Christian Childcare Forum Newsletter: Spring 2009

EDITORIAL

Dear CCCF member,

Welcome to the Spring edition of the CCCF Newsletter which contains a selection of news items and comment that may be of interest to CCCF members. The CCCF Annual Forum is rapidly approaching and I would urge you to sign up and book a place if you haven’t done so already. An online booking form for this year’s Forum, on Tuesday 28th April, is featured prominently on the home page of the CCCF website and Keith White has written an introduction to this year’s theme which is “A Christian Response to the Good Childhood Inquiry” see http://www.christianchildcareforum.org.uk/wp2.6/a-christian-response-to-the-good-childhood-inquiry/

The publication of the results of the Good Childhood Inquiry in February led to widespread discussion in the media about what we mean by a good childhood and in what ways contemporary society may be letting children down. Coming so soon after the vitriolic coverage of the Baby P case towards the tail end of last year (see my article in Thinking Space) the media debate about vision and values for children made a refreshing change. The report, by Richard Layard and Judy Dunn, entitled “A Good Childhood: Searching for Values in a Competitive Age” is published by Penguin books and deserves a place on your bookshelves. The report is the distillation of three year’s work by the Panel of Inquiry set up by the Children’s Society and is informed by widespread consultation with CCCF members among others. All research papers and summaries of the contributions submitted through the inquiry’s call for evidence can be found at the Children’s Society website: www.childrenssociety.org.uk. The trustees of CCCF are looking to this year’s Forum as a timely opportunity to mobilise support for a Christian coalition to work towards a better world for our children.

In November 2008 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published a report entitled “Religion, Beliefs and Parenting Practices”. The research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team, led by Jan Howarth of Sheffield University, and was based on fieldwork undertaken in Bradford. The findings draw on the responses of 114 young people aged 13-17, mainly from Christian and Muslim backgrounds, and 77 parents. Among other recommendations for practice, the JRF report suggests that more attention needs to be paid by professionals to the influences of religious beliefs and practices on parenting. This chimes strongly with my own experience as a social worker reading assessments of parenting in Care proceedings or in the context of fostering and adoption where, both in assessment and care planning, the dimension of ethnicity is given some attention whereas that of religious belief and practice is often assumed to be irrelevant. The children interviewed in this study, and their parents, virtually without exception expressed a belief in God and a conviction that this belief had significance for the way they live their lives. This piece of research, along with other news items summarised below may go some way towards challenging the secular consensus that religion is largely irrelevant to children today. The report, both the summary and the full report, can be downloaded from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website at http://www.jrf.org.uk/node/3933.

One of the much trumpeted advantages of online communication is interactivity and the CCCF website now allows for some comments/reactions/responses to the material posted in the Thinking Space section of the website. In addition to responses, I would also welcome contributions for this section of the website, fairly brief articles, say 750-1000 words, aimed at provoking discussion and debate on topics that relate to CCCF’s core mission which is to provide “a means of sharing experience and insights, and of increasing understanding and co-operation on matters of policy and practice the Forum seeks to sustain and develop the contribution of Christian resources to the well-being of children and young people.” Possible contributions, or ideas for articles, should be sent to info@christianchildcareforum.org.uk.

The selection of news stories summarised below is far from being comprehensive. However, all the stories relate, in one way or another, to the central concerns of the Christian Child Care Forum. A number of themes are interwoven through the stories and three themes that are of particular interest to me personally are:

• The continuing relevance of Christian faith and practice to work with children

• The importance of men and male carers being involved in the lives of children

• The damaging effect on children’s development of child neglect

The Lancet studies on child maltreatment highlight the extent of child neglect within the general population of children and Action for Children’s recent report suggests that as adults we tend to overlook child neglect and fail to report our concerns. One commentator has talked about a “culture of diffidence” around child neglect and this may be one explanation as to why child neglect, as a form of harm to children, tends to be tolerated in a way that other types of maltreatment are not. This tolerance of child neglect needs to be challenged if we are serious about campaigning for a good childhood for all children. In terms of what churches and Christian agencies can do about this there are two articles in the archives section of CCPAS’s website that relate to this issue. They are titled “Caring about neglect” and “Responding to neglect” and they can be found at
http://www.ccpas.co.uk/Articles%20and%20Downloads.htm.

Bill Stone, March 2009

SUPPORT NEEDED FOR CATHOLIC ADOPTION AGENCIES

Resources must be in place to make sure children don’t lose out if Catholic adoption agencies close because of a change in law, the chief executive of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) has warned. As of 1 January 2009 the Equality Act made it illegal to discriminate against gay applicants for adoption. David Holmes said that although the underlying principles of the act were “right”, it posed a problem for Catholic adoption agencies and could force some to close. Holmes said that it was too early to be certain what the impact of the change would be but he had heard that one agency had already closed. He added that the future was uncertain for the other 10 faith-based agencies across England, Wales and Scotland. “If any more agencies close we need to work out where the adoption capacity is going to come from and how the work they were doing will be absorbed,” he said. Holmes added that it was vital that the agencies’ work with families was not lost and that there should be organisations ready to step in and mop up the extra work if more closed. “There has been some resources made available from the government to the voluntary adoption sector,” he said. “We hope that it will continue to help all agencies adapt to the changing law.” He said that the act was welcomed overall, as it meant that a broader section of society was eligible to adopt children.

LANCET REPORT: CHILD ABUSE STATISTICS

The Lancet medical journal, in collaboration with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, has launched a Child Maltreatment Series which includes comment pieces and research papers on child abuse. The research finds that one in ten children in the UK are abused every year but less than a tenth of that number are investigated by child protection services. The Lancet states that 15 per cent of girls and five per cent of boys have been sexually abused by the age of 18; between four and 16 per cent suffer physical abuse and 10 per cent of all children are exposed to emotional abuse. Neglect is the most common form of abuse, contributing to 44 per cent of all reported cases in the UK.
Further information is available at http://www.thelancet.com/series/child-maltreatment

TOOLKIT OF PARENTING PROGRAMMES

The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners has launched a Commissioning Toolkit of Parenting Programmes. The toolkit is a searchable online database which contains comprehensive descriptions of parenting programmes available for commission. It presents information about programmes - their aims, content, target groups and practitioner requirements and also rates them according to quality and effectiveness, allowing commissioners to make informed choices about how suitable a particular programme may be in meeting the needs of specific parents.
http://www.commissioningtoolkit.org

FAITH GROUPS GET SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT

A Christian charity is using more than one hundred thousand pounds of government funding to ensure faith groups protect children in their care. The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) will use the two-year funding to produce a DVD in eight languages that promotes safeguarding standards in places of worship. The charity said that: “some cultural and religious practices, combined with poor safeguarding procedures, have placed children at risk of significant harm.” It said it was hard for statutory and voluntary agencies to be sure these groups effectively protect the children in their care. CCPAS, which has a 24-hour helpline, will support groups to help them implement the standards. David Pearson, chief executive officer at the charity, said the funding was “the latest stage of a broader strategy to reach non-English speaking members of the faith community, one that has been worked out full in consultation with the children’s minister and other statutory and voluntary agencies.” The DVD will be part of a package of resources including an online manual and a booklet.

HIGH RATE OF DEPRESSION AMONG YOUNG

One in ten UK young people say that life is not worth living, according to new research from The Prince’s Trust. Young people not in education, employment or training were twice as likely to feel that life has little or no purpose. The survey, carried out by YouGov, also found that more than a quarter of the 2,004 16- to 25-year-olds surveyed said they were often or always down or depressed, rising to 37 per cent among those not in employment, education or training. The Trust is launching a mental health awareness programme to help leaders on its Team programme, which aims to get young people into work or training, identify signs of different emotional health issues and develop ways to support young people. Peter Kellner, YouGov president, said: “Most young people have a positive outlook on life, but our Youth Index reveals a significant core of unhappy people under age 25. Their concerns need to be addressed, and not only for the sake of the young people themselves; for if we ignore their concerns, we will be storing up big problems for the future.”

6-13 YEAR OLDS MISS OUT ON SUPPORT

More than half of six- to 13-year-olds say they have had problems with anger but projects favour early years and adolescents, according to a report by Action for Children. The survey also found that one in four children said they had problems transferring to secondary school. In a report published today Action for Children claims that although “middle childhood” is a highly vulnerable age, policy makers and practitioners favour early years and adolescent services. The charity is calling for a 21-year cross-party plan for children and young people across the UK, to ensure children receive the support they need at all key stages. Stuck in the Middle: the importance of supporting six to 13 year olds highlights the lack of funding for projects targeting this age group.

RESOURCES TO MAKE FATHERS FEEL WELCOME

The Fatherhood Institute has produced a set of posters and photo-cards to help services involve fathers and make them feel welcome. The posters include the words “welcome” and “Dad” in languages including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Polish, Somali, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu.
The photo-cards, which have research findings, facts and exercises on the back, are designed to be used by services including schools, children’s centres, nurseries and youth clubs, both with children and families and to train staff. Jeremy Davies, publications manager at the Fatherhood Institute said: “There is plenty of guidance that says involve fathers but many services have not found a way to change the way they do things. The aim is for these resources to help services take on board the need to engage fathers as well as mothers.” The resources, which cost £12 for the posters and £12.50 for the photo-pack (plus VAT) are available from the Fatherhood Institute website or from 0845 634 1328.

EARLY YEARS

The Children’s Workforce Development Council has questioned 1,000 parents about the issue of men working in nurseries. Their survey found that 66 per cent of single mothers would like a man to be involved in the care and development of their child. However, of the parents questioned, 59% said there was not a single man employed at the nursery to which they sent their child. There are currently around 3,000 men working in early years childcare - about 2 per cent of the workforce. The CWDC is calling for more men to consider working in early years settings. They say it is crucial for children under the age of five to have contact with a responsible male adult.
Further information available at:
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/whats-new/news/1591_parents-demand-more-male-childcare-workers

ISA UPDATE

From 20 January 2009, the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) will be making the decisions about whether to bar an individual from working with children. Those organisations who already have a duty to refer individuals following misconduct schemes must now send new referrals to the ISA (instead of the relevant government department). New guidance will be published on 20 January. Requests for criminal bureau checks should still be sent to the CRB.
Further information available at: http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=378

LACK OF CHILD CARE

Parents are continuing to report a lack of childcare places, despite local authorities having to assess whether they had enough places last year. Childcare charity Daycare Trust’s annual cost survey revealed that more than two-thirds of parents (69 per cent) were reporting a lack of childcare. This was only a one per cent improvement on last year’s figure, despite local authorities having since carried out Childcare Sufficiency Assessments (CSAs) in a bid to ensure they meet their duty to provide sufficient childcare. Emma Knights, joint chief executive at Daycare Trust, said the government should have instructed authorities on how to follow up assessments before the publication of this week’s childcare strategy refresh. “The government could have been quicker off the mark in taking action. It was very focused on getting the CSAs in rather than pushing for action,” she said. Children’s minister Beverley Hughes admitted there has been variation on how well authorities have acted upon their CSAs, but insisted that government guidelines were clear. “I can’t set out a template for every local authority because we want them to assess their markets,” she said.

PURSUIT OF SUCCESS HARMS CHILDREN, FINDS CHILDHOOD ENQUIRY

Family discord, excessive competition and “unacceptable” inequality are among the challenges facing children today, according to the findings of the three-year Good Childhood inquiry. The inquiry, commissioned by the Children’s Society, has found the greatest threat to children is the aggressive pursuit of personal success, which has led to problems including a high rate of family break-up, unprincipled advertising and acceptance of inequality. Recommendations for teachers, parents, the government and media include the need for a civil birth ceremony where vows are made to care for a child, a significantly higher wage for teachers working in deprived areas and the abolishment of school league tables and SATs. Lord Richard Layard, the report’s author, said: “Our evidence showed clearly how stressful life has become for many children in all social classes.”We identified a common thread in these problems, which is excessive individualism in our culture. “This needs to be reversed and children need to learn that being of use to others is ultimately more satisfying than an endless struggle for status.”

FOSTER CARER STRUCK OFF FOR LETTING MUSLIM CHILD CONVERT

A Christian foster carer has been struck off by her local council after a Muslim child in her care converted to Christianity. The carer, who has cared for more than 80 children during a ten-year period, was banned when officials at the council in the north of England ruled that she had failed in her duty to protect the girl’s religion. A spokesman for charity The Christian Institute, which is funding the woman’s challenge to the decision, said the Muslim girl, who was 16 at the time of her conversion, had been offered transportation to her local mosque by the carer, but had insisted that she wished to convert to Christianity. He added that the carer had spoken to social services about the girl’s wish to become a Christian, and that social services told the girl that she was free to convert if she wanted to. But it was the local council’s fostering services team - which had not been consulted - that decided to ban the carer. The carer has written to the council demanding reinstatement. She has asked lawyers to look into the possibility of a Judicial Review if the council refuses. The Christian Institute spokesman said: “I cannot imagine that an atheist foster carer would be struck off if a Christian child in her care stopped believing in God - this is the sort of double standard which Christians are facing in modern Britain.” “The carer is good at what she does - there are a shortage of foster carers, we need more women like her.” Mo O’Reilly, director of child placement at the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, said: “Foster carers should do everything to uphold a child’s religion and culture but they can’t compel children to remain with their culture or religion if they want to change. Foster carers do a fantastic job going out of their way to educate themselves about different religions but a child is free to choose what they want to believe in.”

QUARTER OF ADULTS SUSPECT CHILD NEGLECT

A quarter of adults have been concerned about the possible neglect of a child they know, but more than a third did nothing about it a survey has found. Of the 25 per cent of adults who had been worried about a child they knew or lived near to them, a quarter said they did not think they had enough information about who to ask for help, 15 per cent said it was not any of their business and 16 per cent said they were frightened to tell anyone. In England last year 45 per cent of children on the child protection register were there because of neglect, compared to 15 per cent for physical abuse. The charity is now warning that public confusion around child neglect could mean children at risk may not be identified before serious harm is done. Clare Tickell, chief executive at Action for Children, said: “Child neglect is a real danger to children and also often indicates underlying and serious problems in the family as a whole.” She added that on the back of the survey the charity would be investigating the most effective ways to intervene early in cases of neglect. A DCSF spokeswoman said: “Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. Government and local agencies have significant roles to play but cannot protect children alone.”

BRITONS BACK RELIGIOUS VALUES

Most British people want religion and religious values to have an important role in public life, a new BBC survey has found. The ComRes poll of 1,045 people found 62 per cent in favour. Around the same number (63 per cent) said that British law should respect and be influenced by the UK’s traditional religious values. Despite secularist calls to ‘free’ society from the views and beliefs of religious traditions, the survey demonstrates public support for religious values. Researchers found a higher proportion of Muslims and Hindus supporting the role of the country’s traditional (essentially Christian) values.
Source: BBC (24/2)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7906595.stm

CHARITY CRITICIZES CHILD DATA GUIDANCE

A children’s rights charity is calling for the government to take back guidance that states children aged 12 or over are generally able to consent to the sharing of their personal data. Research undertaken by Action on Rights for Children (Arch) recommends all local authorities should train staff in the assessment of a child’s ability to consent to information sharing. Last year’s government guidance document Information Sharing: Guidance for Practitioners and Managers advised: “children aged 12 or over may generally be expected to have sufficient understanding [to give consent to sharing data].” But Arch’s report states children’s competence depends on their maturity, the quality of the information given to them and the child’s understanding of the purpose for sharing the information. The research was undertaken as a result of recent drives towards joining up services, resulting in frontline staff sharing information about children as well as the recent development of the ContactPoint database, which lists the basic information for all children in England. Other recommendations in the report includes the need for the information commissioner to produce a code of practice for local authorities, setting out the standards for data protection training, giving special attention to the protection of children’s data.

FATHERS STILL INITIMIDATED BY EARLY YEARS SETTINGS

Early years providers need more focused training to stop fathers becoming intimidated, according to research. The study, by the University of Derby and the Pre-School Learning Alliance, shows that fathers feel intimidated by early years settings when they pick up and drop off their children. This is despite the alliance’s efforts to engage with fathers in recent years. Researchers carried out focus groups and interviews with more than 40 practitioners and fathers in the East Midlands. Fathers said the predominance of female staff in settings makes them feel uncomfortable, while practitioners often sensed this discomfort and struggled to engage with the fathers as a result. Andrew Sanders, senior lecturer of early childhood studies at the University of Derby, said: “Practitioners know a lot about how to engage with parents, but for them parents tend to mean mums. They could benefit from opportunities to think about how they relate to dads as dads, and not just parents.” The study focused specifically on everyday interaction with fathers, as opposed to father-friendly activities organised by settings. The Pre-School Learning Alliance has created online resources to help practitioners engage with fathers.

BLAIR: BE PROUD OF YOUR CHRISTIANITY

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has lashed ‘ludicrous decisions’ where Christians have been disciplined in the workplace for expressing their beliefs. And describing our time as ‘an age of aggressive secularism’, he challenged religious believers to have ‘the confidence to go out and make [their] case by persuasion’. Mr Blair admitted he kept declarations of his faith ‘within certain boundaries’ while he was Prime Minister. However, he told the Church of England Newspaper he worries that ‘in British society there is a risk that people see faith as a personal eccentricity’. He hoped that disciplinary cases like that of Christian nurse Caroline Petrie, suspended for offering to pray for a patient, were ‘exceptional’ rather than the rule. Society needs the contribution of religious believers, he said, whether to promote peaceful co-existence between faiths and cultures or to ‘infuse’ the free enterprise system with ‘clear values’.
Sources: The Church of England Newspaper (6/3), The Times (27/2)
http://www.churchnewspaper.com/

March 16, 2009 | Filed Under Newsletters 

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