Caring for: Caring about: Caring with

At some time in life every person has need of dependency.

If dependency is unseen it is not given a value. Dependency relies on care being present.

Placing care front and centre is to appreciate that we are all responsible for care; without care we cannot live our lives. Appreciating this leads us to revaluate care. It is first base. Care needs ‘prioritising the social, institutional, and political facilities that enable and enhance our capacities to care for each other’. Care being present leads to the potential for fulfilling lives.

In the Quality Standards we find the following expectation in the Positive relationships standard: ‘positive relationships,’ consistency and unconditional positive regard for the child on the part of the carer; the carer acknowledges the importance of understanding and responding to the child’s lived experience of care. Positive, stable relationships help the child to feel secure and cared about and for’. In the Guide to the Quality Standards Key Principles we find font-weight:normal”>

· Children in residential child care should be loved, happy, healthy, safe from harm and able to develop, thrive and fulfil their potential.

· Residential child care should value and nurture each child as an individual with talents, strengths and capabilities that can develop over time.

· Residential child care should foster positive relationships, encouraging strong bonds between children and staff in the home on the basis of jointly undertaken activities, shared daily life, domestic and non-domestic routines and established boundaries of acceptable behaviour.

Not only is it good practice for a child to be loved within positive relationships children’s homes are the only setting where this is a matter of legislation

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Jonathan Stanley
NCERCC