Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care Vol 3(1) February/March 2004

Contents

Guest Editorial - Jennifer Davidson

Meaning-Making and Intervention in Child and Youth Care Practice  Thom Garfat

The Looking after Children in Scotland Materials Jane Scott and Malcolm Hill  The Looking After Children materials provide a comprehensive aid for planning and participation to help ensure the physical, emotional and social needs of young people in residential care. They comprise 2 sets of forms, recording essential information, plans and reviews, and assessment and action. They were adapted to Scottish context and legislation and piloted in 1997-8. Broad principles were welcomed, but usage only partial. By 2004 30 of 32 Scottish local authority social work departments had adopted all or part of the system. Reports on a survey in 2002-3 assessing how the materials were used in practice. Questionnaires were sent to local authorities; 19 (59%) were returned. Results described the organisational context; training and preparation; experience of use; information, care planning and review forms; assessment and action records; experience with other agencies; IT systems; implications for the residential care of young people; and the wider context and implications. Concludes that much creativity and imagination has been invested in implementation and training strategies for this first national system enabling the development of looked after children and young people to be recorded and followed, and a wealth of knowledge and practical advice shared. Difficulties remaining include time and resource constraints, and a need to engage staff more fully in communication.

Early Institutional Provision in Scotland for Disabled Children Iain Hutchison  Reviews the early history of disabled children's institutional provision in Scotland, noting the industrialising and urbanising context and the fragmented development, each kind of disability being regarded separately. Examines the aims of institutions and their variety of objectives - education and training, medical intervention, custodial confinement. Discusses supporters' and administrators' objectives and includes first hand testimony. Development was uneven. Sensory, mental and physical impairments were not identified as distinct; particular conditions were seen as separate and attracted attention at different times, resulting in different responses. Disability was identified as a 'problem'. Children were removed from family life, stigmatised, and had their aspirations and expectations stifled. Institutions projected a caring image, but children were in fact often traumatised by strict discipline and loss of family contact and basic freedoms.

Care to Celebrate?  Janine Gorman

Lets Face It!: Young People Tell Us How It Is Deirdre Watson

Summarises the responses of young people in care in Scotland to a consultation exercise carried out by Who Cares? Scotland. Identifies 4 key issues: safety and protection; relationships with care staff/trust and quality of care; friendships and support; and family. Responses are given under the headings: My care experience; My safety in care; and My personal life. Professionals' response, and young people's lives in care and personal lives, are discussed. Concludes by asking if current initiatives will lead to improvements. The fundamental issues are clear, and not always the same as the areas for immediate change considered most important by adult planners.

Residential Child Care in the Spotlight: Reflections on being Involved in the BBC Series ‘Social Workers’  Graham McPheat  Describes how a residential unit offering services for 8 children and young people became involved in the BBC Scotland series 'Social Workers', a fly-on-the-wall documentary about Edinburgh's Social Work Department. Discusses how the unit became involved, the filming process, reactions, and some issues raised. The ethics of filming and broadcasting the lives of young people was contentious. Obviously much was lost when 5 months had to be reduced to 30 minutes, but it was generally agreed the results were positive.

An Introduction to Camphill Communities and the BA in Curative Education  Norma Hart and Angelika Monteux Describes Curative Education, a multidisciplinary, professional approach concerned with the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of children and adults with special/complex needs, encompassing care, education, craft and artistic activities and a medical, therapeutic element, and the BA offered by Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen. Outlines the development of Curative Education and describes the Camphill Communities in Scotland. Describes the 4 main areas of the integrated, holistic approach; the Curative Educator's professional training; and the long-standing commitment to training and development; the development of the BA; the student group; and some aspects of the programme content. Concludes this is a time of energy and opportunity in social care in Scotland to which the work of the Camphill Communities and the degree can contribute.

Review of ‘Forgotten Children’ Judy Furnivall