A new Secretary of State for Children in a new Ministry meeting the task of Residential Child Care workers feeling belonging and being valued – a speech.
In its latest addressing of the current situation facing residential child care NCERCC creatively constructs one of the first public statements a Secretary of State for Children in a new Ministry for Children might make.
The Secretary of State for Children in the way as it is characterised in the piece does not exist – yet.
In an opening note NCERCC observes that thought this piece is perhaps for the future but by no means does it have to be.
NCERCC, with their triple focus of practice, people and policy, have written the piece as a signal and signpost that Residential Child Care workers need to feel they belong and are valued as integral to children’s services, indeed integral to and valued members of the workforce and community.
NCERCC’s peer reviewers regarded the piece as constructive, creative, and visionary.
The task for policy makers and practitioners is to create a future where all children reach out and find what in fact has been provided, a needs meeting child centredness.
Residential child care is seen as an imperative in that future. As the piece reminds, “Research informs us that children of the same circumstances do better with care.”
It addresses the current overshadowing of group care by family care explaining there are some needs that are best met with professional support delivered in a way a family cannot provide. NCERCC has long explained residential child care as professional work in a personal way.
The piece describes a person who becomes Secretary of State for Children through the opportunity afforded by growing up in care and parented in a children’s home where they were able to learn, to engage, advance, achieve, attain because they experienced emotional security. The piece describes a government knowing a secure base is at the heart of any successful caregiving environment – whether within the birth family, kinship, in foster care, residential care or adoption – a reliable base from which to explore and a safe haven for reassurance when there are difficulties.
NCERCC makes the point we cannot afford not to make investment into residential child care, and shows ways the spending is integral to economic growth, turning the curve from nett expenditure to nett income.
The speech envisages the inauguration of the ChildFair state alongside the Welfare State. The new Children’s Ministry, along with the Cabinet and Treasury, be involved with all others, every initiative requiring a child impact analysis and only proceeding if it would deliver a good-enough childhood for all children.
The pioneers of residential child care are saluted for producing theory and practice then taken to strengthen family-based care options. Many models, approaches, practices originated in residential child care.
As part of this reimagining of residential child care the Secretary of State states unequivocally that the government believes in residential child care and will develop its presence, activity, scope, size. The piece has a long memory recalling the 1946 Curtis committee which resulted in the disadvantageous split between family based and group care that has existed since.
In the NCERCC piece all care is seen specialist care, with government funding all options that are evidence-based and meet stringent and relevant regulatory standards.
And it envisages the government setting up the CareBank alongside the range of other wealth creating banks investing in care as a publicly owned and organised social good.
Confident competent carers promoting security and resilience and belonging. The piece describes the way residential child care necessarily has to experience belonging.
Every child in a children’s home is seen as having 2 parents, their keyworker and their social worker. The government commitment is to train residential and social work staff to work together as co-parents in the interests of their children.
There are lots of people who have the capacities our children need and have never thought of being a Residential Child Care worker, many simply can’t afford to be Residential Child Care Workers; the piece describes a new government making it possible with residential child a career, a profession properly remunerated.
Residential settings are envisaged as involved with early intervention, with what residential care knows and does made available earlier, providing good parenting, identifying and supporting children sooner.
The piece describes the necessity of there being less of some types of homes and more of others, even some we do not have, yet, in this country but exist elsewhere.
For the fullest experience of what Residential Child Care workers see as a future please read the future speech here.
