavers were unemployed. Of this figure, 25% were young people in the care of were unemployed. Of this figure, 25% were young people in the care of Local administration. There is a high proportion of these children who suffer from poor mental health or become teenage parents with looked after children being 5 times more likely to develop mental illness than their peers. If the child also has a disability or comes from a black or minority heathen background they face a double jeopardy and are at greater disadvantage. There re main a disproportionate number of handicapped children accommodated by local authorities. Only one per cent of Looked After Children go to University.3.1 THE ROLE OF CORPORATE P areNTINGThe role of corporate parent is defined in Think Child (1999) as the followingFinding out acquire the facts and follow them up, Make decisions by playing your part in the argument of the council, Listening to children and young people also finding out from them how councils services work for them and remembering that children are citizens too. To be a champion for children by taking a lead in the community in place children first. This schema embeds the following core values that all Children in Care should benefit fromA positive sense of identity and self-worth.Belonging to a family in the widest sense and also a community.Good health.A safe, healthy, child-friendly environment, including stamp down housing, play and leisure facilities.Freedom from bullying.A right field to privacy.Equal memo ry access to services.RespectChildren in care have a unique relationship with the state. The local authority fulfils some, or all, of the traditional parenting role this can happen on many levels, from decisions about their day to day care through to decisions about where a child will live and which school they will attend. This responsibility has become known as corporate parenting in actualization that the task must be shared by the local authority as a whole, from lead members to frontline practitioners. Strong corporate parenting arrangements are important to improving services for children and young people in care.Improving the role of the corporate parent, as part of childrens trusts, is key to improving the outcomes for children in care. It is with the corporate parent that responsibility and accountability for the wellbeing and rising prospects of children in care ultimately rest. A good corporate parent must vortex everything that a good parent would, including stabil ity. It must address both the difficulties which children in care experience and the challenges of parenting within a complex system of different services. Equally, it is important that children have a chance to shape and influence the parenting they receive.3.2 WHERE ARE THE PROBLEMS?The circumstances and experiences of looked-after children and young people have shown that they can experience many disadvantages. Research indicates that looked-after children experience poorer outcomes than other children across a range of measures, including health and education.To achieve these outcomes, councils must demonstrate their commitment to helping every child they look after wherever the child is placed to achieve their potential.The composite role of parenting happens on many levels from basic decisions about their day to day care and the quality of the emotional support they receive, through to big decisions about where a child will live and what school they attend as well as impart ing values which help to shape their future aspirations and ambitions.For most children, these different levels are fulfil lead by the same people but it is more complex for children in care. And children and young people in care themselves have told us repeatedly that they want and need stability and continuity of care so that those who look after them do not change so frequently. The challenge, therefore, is to ensure that the quality of care which children experience meets their need for a secure attachment and promotes their resilience and that this is achieved as far as possible without the need for a serial publication of placements before finding the right one.For the first time, the Department for Children, Schools and Families presented data on the emotional and behavioral health of looked-after children and young people, finding that about 60% of those looked after in England were account to have emotional and mental health problems. It also reported that a high proportio n of looked-after children and young people experience poor health, educational and social outcomes after leaving care (Department for Children, Schools and Families 2009c).A government strategy for children and young peoples health noted that a troika of all children and young people in contact with the criminal arbitrator system have been looked after (Department for Children, Schools and Families and DH 2009).3.3 EVERY CHILD MATTERSGreen topic, 2003, led to the Children Bill, which was presented to Parliament in March 2004 and is now enacted as the Children Act 2004. The Act sets out a long term broadcast for change for childrens services across the country. It places a duty on all Local Authorities to produce a plan which addresses disadvantage, raises achievement and safe guards children and young people in their area.This decree is the legal underpinning for any Child Matters, which sets out the Governments shape up to the well-being of children and young people from bir th to age 19.The aim of the Every Child Matters program is to give all children the support they need tobe healthystay safeenjoy and achievemake a positive contributionachieve economic well-being.The Every Child Matters order of business has been further developed through publication of the Childrens Plan in declination 2007. The Childrens Plan is a ten-year strategy to make England the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up. It places families at the heart of Government policy, taking into account the fact that young people spend only one-fifth of their childhood at school. Because young people learn best when their families support and encourage them, and when they are taking part in positive activities outside of the school day, the Childrens Plan is based around a series of ambitions which cover all areas of childrens lives.The Plan aims to improve educational outcomes for children, improve childrens health, press offending rates among young people a nd eradicate child scantiness by 2020, thereby contributing to the achievement of the five Every Child Matters outcomes. http//www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/about/This strategy reflects many of the initiatives recommended in the Children Bill and subsequent Act and demonstrates the commitment of the Council to discharge its duties and improve childrens services. The development of Childrens Trust arrangements will shape together representatives from key agencies and Primary Care Trusts. Whilst the Councils responsibilities towards looked after children are pink-slipped primarily through the and Young Persons Department, the Council recognises the significant contribution to the well being of looked after children and their carers to be made by other Council departments and therefore requires, as part of this strategy, the effective and executive engagement of all service departments in meeting the needs of this group of vulnerable children and young people.3.4 WHAT IS THE GOV ERNMENT DOING most THIS PROBLEM?In 2003, the Government published a Green Paper called Every Child Matters alongside the formal response to the report into the death of Victoria Climbi. After a thorough consultation process, the Children Act 2004 became law. This legislation is the legal underpinning for Every Child Matters, which sets out the Governments approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19.The aim of the Every Child Matters programme is to give all children the support they need Looked-after children have a right to expect the outcomes we want for every child.These are that theyEnjoy the best health and live a healthy lifestyle .Are kept safe from harm and neglect and feel secure at all times .Are given the chance to learn and achieve, and enjoy leisure time .Are given the chance to make the most out of life and take a sound part in the community .Grow up in a strong and secure family situation and achieve rewarding adult lives .( The Cha rter for Children and Young People )( Every Child Matters Agenda)