Working Together for Our Childrens Welfare - Coursework Example

Working Together For Our Children’s Welfare Children hold a very special place in society. Parents and advocacy groups strive hard to work for their benefit. With the overriding belief that they are tomorrow’s leaders who will inherit and rule the earth, they are to be regarded with due care and respect. The following quote is one evidence of how children are prioritized in society: A key driving principle behind Every Child Matters (DFES 2003), and the Children Act 2004, is to create a single integrated service for children and young people covering education, social care and health ( Pugh and Duffy) (eds) (2006:21). The UK is signatory in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. Every five years, the UK government is required to report to the UN Commission on its progress in implementing the convention in the country. It is expected that all government departments hold responsibility to promote the convention and the five key outcomes set out in Every Child Matters namely: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and economic well-being. This document provides the vehicle for the delivery of the convention in the country. It widens the scope of government involvement in children’s development and challenges all those involved with children to develop effective practices in promoting positive developmental outcomes for all. Inspectors of children’s services will be looking for evidence that “Children and young people, parents and carers are involved in identifying their needs and designing services” and “Children and young people contribute to performance management and their views are listened to” (Ofsted, 2004). Government Policies in Support of Children The Children Act 1989 covers the following: “reforms the law relating to children; makes provision for local authority services for children in need and others; amends the law with respect to children’s homes, community home, voluntary homes and voluntary organizations; makes provision with respect to fostering, child minding and day care for young children and adoption and for connected purposes.” (DfEs Children Act and Reports, 1989; 2004). This act is further polished with Children Act 2004 and provides a wider strategy for improving children’s lives. “The overall aim is to encourage integrated planning, commissioning and delivery of services as well as improve multi-disciplinary working, remove duplication, increase accountability and improve the coordination of individual and joint inspections in local authorities.: (DfEs Children Act and Reports, 1989; 2004). The key outcomes of children’s growth and development detailed in the Every Child Matters report and represent a considerable shift in focus for staff providing public services for children. (Baxter & Frederickson, 2005). Being so, a number of agencies providing services and support to children in need and their families are concerned in upgrading the quality of their services. They also find themselves collaborating with a number of other agencies which also provide services for children and families. Children are provided services depending on their needs. More often than not, more than one agency provide such services, hence, a multi-agency setting takes place. The above-mentioned quote stresses the creation of a centralized body which would coordinate with agencies concerned to join the support team. Multi-agency Services “Multi-agency working is essentially about bringing together practitioners with a range of skills to work across their traditional service boundaries.” (Every Child Mattters: Changes for Children). Many agencies are after safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Every Child Matters defines such as : “protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.” (HM Government, 2007, p.11) Section 10 of the Children Act 2004 places a duty on each children’s service authority to make arrangements to promote cooperation between itself and relevant partner agencies to improve the wellbeing of children in their area. “The duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote children’s welfare supports effective inter-agency work. Local Authorities, therefore, should: make staff aware of the arrangements being made by other agencies under section 11 of the Children Act 2004. This will help to ensure children and families have prompt access to the services (universal, targeted and specialist) they require, recognizing the range and diversity of their needs and strengths in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for children; ensure other agencies to whom the duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote welfare applies are aware of the LA’s responsibilities including how those staff undertaking social services functions will respond to referrals regarding a child’s safety and welfare.” (HM Government, 2007, p. 37) In the United States, multi-agency services follow a “system of care” model. For instance, the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program promotes the provision of mental health services within the context of a System of Care that “weaves mental health and other supports into a coordinated fabric of services to meet the diverse, highly individual, and changing health, educational, and supportive needs of children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance. The system-of-care model is based on a philosophy built on three hallmark tenets: (1) mental health service systems are driven by the needs and preferences of the child and family; (2) services are community based; their management is built on multi-agency collaborations; and (3) the services offered, the agencies participating, and the programs generated to meet the mental health needs of the children are both responsive and sensitive to the cultural context and other characteristics of the populations being served.” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) Basically, agencies working with children and their families should keep in mind the following guidelines: Agencies should first and foremost center their services on the needs of the child rather than spend much time building relationships with the adults around him. His voice should be heard and his needs, met. People working with children should be adept with knowledge on child development and know which particular skills and abilities they should be developing at a certain age. Agencies should focus their services on the best possible outcomes for children to improve their well-being. A holistic approach in services means understanding the child in the context of his family, educational setting, community and culture he is growing up in. The capacity of the parents in meeting the developmental needs of the child should be assessed to ensure that the welfare of the child is prioritized. Provision of equal opportunity for all children to achieve the best possible development, regardless of their gender, ability, ethnicity, circumstances or age. Agencies should enjoin active involvement of children and their families, especially in important decision-making opportunities that directly affect them. The fact that their opinions are considered and their permission is sought when information about them is to be shared makes them feel respected and truly important in the agency. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in and within a child’s family is significant, as these may have effects on the child’s health and development. Agencies should build up on the strengths to overcome the weaknesses and be successful in resolving difficulties. Multi and inter-agency support is encouraged to fulfill all the needs of the child to ensure that he reaches optimum growth and development. Understanding and helping out a child is a continuing process and is not a one-time event. “Assessment should continue throughout a period of intervention, and intervention may start at the beginning of an assessment.” (HM Government, 2007, p. 24) Services should be immediately provided upon the assessment of its need, and consistently reviewed as to the impact it has on a child’s developmental progress. The success of an agency’s provision of service should yield a wide evidence base and drawn from the practitioner’s knowledge and expertise. Should all the guidelines specified above be followed by all the agencies in the multi-agency setting of particular children’s cases would ensure success. To reiterate, the quote: A key driving principle behind Every Child Matters (DFES 2003), and the Children Act 2004, is to create a single integrated service for children and young people covering education, social care and health shows a strong emphasis in current government policy on early prevention of problems and the provision of multi-agency support for children and families. Hardiker, Exton and Barker (1996) identify a ‘base’ level of universal services (health, education, leisure and so on) needed by all families, followed by four levels at which additional support can be offered. The first level addresses vulnerable groups or communities, the second those families at early risk of problems, the third offers support to those experiencing severe stress or difficulties which may lead their children to be accommodated, and the final level covers rehabilitative services to support children who have already entered the care system. In the UK, an example of a government agency working with the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and their families is the Quality Protects Programme launched in September, 1988. It aims to provide effective protection, better quality care an improved life chances for children in need, particularly in the areas of health and education. Quality Protects sets out clear outcomes for children, including specific goals to be achieved. Local councilors are assisted in delivering the programme and ensuring that children are looked after they receive services of the highest quality. It also conducts annual evaluation of management action plans and plans how to improve their services better. Quality Protects creates partnerships between and within central and local government and with the health service and the voluntary sector. It also provides a new childrens service grant of £885m payable over five years.”(DfES Quality Protects, 2007) Efforts at providing multi-agency services are not limited to government initiatives. Private citizens with strong advocacies in helping uplift society can form voluntary and community sectors. Such sectors comprise organizations that are independent of government and are constitutionally self-governing. They are value-driven or exist to promote social, environmental or cultural objectives in order to benefit society as a whole, or particular groups within it. They are not established for financial gain - they re-invest any surpluses to further their primary objectives. (Every Child Matters: Change for Children) A vigilant non-government agency composed mostly of volunteer advocates, Save the Children Organization likewise aims to uplift the conditions of suffering children worldwide. Their work around the world includes running long-term programmes aimed at improving the lives of children, emergency responses and supporting specific projects. The organization greatly influences people in power and authority to postively change the lives of as many children as possible. It also targets governments in the UK and overseas, political leaders and parties, bodies like the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union and multinational companies to shell out the much needed support to fund projects to end children’s hunger and poverty, provide education, healthcare and protection. They are also ready to assist and provide support for children in emergency situations such as becoming victims of disasters and calamities. (Save the Children Organization, 2007) How Multi-agency Services Work: The following example illustrates how multi-agency services work. “When a child/adolescent with a preexisting disability is separated from the parent/family and enters the child welfare system, already established medical and educational services for the child are often put on hold until placement is secured, records are gathered, and services with new providers are initiated in the geographical area of the placement. The child welfare worker, therefore, has a key role in identifying and accessing appropriate services for children/adolescents with disabilities and their families (biological and foster) within the child welfare system and in the medical and educational systems. To maintain children with disabilities in family and community settings, supportive, developmental, and therapeutic services must be provided to this population of children and to their biological, foster, and adoptive families” (Hughes & Rycus, 1998). Benefits of Multi-agency Work Collaboration among various agencies and working towards the goal of achieving the highest possible outcome definitely yields a lot of benefits not only for the children (and their families) receiving the support but also for the staff of the agencies. Joint work by representatives of different agencies have been proven to accelerate the progress of interventions of children and ultimately contribute much to their well-being. A review of school-based interventions in the UK to enhance children’s well-being suggests that schools can play a valuable role in providing a base for multi-agency support for children and families within local communities (Pugh & Stratam, 2005). Pettit (2003) reports measurable improvement of behavior and better peer relationships of children helped by both school staff and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Improved academic attainment of the children and acquisition of new learning skills were likewise reported by the workers. In Multi-agency services with work with disabled children, families with key workers to coordinate services report improved quality of life, better relationships with services, better and quicker access to services and reduced levels of stress (Sloper, 2004). Professionals from a wide variety of fields and disciplines devote much time and energy in helping these children live comfortable and fulfilling lives with the end view of mainstreaming them into society and the real world. Educators, therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists, physicians, social workers and even government officials join hands in the care and education of these children to ensure their optimum growth and development. Schools with access to behaviour and education support teams (BEST), a multi-agency service provider, and a range of other services report drastic reduction in exclusions and behaviour problems. “Some of the key benefits are higher levels of achievement; increased motivation and self-esteem; more opportunity to participate in sports, arts and cultural activities; and specialist support to meet additional needs. Families report seeing improvements in their childrens behaviour; being more involved in their childrens learning and finding it easier to take up employment due to the provision of affordable childcare.” (Every Child Matters: Change for Children) Atkinson et al (2002) point out more benefits of multi-agency services. Access to a wide range of services not previously available is within reach to needy children and their families. Needs are identified earlier and so intervention may be provided right away. Parents are better supported in their efforts at addressing their children’s needs. Having such access to a variety of services, there is now a reduced need for more specialist services. Service practitioners find fulfillment working in multi-agency settings because they get to interact with other practitioners, sometimes from other disciplines, giving them different perspectives and a more holistic view of the children they serve. Benefits to staff working in multi-agency settings include: professional development: opportunities to share expertise and learn from colleagues through discussion of casework and joint delivery of interventions. (Every Child Matters: Change for Children). In addition, NFER (2004) reports: “Less replication between different service providers; better links between service providers including a greater understanding of their practices; professional development and career progression opportunities; more involvement in community development; improved awareness of different services and changed public perceptions of service providers. Barriers to Effective Multi-agency Working Like any other organization sharing the same goals but comprised of varying agencies employing different individuals, multi-agency work is not without challenges. Having people from different backgrounds, qualifications and disciplines work together entails flexibility and adaptability to others. However, this cannot be expected from everyone. Being so, conflicts are bound to arise. Practitioners bring with them their professional training and credibility. When they become part of a multi-agency team, they may use this as a shield of security which may protect them when they are threatened. However, they need to shift the paradigm they have been accustomed to “reinterpret their professional role against a backdrop of changed expectations about how professionals should operate in a group.” (Every Child Matters: Changes for Children) or else, they may suffer from anxiety that parts of their job can be done by others who may not be as qualified as they are. On the other hand, the unqualified support workers may likewise feel inadequate in carrying out their jobs if their more qualified colleagues question their abilities. Loyalty to the home agency may also serve as a barrier in the attainment of harmony in working in a new team. “Professional conflict and boundary issues can arise if people work to the agenda of their home agency rather than that of the multi-agency setting” (Every Child Matters: Changes for Children). Such professional territoriality must be overcome in order for teams to be catalysts for change. Ironically, home agencies may be a cause of stress for practitioners especially if they are not supportive to the new ways their representative staff now practices. Home agencies continue to have a hold on their staff especially if the staff still carries out statutory work for them. Aside from practice barriers, cultural barriers may also restrict multi-agency settings to achieve common goals and maximum productivity. Attitudinal factors usually serve as impediments to the effectiveness of multi-agency working. This may be exhibited by a reluctance to step out of the box and work in new and flexible ways to support children, young people and families. Practitioners must remember that their commitment in reaching their shared goals takes priority over their preferences in staying in their comfort zones. If this basic philosophy and discipline is not established, then it becomes a huge barrier to the success of the whole team. Having unclear and undefined roles is also another barrier to success. The risk of overlapping with some agencies taking more responsibility than is appropriate is great that ultimately, a sense of injustice may surface. “Clarity is particularly important where this is a shared responsibility between a line manager within the multi-agency service and a member of the practitioners own professional body working elsewhere.” (Every Child Matters: Changes for Children) Another challenge for multi-agency working is information-sharing. Necessary information should be shared with other concerned members of the team if it would directly affect the clients involved. If transparency is not maintained within the multi-agency setting, then doubts and malicious intentions may bring about dark clouds in an otherwise bright vision of success. Conclusion The creation of a single integrated service for children and young people covering education, social care and health brings together concerned agencies ready to lend their support. Each agency may have specialized services that would complement the lack of other agencies. Combining efforts is like joining forces to strengthen the chances for success of the stakeholders. Multi-agency working entails a lot of changes. Individuals called to join the team should perceive their role in terms of outcomes rather than their professional backgrounds and commit to the righteous causes they were trained for – that of helping children in need, and having a hand in providing a better future for them by serving them to the best of their ability in the present. References Atkinson, Wilkin, Stott, Doherty and Kinder. (2002) Multi-agency Working: A Detailed Study, NfER.  2005. 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Childhood Policies: Conceptual and Practical Issues, Eurosocial Report 61 (Vienna: European Centre, 1996). Read More