Unit 10 Caring for Children and Young People

You have 10 seconds to name… 5 chocolate bars

Caring for Children in the UK There were over 91,000 looked after children in the UK in 2012 (NSPCC 2013)

This breaks down into England - 67,050 children were looked after on 31 March 2012 Northern Ireland - 2,644 children were looked after on 31 March 2012 Scotland - 16,248 children were looked after on 31 July 2012 Wales - 5,725 children were looked after on 31 March 2012. (NSPCC 2013)

WHY? Following a significant fall in the number of children in care over the past 30 years, numbers rose in the UK between 2008 and 2012 from 81,315 to 91,667. Following the inquiry into the death of baby Peter Connolly there was a significant increase in the number of care proceedings in England

Daniel Pelka Four-year-old was starved and beaten by his mother and step-father who were found guilty of his murder at Birmingham Crown Court this summer. What will be the impact of This?

The Terminology What is a looked after child? A child in public care of a Local Authority in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989. What is an Accommodated Child? A child removed or voluntarily looked after by the request of or by agreement with parents under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 The term ‘looked after children and young people’ is generally used to mean those looked after by the state, according to relevant national legislation which differs between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This includes those who are subject to a care order or temporarily classed as looked after on a planned basis for short breaks or respite care. The term is also used to describe ‘accommodated’ children and young people who are looked after on a voluntary basis at the request of, or by agreement with, their parents. We refer to these children as "children in care

What does the government do? government has made improving care for looked after children a priority. Generally children in care continue to have poorer outcomes than the wider population. There is a specific framework in place for child welfare in the UK. Generally children in care continue to have poorer outcomes than the wider population – particularly in relation to educational achievement, homelessness and mental health.

Conservative Coalition Government Policy Delivering more effective child protection - Publishing serious case reviews Tougher Ofsted inspections National action plan on child sexual exploitation. More robust child

Conservative Coalition Government Policy Curtailing the commercialisation and premature sexualisation of childhood working with retailers, businesses and families to tackle the commercialisation and premature sexualisation of childhood. cracking down on irresponsible advertising and marketing, especially to children. age ratings for video games of 12, 16 and 18 so that retailers can be prosecuted for selling video games to children below these age limits.

Conservative Coalition Government Policy Ensuring more children are adopted speed up the adoption process. Local Authorities should not delay placing children in loving homes on the grounds of ethnicity. charters for foster carers and adopters, which set out clear principles on how prospective adopters and foster carers should be treated. shorter approval process for potential adopters. fostering by potential adopters becomes standard practice in many cases, so more children are placed with carers who may become their adoptive parents.

Conservative Coalition Government Policy Giving young people more opportunities to engage with society youth strategy, setting out how government should give young people more opportunities and better support. young people a voice by allowing them to 'youth proof' government policy and calling on local authorities to take similar action at a local level. Youth Innovation Zones to develop new, creative approaches to youth services across the country.

The Framework of Child Welfare Services The Children Act 1989/2004 Family Support Services Youth Justice Day Care Safeguarding Services Looked After Children

In this module you will consider The type of care available for children and young people who may need to be looked after. And you will discover: An understanding of the risks to children and young people of abusive and exploitative behaviour and the strategies used to safeguard them from this behaviour.

Learning Outcomes for the Module Know why children and young people might need to be looked after. Know how care is provided for looked after children and young people. Understand the risks to children and young people of abusive and exploitative behaviour. Understand the strategies used to safeguard children and young people from abusive and exploitative behaviour.

Lets Start at the basics The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child In 1989 Governments worldwide promised all children the same rights by adopting the convention. the Convention is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards—also called human rights—set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments. They are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to every human being everywhere

The Conventions Says that Every Child Has The right to a childhood (including protection from harm) The right to be educated (including all girls and boys completing primary school) The right to be healthy (including having clean water, nutritious food and medical care) The right to be treated fairly (including changing laws and practices that are unfair on children) The right to be heard (including considering children's views) Unicef (2013) See full handout for students and give out. Common sense??

Lets use this for our basis of child welfare services. These rights are basic human rights. Since being adopted by the United Nations in November 1989, 193 countries have ratified the convention, meaning they have agreed to do everything they can to make the rights a reality for children around the world. In the UK we also have the Human Rights Act 1998.

There are a number of organisations who provide global support to children around the world.

What do you want to know as a result of what we have learnt today?

Conservatives (2013) http://www. conservatives Conservatives (2013) http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Family.aspx [accessed on 04.09.13] NSPCC (2013) http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/resourcesforprofessionals/lookedafterchildren/statistics_wda88009.html [accessed on 03.09.13] Unicef (2013) http://www.unicef.org.uk/ [accessed on 03.09.13]