HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland
Briefing Paper
Voice of Young People in Care
EVIDENCE
Children in Northern Ireland deserve the right to be safe, healthy, and happy and achieve their full potential within Safeguarding Communities.
22nd April 2010
Introduction
The Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) is a non-governmental organisation, which works throughout Northern Ireland with care experienced children and young people. We are an independent regional voice that seeks to empower and enable children and young people with an experience of care to participate fully in decisions affecting their lives. Our aim is to improve their life chances through working in partnership with children, young people, staff, managers, agencies and government. We do this through listening, learning and facilitating change which impacts and influences legislation, policy and practice. We work to empower and involve young people in bringing about positive change in the care and aftercare environment. We are committed to ensuring that services to children without parental care are consistent with the minimum standards set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our core projects include:
Participation - offering care experienced children and young people the opportunity to take part in various programmes and activities, enabling them to make connections with their peers, build support networks, increasing self-esteem and confidence, and providing them with new opportunities for friendship, fun and personal development.
Mentoring –works with looked after children aged between 12- 18 years providing volunteer Mentors for a year to help young people look at issues such as: school work, suspensions, expulsions, loneliness confidence and self esteem.
Policy – provides opportunities for care experienced young people throughout Northern Ireland to inform and shape legislation, policy and practice which impacts on their lives. This is done by consulting with young people and ensuring that their views are fed back to the government, statutory and voluntary agencies which are responsible for the design, delivery and evaluation of services .
Research - The latest research project, CASPAR, focussed on the emotional and mental health needs of young people in care in Northern Ireland. The research included interviews and focus groups with 51 young people aged 12-25, foster carers, residential staff, social workers and parents. The final report, and a young people’s summary was launched at a conference in January 2007.
Advocacy - independent service, which provides time, space and a mechanism for children and young people to find out about their rights and participate in decision making processes. Advocacy helps children and young people to make choices about the services they are entitled to receive and to be involved in decisions that affect them.
The voice of the child
VOYPIC has an extensive background in the development of services for care experienced children and young people, to ensure their participation in the decision making process that affects their lives as well as service development and delivery. Our work in child protection has also included children on the edge of care and children living in the community. Thus this report reflects practice with:
- Children on the edge of care
- Children living in the community
- Children in Care
- Young people leaving care.
Having reviewed the detailed policy proposal, VOYPIC welcome the emphasis placed upon the involvement of children and young people. One of the key principles of the proposed policy is that the voice of the child should be heard in all that SBNI do. Section 22 states that:
“The voice of the child and young person should be heard in all that the SBNI do in relation to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of children and young people within Northern Ireland. The input of young people in assisting in the strategic thinking of safeguarding is deemed to be a critical success factor”
Of particular importance are the sections:
3. FUNCTIONS OF THE SAFEGUARDING BOARD
3.1 The Safeguarding Board will upon its formation develop systems to address core functions as outlined below.
i. Revise policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children within Northern Ireland, which will complement or build upon the existing regionally agreed ACPC’s policy and procedures which will be adopted in the first instance by the SBNI.
vi. Consider how best to engage with young people, which ensures that the young persons voice is heard in all that the SBNI do.
22. YOUNG PERSONS SAFEGUARDING FORUM
22.5 A key role for the Safeguarding Panels will be in facilitating and enabling young people to voice their views and impact on the development of the Safeguarding Panels agenda and consequently the SBNI’s agenda on a regular and sustained basis.
The lessons from VOYPIC’S work with children and their families provides some important and useful pointers and suggest that a series of actions are needed around Child Protection and Listening to Children. In terms of trying to encourage children and young people’s participation it is important to be clear about the desired level of engagement expected or being encouraged of children and young people in the child protection Decision-Making Process. The lessons from VOYPIC’s work would suggest children and young people could be involved at two levels and stages in the Child Protection Process. That is:
-
The Personal/Individual Level
-
Organisational And Policy Development Level
Key to the success of children and young people’s involvement in the SBNI is that they have a supportive mechanism to address key issues that are relevant to them and an opportunity to have their views heard. To do this effectively, it is important that children and young people are supported by an agency that has the skills and experience in developing participative practice methods. Learning from our practice is that facilitating short-term and focused pieces of work that target children and young people with direct experience of the issue is both a successful and achievable model of practice
VOYPIC would welcome the opportunity to work alongside the SBNI to enable them to design and establish a specific model of children and young people’s involvement.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The right of children to participate in decisions which affect them has been set out in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to which the UK government is a signatory. Children also have a right under Article 3, to ‘such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well being’.
Participation by children matters; not only because it is an acknowledgment of their civil rights but because without listening to children and understanding how they experience the world, how can we begin to determine what will ensure their protection and enable them to grow into healthy adults? We need to hear children when they tell us of abuse they have experienced and listen when they tell us that the plans we made for them are not meeting their needs.
The participation of children in the formal systems which are set up to protect them presents a particular challenge to the general principle and practice of children’s participation in decision making (Lansdown 1995). One consideration must be that the decisions which are to be made relate to the risk of significant harm to children and are therefore, by their nature, addressing situations of grave concern – indeed in most extreme cases, may concern matters of life and death.
In signing up to the UNCRC, the UK Government became part of an international movement to further the rights of children and made a commitment to implement a comprehensive and wide-ranging set of welfare and civil rights for children. Three key UNCRC rights need to be addressed in relation to participation and decision-making in child protection:
- All the rights in the Convention apply to all children equally whatever their race, sex, religion, language, disability, opinion or family background (Article 2);
- When adults, organisations or courts make decisions which affect children, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration (Article 3);
- The child has a right to express views and have them taken into account (Article 12) – in accordance with the age and maturity of the child and in any judicial or administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.
Learning from Research
Although children and young peoples’ participation in decision-making has developed significantly over the last number of years, it proved very difficult to find research studies which specifically addressed the needs and outcomes of children and young people involved in the child protection procedures. One of the best reviews of research into children’s participation and child protection is the work undertaken by Gillian Schofield and June Thoburn entitled 'Child Protection; The Voice of the Child in Decision Making' for the Institute of Public Policy Research as part of their Series on Participation and Consent. (Schofield, G. & Thoburn, J. The voice of the child in decision making ISBN: 1860300286)
The Research review is set out in three sections and covers key themes such as
- ascertainable wishes and feelings, children's rights and parents’ rights and participation, control and reasonable parent
- key lessons from research - before referral - children's particular in family support, referral and initial investigation, initial assessment and CP conference, after the conference, key lessons from research and
- participation by children in the courts, which includes a number of recommendations – making explicit reference to agencies considering providing advocacy and support to enable children to be involved in child protection process.
Schofield and Thorburn (1996)
- Children need a dependable relationship with a helper who can be trusted and who also provides a skilled and caring professional service. This may be the social worker or there may be A need for a separate advocate. Other professionals such as teachers or school nurse may also have a role to play.
- Children and young people need comprehensive information at all stages in the process of support and protection, if they are to contribute to the process of decision-making.
- The early stages of investigation and offering support or moving into the protection arena are critical for establishing a relationship between the child and the agency worker, and in determining the child’s role as an active participant – and yet it is at this stage that the child may be least consulted. A greater effort to develop models of good practice in this area is required.
- Guidance for children to be involved in case conference and for their wishes and feelings to be specifically addressed is still being followed in only a minority of cases. This needs urgent attention.
- Where participation is seen as a priority, children can be enabled to participate more fully in the case conference process. To take part in meetings successfully children need:
- Preparation before meetings from workers or advocates who are positive about the contribution children can make;
- Support during the meeting, skillful chairing of the meeting and a respectful approach by conference members;
- An immediate opportunity after the meeting to discuss their feelings about it and the decisions made.
- Participation of children is of benefit not only to children themselves but to the whole decision making process.
Learning from VOYPIC
VOYPIC over the past 15 years has gathered a wealth of experience in working participatively with children and young people, developing models, systems and practice that promotes and ensures children’s involvement. VOYPIC throughout its history has always worked with children and young people who have been vulnerable and experienced a range of interventions to keep them safe. VOYPIC’s Advocacy Service provides individual support to care experienced children and young people on a range of protection issues.
VOYPIC have observed that there is a more focused approach to child protection and an openness and readiness to work in partnership to develop systems and process’s that improve the involvement of children and young people. Thus in relation to the Personal / Individual Level, improvements continue to be made. More work is required for organisation and policy level.
As a service user led agency, we believe that VOYPIC can provide support and guidance the implementation of the Safeguarding Board through sharing our experience of working directly with children and young people involved in child protection procedures. The Listening to Children programme began in 2004 with a request from the Western Area Child Protection Committee. Over the past 6 years the programme has developed significantly, taking a staged approach and building knowledge in the area of children’s involvement in child protection. This has included:
- Listening to Children I, “Involving Children And Young People In Child Protection”, Karen McAlister & Ross McCrea August 2007
- Listening to Children II, “Young People’s Views on Child Protection Process”, Linda Guilfoyle, August 2008
- RQIA “Review of Child Protection / Family Support Services”, Overview Report, Karen McAlister, July 2009
- Listening to Children III, “Moving into Practice, Children’s Involvement in Child Protection through the Core Group” 2010
Copies of the Reports have been made available to the Committee.
Stage 1: Listening to Children I
Involving children and young people in child protection
In 2004, The Western Area Child Protection Committee (WACPC) were anxious to ensure that the voice of children and young people who had experienced the Child Protection System should be heard in terms of making a significant contribution to service delivery and future planning. WACPC sought the expertise of VOYPIC to develop a programme to begin to overcome these difficulties.
WACPC recognized that involving children and young people in the Child Protection Process had historically not been effective, even with commissioned studies. Difficulties had arisen from researchers trying to contact families that were no longer involved in child protection work. This proved to be unsuccessful as families wanted to put that part of their life behind them and did not engage. Therefore a new and innovative approach had to be developed. VOYPIC undertook the task of developing a model of consultation that would engage and involve young people who had experience of the child protection system.
The aim of the programme was to consult with young people of secondary school age who were on the Child Protection Register on issues that pertain to them and enable them to design a future model of consultation. The model that was utilised incorporated working alongside children and young people, their parents and social work staff.
Key messages:
- Some young people did not know that they were on the Child Protection Register and did not know the meaning of the term. They were unable to identify the reasons for social work involvement with their family, apart from siblings having a disability.
- For those young people who had a limited understanding of child protection, they thought the harm referred to was “anti social behavior” with young people or abuse by older men via the Internet, rather than protecting them from harm at home.
- Their descriptions of how they felt about the professionals’ involvement included a wide range of emotions from worried, to relieved, to happy. Their responses also highlighted how difficult they and their siblings found it to find someone constant or stable, whom they could trust and confide in.
- Although all children knew of a helpline called Childline none used the service as they did not know what to say to describe what was happening at home.
- The young people’s own recommendations included:
- Social workers should look for recent bruise’s on children,
- Look for changes in children’s behaviour,
- Be aware that children can be “kept so quiet”, and
- Be alert to a child’s fear of a foster carer as “they can be an abuser too”
Recommendations
An Independent Advocacy Service for children who are involved in the Child Protection process. This should be introduced at the point of investigation and support young people through to de-registration, to safe guard and ensure the involvement of children in the complex process of Child Protection.
Training for professionals involved in child protection in relation to children’s rights and communication is essential if written statements of legal or policy rights are to be a reality in young people’s lives.
A Consultation Model which will require an ongoing commitment from senior managers, children’s service planners and children’s advocacy agencies. Time and resources are needed to facilitate children and young people’s involvement in such a process.
Stage 2: Listening to Children II
Young People’s Views on the Child Protection Process
“Listening to Children II” was a project undertaken jointly by Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) Advocacy Service, the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT), the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) and the Eastern Area Child Protection Committee (EACPC). The project builds upon previous research undertaken in the Western Health and Social Services Board (WHSSB) area. The overall aim of ‘Listening to Children II’ was to understand the experiences of young people who have been subject to Child Protection procedures in the EHSSB area and how they felt their experiences could be improved. The project provided a context within which young people could comment on current practice while initiating change by planning an effective model of participation. The programme engaged 2 groups of children and young people:
‘Looked After’ group
- Number of young people: 8
- Age range: 13 – 17 years
- Females: 5
- Males: 3
Community group – living with parents and subject to child protection procedures
- Number of young people: 5
- Age range: 11 – 14 years
- Females: 4
- Males: 1
Key Messages
The outcomes and learning from the ‘Listening to Children II’ project were shared within the EHSSB and disseminated regionally. The learning from the project will also be shared with young people through the creation of 2 leaflets (under 12 years, over 12 years) for children and young people explaining the child protection process. The Health & Social Care Health Board has agreed to print 20,000 leaflets and integrate into child protection practice regionally.
Young People stated that:
- That the Child Protection Register does not keep young people protected
- They had a good understanding of referral process
- They had an awareness of impact of safeguarding on their family
- “families can be afraid – they think if they have a Social Worker they’ll go into care”
- When discussing Social Worker involvement, it was important
- “To explain what they found out and ask the family and young person’s views – ask before you speak”
- “young person needs to feel comfortable with their Social Worker”
- To keep “explaining things and asking the young person what they think”
- Not to “over-react”
- Young people understood the purpose of the child protection case conference,
- “to talk about what’s best for you”,”
- To check that kids are being looked after right
Although they did not feel listened to within the process;
- “They don’t take into consideration what you say” ,
- “Young people should not just be heard, but listened to” ,
- “I might as well be a ghost in the room, people just talk over me”.
Young people felt that this was due to the formal environment, the meetings focused on negatives and the number of participants.
- Young people had no knowledge of the child protection plan. When it was explained to them, they viewed this positively. They felt that it was really important for young people to be part of the creation of the plan.
- Young people had no experience of the Core Group. They felt it was a good mechanism by which they could get involved.
Recommendations
The 21 recommendations arising from the suggestions of the young people are broad and deal with all aspects of the existing Child Protection process, highlighting opportunities for improvement. Two overarching recommendations can be drawn from the views of young people:
- The development of a new model of participation within the Child Protection process which is young person centred and focuses on facilitating and enhancing young people’s involvement.
- Young people should be offered independent advocacy support from a professional agency throughout the entire Child Protection process. Having access to this support will facilitate young people’s involvement ensuring their views and wishes are expressed and enabling them to participate in the decision making processes affecting them.
Stage 3: Listening to Children III:
Moving into Practice, Children’s involvement in Child Protection through the Core Group
Listening to Children III is a partnership project with Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) and VOYPIC. Both agencies are committed to enhancing opportunities for children and young people to participate in and shape Children’s Services. The SSI overview report “Our Children and Young People - Our Shared Responsibility” identifies a number of areas in which work was required by Boards and Trusts to facilitate greater service user involvement by children and parents. The NHSCT and VOYPIC have therefore agreed to work in partnership to specifically develop a child/ young person friendly model of participation for children subject to child protection proceedings. This will afford children and young people a greater voice in the child protection process through core group meetings. This model will be piloted and evaluated with a view to integrating into child protection practice. This work will draw on previous work and expertise developed by Legacy Homefirst Child Protection Panel. It is envisaged that this model will be piloted with 9 young people across the NHSCT. This project will be completed by April 2011.
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority: RQIA
Child Protection Review, Stage 2- Regional Views of Service Users
In December 08 as part of their review of child protection services, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) contracted VOYPIC to design and facilitate a consultation with a sample of parents from across the five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland. The aim of the consultation was to examine the views of services users and parents, on the child protection services they have experienced (or may experience). In total, 51 parents participated in the regional consultation, 26 of those with direct experience of Child Protection and 25 parents engaged with Family Support Services. The table below outlines each of the Trust’s participants under their relevant categories of Child Protection and Family support.
| Trust |
Child Protection Participants |
Family Support Participants |
Total |
| NHSCT |
4 |
5 |
9 |
| WHSCT |
7 |
6 |
13 |
| SEHSCT |
3 |
2 |
5 |
| BHSCT |
5 |
4 |
9 |
| SHSCT |
7 |
8 |
15 |
| Total |
26 |
25 |
51 |
Findings and Recommendations
This section is taken from the RQIA Child Protection Review Report, Stage 2 – Regional Views of Service Users, Sept 2009. Having reviewed the 5 HSC Trust individual reports and the consultation overview report provided by VOYPIC, RQIA produced the following recommendations and findings against the SSI Recommendations from the Overview Report, “Our Children and Young People - Our Shared Responsibility.
Overview of High Level Findings
Family Support
- There was a waiting list for family support services in all five Trusts.
- The physical standard of reception, waiting and meeting rooms varied both across and within Trusts. There was a positive response regarding the design of the new health and well being centres where these had been built.
- There was very positive feedback in relation to reception and duty social work staff, who were described in the consultation as being courteous and responsive.
- There was positive feedback in relation to social work response times to service users individual queries.
Child Protection
- The majority of parents received case conference reports at a minimum of two days before a case conference with only isolated examples of falling out side this timeline.
- The majority of parents consulted stated that they had received practical support to attend case conferences.
- Case Conferences and meetings relating to the child protection process were not arranged in consultation with parents.
- The majority of parents who had children on the child protection register expressed an understanding of the protection plan and what needed to happen to ensure de-registration.
Main Findings
Recommendation 20 - Boards and Trusts must ensure that adequate and appropriate information is available to potential service users and members of the public about the nature of child protection services and how and when to access them. This information should be presented, whenever necessary, in accessible formats, including translations for those whom English is not a first or competent second language.
The majority of the 51 parents who took part in the consultation agreed that there was insufficient information available on family support or child protection services. It was evident from the responses that parents perceived information as not being accessible and that they would have asked professionals for guidance towards relevant information.
The majority of parents commented that information displayed in waiting areas related to matters such as domestic violence and alcohol abuse and not necessarily information relating to Trust services. A frequent comment from parents was that information is not regularly updated. Another example related to the inaccessibility of leaflets due to their location behind equipment. One father commented that the information available had a gender imbalance.
The issue of information being available in other languages and different formats was not raised by parents involved in this consultation, although it does continue to be an important issue for Trusts to consider.
Recommendation 21. Boards and Trusts must ensure information is developed, disseminated and regularly audited in association with parents and young people and made available through the range of facilities commonly used by potential services users.
From the 51 parents who took part, only two parents in one Trust, had been involved in developing information relating to child protection and family support. The practice in this Trust is commended and the process of user involvement in the development of information should be introduced in all Trusts.
Recommendation 24. Trusts must take action to improve arrangements for parents, children and young people as well as staff in other agencies. To access relevant services and support within agreed timescales and in line with agency standards.
In three Trusts, the majority of responses from parents were positive about accessing services. Parents reported that social services were prompt in identifying what support parents and their children needed. However, waiting times for family support services to be actioned was an issue in all Trusts. There was a general acknowledgement from parents that the majority of family support services were not directly managed by social services.
In two Trusts, issues were raised in relation to the delay in the allocation of a social worker to a family following an initial assessment.
Recommendation 25. Trusts must take action to improve the reception, waiting and meeting room facilities within local children’s services offices
The consultation highlighted significant discrepancies across the five Trusts regarding the quality of the physical environment of reception, waiting and meeting facilities. A number were described as satisfactory and child friendly and others were described as unwelcoming, poorly furnished and presented. The new health and well-being centres received a very positive response from parents who particularly commented on the child friendly design.
Recommendation 26. Trusts must take action to improve systems for parents, children and young people to enable them to contact theire social workers, as required:
The majority of parents across all five Trusts were positive with regard to the prompt response from social workers when contacted. All parents had contacted social services either through calling to the local office or by telephone. A significant number of parents who had contacted social services by telephone commented that they were placed on hold, and for those parents on mobile phones this was problematic.
Of the 51 parents who participated, 50 felt that reception staff and duty social workers were both professional and courteous in dealing with their particular query. All social services' staff including administrative staff across the five Trusts should be commended for this finding.
As part of the consultation, parents were asked to comment on accessing support or assistance out of normal office hours. Of the 51 parents consulted, 44 parents were aware of how to access the service.
Recommendation 28. Trusts must monitor and audit the implementation of case conference procedures:
Parents were usually informed of the date of the child protection case conference at the previous meeting, by their social worker or by letter. The overwhelming majority of parents stated that the organisation for the meetings was undertaken by social services, with only one parent reporting involvement in the organisation of the case conference.
There was a mixed response from parents when asked about the support they received to attend the case conference. A number of parents commented that they had been offered transport by the social worker to enable them to attend. Parents stated that case conferences were sometimes re-scheduled to enable them to attend. In other cases, the case conference took place in their absence and parents were advised of the outcomes by the social worker.
Case Conference Reports
A minority of parents stated that they did not receive the social worker's report until ten minutes before the case conference began. This was viewed as unhelpful as parents did not always agree with the accuracy or content of the report. In contrast, some parents stated that they received the case conference report in advance of the meeting and the social worker spent time with them discussing the content.
Parents were asked if they understood the content of the reports and all but one parent stated that they did. A number of parents commented that they were able to access independent support to ensure they understood both reports and the case conference process. These independent supports came from a range of professionals such as a probation officer, VOYPIC, Women’s Aid and family members. A common theme that emerged was that parents would have preferred more time to fully digest the report.
Parental Participation
Parents' participation at Child Protection case conferences was also explored as part of the consultation. The majority of parents stated that they took part in the case conference; they understood what was happening and were able to speak out and share their opinion. Some parents highlighted the importance of individual advocacy support to enable them to contribute to this process. Some of these parents felt that their views had tokenistic value and their opinions did not matter. They highlighted that they experienced the case conferences to be intimidating and questioned the relevance and numbers of professionals involved. Of the 51 parents involved in the consultation, two parents stated they were not supported to take part in the case conference.
Focus of Case Conferences
When parents were asked if the case conference focussed on the needs of the child, there was a varied response across the five Trusts areas. In one Trust, there were very clear responses from parents who stated that the conference was very much focused on the needs of the child; whilst in two Trusts parents felt that the focus was on the needs of parents. In the remaining two Trusts, there was a mixed response, with some parents stating the focus was on the child whilst others commented that focus lay primarily with the parents.
Parents were asked to comment if consideration was given to their strengths and weakness. The overall majority of parents stated that consideration had been given to both their strengths and weakness. Some parents highlighted that at times more attention is given to their weakness and they reported this had a tendency to overshadow their positives.
The Child Protection Plan
The importance of the child protection plan was discussed with parents. Twenty five parents across the Trusts stated that they had been advised by their social worker of the importance of co-operating with the child protection plan and the possible consequences of non co-operation. Of the 26 parents interviewed, 21 stated that they were aware of the process and implications of a Trust's court application for a Care Order.
Nineteen parents stated that they had targets for their children to be removed from the child protection register although a number of these parents stated that these were unrealistic. Of the 26 parents who took part in this element of the consultation, seven parents stated that they did not have an understanding of what to do to achieve de-registration.
These 26 Parents who were involved in the child protection process were asked if they were given enough support to assist them to develop appropriate parenting skills. Those parents who were engaged with family centres, highly commended these services on the level of support offered, which included, parenting classes, self esteem and healthy eating. One parent referred to a family centre they attended "as a lifeline".
Parents also highlighted other sources of support social services had put in place such as counselling, cooking and household supports.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATION
RQIA Recommendation 1
Trusts should produce clear and concise information on all services that families in need can avail of. This should detail the process involved in accessing these services and the contact and referral details.
RQIA Recommendation 2
Trusts should involve families who have experience of family support and child protection services in the development of information materials.
RQIA Recommendation 3
Trusts should consider the provision of a call back service or free phone number to facilitate contact for service users.
RQIA Recommendation 4
All Trusts should ensure compliance with the Regional Child Protection Policy and Procedures in relation to the involvement, preparation and participation of children, young people and parents in the child protection process |
