A Commentary on Connexions as a Reliable Partner - Essay Example

A Commentary on Connexions as a Reliable Partner Young people 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 young people 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, 2006, p. 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). 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. “Connexions is a youth service providing advice, guidance, support and personal development services for all 13-19 year olds. This is extended to age 25 if you have a learning difficulty or disability. It brings together all the services that help young people and gives them access to a personal adviser, someone they can trust.” (Connexions website). The leaflet on Connexions made it clear to readers that this particular partner is an available resource for young people to meet their needs with regards to the key outcomes. Its very special graphic on it located at the bottom is a constant reminder of it. When clicked, the link talks about the key outcomes using a language easy enough for young people to understand. A young person will be positively influenced by the text, as it uses encouraging words that give hope to youth. It also helps in putting faith in government efforts to care for young people. Young people 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 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) The leaflet provides valid information on how parents and carers could assist their children who are going through challenges in school. For example: for parents with students who are enrolled on their 10th and 11th year in school, Connexions provides information and advice on how students could successfully pass the GCSE subjects based on the course the student prefers taking in the future. In the case of students with learning difficulties or disabilities, parents and/or carers are adviced to take the pre-entry level qualification before taking the GCSE examination. Connexions also provides its target audiences with questions and answers as well as some contact numbers where interested parties could call in case they have further questions to ask in relation to the proposed transition planning for students with special needs. Connexions aptly guides them on the particulars of helping their special needs children gain access to available assistance especially those aged 16 and above who may be entitled to new benefits such as Incapacity Benefit and Income Support. It is established that young people can receive benefits in their own name at 16 and may have to renew their claim for Disability Living Allowance (from the Connexions website). It also provides support to parents in considering what their children’s future may be like. Aside from giving the parents and carers with some ideas on how they could monitor their children’s educational needs, Connexions also provides advice and help to individuals who have specific concerns that include not only issues related to financial matters but also with the students’ personal or family life. This portion is very important since it provides hope to students who belong to families with low income to be able to continue pursuing their dreams of going through further studies. In the end, financial support granted by the Government to students could minimize and prevent the number illiteracy rate throughout the country. The good thing about the leaflet on the ‘Young People’ section is that it directly communicates to its target audience, which is the youth. It offers itself as an available resource they could turn to whenever they would be in need of a particular service. Of course, many partner agencies are spread out all over the country, ready to assist young people in their need, but due to advances in technology and communication, the website is an easily accessible resource that is ready to provide information at their fingertips. Adolescents are particularly a difficult group to communicate with, what with all the adjustments they have to deal with in their particular stage of development. However, the Connexions leaflet clearly relates to them at their level in a way that allows them to be anonymous. The Beyond 16 webpages specifically caters to young people on the verge of adulthood. It provides them options on what they can do after year 11. Aside from materials they may readily use such as calendars and organizers, it helps them reflect on the career path they could take in the future. This answers to the key outcomes of making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. Basically, partner agencies working with children and their families as learning support workers 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. Connexions is doing its part as an efficient partner in support of a fulfilling growth and development of children. The leaflet is evidential that its aim of serving children and their families is highly prioritized. Its quality of being reader-friendly makes it attractive to its target audiences. The website may be overwhelming with a lot of details, but it just goes to show that it is thorough in exploring and anticipating the needs of the market it serves. It complies with the requirements of the Every Child Matters’ document’s fulfillment of key outcomes, the SEN code of practice, the Children’s Act and a host of other statutory laws designed to protect and care for children and young people. Its informational and educational content, not to mention its hip and attractive components would keep its target audience coming back for more. References Baxter, J. & Frederickson, N., (2005) “Every Child Matters: Can educational psychology contribute to radical reform?” Educational Psychology in Practice, Vol 21, No. 2 Connexions website, http://www.connexions-bs.co.uk DfES (2003) Excellence and Enjoyment: A Strategy for Primary Schools, London, DfES. Every Child Matters: Change for Children. Retrieved on August July 3, 2008 from http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/multiagencyworking/ http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/voluntaryandcommunity/background/ HM Government (2007) “Statutory guidance on making arrangements to Safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004” Every Child Matters Change for Children. London: Department for Education and Skills http://www.teachernet.gov.uk Ofsted. (2004). Every child matters: Inspection of children’s services: Key judgements and evidence. Retrieved 4 July, 2008 from www.ofsted.gov.uk/everychildconsultation. Pugh, G. and Duffy, B.(eds) (2006) Contemporary issues in the early years, 4th ed. Sage Publications Read More