7. Out of school childcare
Out-of-school clubs (sometimes called kids' clubs) open before and after school and all day long during school holidays, giving 3 to 14 year-olds and up to 16 for children with special needs a safe and enjoyable place to play, meet and sometimes catch up on homework. Holiday play schemes are often run by voluntary organisations, local authorities or charities, in local parks, community centres, leisure centres or schools. They are not only a great place for youngsters to meet their friends, they also offer a wide range of activities to keep them busy, such as sports or drama, arts and crafts or music. fwww.direct.gov.uk)
Explain the following terms in English
assesment
local authority
family setting
child protection register
child protection conference
fostering and adoption
care order
looked-after children children's home
truanting and difficult behaviour careleaver
holiday play scheme Samantha's story
"Break time was the worst. This group of girls used to hang around by the seats under the trees. It was out of sight of the school windows and that's why they went there. At first, they were all right and I was new, so was grateful that they let me be part of their group. Then they wanted me to chip in and buy cigarettes. I said I didn't smoke and that's when it started. They got all the other girls in the class to stop talking to me. They just completely blanked me. Things got worse. 1 got really down about the situation and on my way home one afternoon, I phoned ChildLine. It was so good to talk to someone. I thought if I told anyone - teachers or parents - the bullies would just get back at me. Other people had made things worse for themselves when their parents had complained to the school. The counsellor helped me think through some really good stuff. She asked me about people at school I could talk to. I thought of one of the sixth-formers who was really nice to us when we started. I told her about it and said I didn't want a big fuss. She understood and she started coming around the school at break time to send the girls off." Violet's story
When the Key Worker met Violet, she had been offending and charged with a serious offence and was subsequently placed under the supervision of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme. The Key Worker began by visiting Violet at her home, and began to build up a rapport with her by encouraging her to attend PAYP activities. Violet disclosed to the Key Worker that she was pregnant, but the father was in custody for offences. Although Violet was still of school age she had been truanting. She explained that she had moved schools as she had not been happy, but had been excluded from her new school due to her behaviour shortly after she had started. The Key Worker wrote a referral and Violet began attending the Young Mum's To Be course which focused on preparing her for parenthood and developing her basic skills. The Key Worker also liaised with her the Youth Offending Team Liaison Nurse to support Violet with her education, PAYP activities, and the pregnancy (including support to access grants for essential baby items). The Key Worker and Violet discussed her plans for after the baby's birth and encouraged her to discuss this with her parents. She thought that she would be interested in training but would need support with child care. Violet continued to take part in PAYP activities, which helped her confidence to grow. After the birth of her son Violet began an Entry to Employment course with the support of her mother, who looked after her son while she was training. Violet has gone on to study Health and Social Care at the local community college.
The Key Worker met Sean during visits to his sister who had been referred onto PAYP by her School and Social Services. The Key Worker discovered that Sean had not attended school for over a year. He was engaged by the Key Worker by encouraging him to participate in activities during the summer. Sean presented multiple issues including substance abuse. The Key Worker decided that he would benefit from being out of his home environment and developing new interests. Aware of Sean's substance abuse and the possible affect of this on his behaviour, any activities he might take part in were discussed by Sean and his Key Worker. Sean agreed not use any substances while taking part in activities, and a timetable of activities including both social and educational activities was drawn up. The Key Worker was able to build up a positive relationship with Sean and his family allowing the Key Worker to discuss his return to education after the summer activities. The Key Worker then negotiated funding with Sean's school allowing him to attend the help centre two days a week to study Maths and English.
Children on child protection registers: by sex and category of abuse
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Neglect
Emotional abuse
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse Multiple categories/other2
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□ Males ■ Females
Social workers with responsibilities for children and families may work in the following areas:
1. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
The social worker has lead responsibility, on behalf of social services, for undertaking an assessment of the child's needs and the parents' capacity to respond appropriately to the child's identified needs within their wider family and environment. In the great majority of cases, children are safeguarded while remaining at home by social services working with their parents, family members and other significant adults in the child's life to make the child safe, and to promote his or her development within the family setting. For a small minority of children, where it is agreed at a child protection conference that a child is at continuing risk of significant harm, the child's name will be placed on a child protection register. Social services are then responsible for co-ordinating an inter-agency plan to safeguard the child, which sets out and draws upon the contribution of family members, professionals and other agencies. In a few cases, social services, in consultation with other agencies and professionals, may judge that a child's welfare cannot be adequately safeguarded if he or she remains at home. In these circumstances, they may apply to the court for a care order, which commits the child to the care of the local authority. Where the child is thought to be in immediate danger, social services may apply to the court for an emergency protection order, which enables the child to be placed under the protection of the local authority for a maximum of eight days.
2. Supporting looked-after children
Where the local authority looks after a child following the imposition of a care order, or accommodates a child with the agreement of their parents, it is the role of the social worker to ensure that adequate arrangements are made for the child's care and that a plan is made, in partnership with the child, their parents and other agencies, so that the child's future is secure. Children are generally looked after in foster care. A minority will be cared for in children's homes and some by prospective adoptive parents.
3. Foster carers
Fostering means that the social services department arranges for a child to live with foster carers. It enables a child to be cared for in a family environment. A child can be placed with foster carers long term, for example, when you are permanendy unable to look after your child, or short term, for example when you are temporarily unable to look after your child because of illness in the family, or your child is in care but it is planned that s/he will return to you, relatives or friends.
4. Children's homes
Children's homes can either be administered by local authorities, or by private or charitable organisations. They are run by paid staff. In general, children in children's homes tend to be older. Younger children are placed wherever possible in foster homes. The way in which the home is organised varies considerably between authorities and according to the attitude of the head of the home. However, children will certainly be encouraged to participate in normal day to day activities within the community. They will usually attend local schools (although some children may go to special schools) and be able to join youth clubs and sports clubs etc. Some children are placed in children's homes with education provided on the premises. This might be for a variety of reasons such as a problem of persistent truanting or difficult behaviour in school or criminal offences. These homes tend to be larger than children's homes and provide a more structured and disciplined environment, similar to that of a boarding school.
5. Contact with a child in care
The local authority must encourage contact between a child in care and parents, relatives and friends. It must also allow reasonable contact between the child and parents. However, if it is not possible to reach an agreement, the court can make a court order detailing what contact your child should have with other people.
6. Children and young people leaving care and accommodation
The local authority must prepare a young person or child who has been looked after by a local authority for a period of at least 13 weeks, some time between the ages of 14 and 17, for leaving care and keep in touch afterwards. Most careleavers are entitled to help with accommodation, education and training, and if necessary, to other forms of help that the local authority has the power to provide.