Making it Everyone s Business: Interfacing Child Protection services, Community and Citizen

Transcription

1 Making it Everyone s Business: Interfacing Child Protection services, Community and Citizen Caroline McGregor Professor, School of Soc & Pol/Senior Reserach Fellow UNESCO C&F Centre June 2013

2 The policy

3 KNOWLEDGE BASE ESTABLISHED? t h r e s h o l d s Family support/welfare Continuum s Comm Dev FAMILY support Child protection CHILDREN s RIGHTS CHILD PROTECTION Orientations

4 ARE WE Making it Everyone s Business? AIM Critically review how citizens are engaged in child protection processes How can this engagement be improved with view to improving children safety and well-being METHOD EXPLORATORY capturing a Moment around New Agency Discourse Analysis of Selected Documents (ongoing) relationship between DISCOURSE and PRACTICE (Satka/Skehill) OUTCOME Critical Overview of Civic Engagement & Child Protection Tentative Proposals to enhance civic responsibility for and knowledge about CHILD PROTECTION PILOT TRAINING/FOCUS GROUPS with SAMPLE GROUPs (PHASE TWO) POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP IN RESEARCH /TRAINING DEVELOPMENT

5 The CITIZEN and CHILD PROTECTION Good practice at the front line is based on clear policies and principles. The Government s policy underpinning this Children First: National Guidance is: the welfare and safety of children, which is central to all Government policy; the promotion of and support for family life; the use of the minimum necessary intervention, in a timely way, to keep children safe; agencies working together to help children reach their full potential; agencies working together to provide safer and more effective services; the State and civil society working together to promote children s welfare. Children First 2011; 2

6 Societal Responsibility The wider community of relatives, friends, and neighbours are well placed to be aware of a child s welfare and need to know how to respond to ensure the most effective steps are taken to protect a child. CF, 2011 p.2 S Society has a duty of care towards children and everyone should be alert to the possibility that children with whom they are in contact may be being abused or at risk of being abused. This national guidance is designed to encourage people to report concerns or suspicions to the HSE Children and Family Services CF 2011; p.4.

7 Some Observations on C.F Cites Citizen responsibility (referrals) but not to the fore in the guidance itself NO Training reference for public about child protection Reactive guidance to respond to concerns Emphasis (rightly?) on professional practice development WHAT ABOUT PARENT s /CITIZENS LEARNING ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION?

8 Task Force on C&F SA: Passive or Active Civic Relations? the public and the Oireachtas rightly expect improved performance and accountability of services in relation to the welfare and protection of children (TFR, 2012; iv).

9 A Professional only village? Mutidisciplinary Engagement: All professionals working with children including teachers, social workers, child care workers, youth workers, family support workers, public health nurses, general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, speech and language therapists and others - have a collective, shared responsibility for the wellbeing and protection of children. Professionals must view their responsibility to individual professions as a secondary concern to their responsibilities to children. As cited in the Nigerian proverb: It takes a whole village to raise a child. (2012, v)

10 Simple statement...complex context Kindness to children, love for children, goodness to children -- these are the only investments that never fail --Henry David Thoreau (TFR, 2012, vi)

11 HOW HAVE WE FARED? Historical Record regarding CHILD PROTECTION Public Perception of Child Protection and FEAR Professional contribution to Child Protection Role? & Community Education? desktop.freewallpaper4.me Social And Cultural Understandings of Child Protection and Welfare

12 Historical Record regarding CHILD PROTECTION Public TRUST in others doing the job State Responsibility Limited and Diminished over time NSPCC /ISPCC LOW voice of ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN

13 Public Perception of Child Protection and FEAR Public anger Child Death/Inquiries Disconnect between REALILY of Child protection and PERCEPTION Service User research Buckley Learning from Referendum

14 Professional contribution to Child Protection Role? & Community Education? Pre-1970: PhN vs SWK for CP expertise CP historically isolated Professional tension can reinforuce isolation Professional received view of CP negative power effect Regulation in knowledge vacuum? Reactive...proactive

15 Social And Cultural Understandings of Child Protection and Welfare Low Turnout and Marginal Vote not a priority MISUNDERSTANDINGS of CP Role and function by: MEDIA representatives Public Voters LACK OF EDUCATIVE ROLE IN RELATION TO CHILD PROTECTION

16 In Sum Our history tells us we cannot take for granted a proactive commitment to the protection of children Passive not proactive engagement with public- what are the SWK /services doing? Complex relationship with child protection in professions/services...mirrored in public/media perception? Reality and Myth conspire... Opportunity for Change...

17 Suggested Actions/considerations Beyond Universal CP ATTITUDE Children s Service committees New Agency Role of Family support

18 Tertiary Child Protection Services Secondary Child & Family support /community org Primary/UNIVERSAL Education/Health/Welfare/ Primary Care BEYOND PUBLIC SERVICE CIVIC Society Level Child Protection Education for CITIZENS

19 Children Services committees coordinating the implementation of national and regional policies and strategies that relate to children, young people and families in the area covered by the CSC; planning and coordinating services for children in the area covered by the CSC in order to improve outcomes for children; eliminating fragmentation and duplication of services by ensuring more effective collaboration between children, young people and family services within the area; influencing the allocation of resources across the area covered by the CSC with a view to enabling the effective use of resources at local level; strengthening the decision-making capacity at local level. WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION?

20 Role of Family support & community Organisations? Educative role with Parents Already Well- Established Address Fear s and Misperceptions? - Mediator with the community/public? Multi-directional Partnerships around promotion of understanding of good child protection Self-Regulation to be more explicitly developed as a skill and mediation intervention Sense of Genuine SHARED RESPONSIBLITY...

21 Embrace Opportunity with New CURRENT PRIORITIES: Agency IMPLEMENTING VARIOUS LAYERS FOR NEW AGENCY Getting the System working (HIQA) Professionals Trained effectively (Manual); working well inter-disciplinary way; working across continuum of FS CP. AND GETTING PUBLIC ON SIDE???.. Teach self-regulation building relationships between system and individual mediated through CD and FS relationships SWK and leaders proactively engaging with public promote CP as key specialism in SWK not something to JUMP out of RESPECT the AUTH/EXPERTISE involved KEEP IN MIND THE PRIMARY GOAL in CP...

22 ATTITUDE TO CP has to CHANGE Maria Connelly (2013) All Ireland Child Protection conference argued in supporting child and family centred systems in child protection that It might require a change of lens... But if we do take the time to change lenses, we ll be in the business of finding solutions, supporting good outcomes, changing lives Remember... TFR on CFSA (2012) this is a once in a generation opportunity to fundamentally reform children s services in Ireland.

23 WOULD YOU INTERVENE?

24 ...would you know...?