Daily Archives: May 12, 2017

Martin Narey Offers Personal Email Address For Feedback On Foster Care

12 Friday May 2017

Posted by in Researching Reform

≈ 4 Comments

Martin Narey, best known for his role as CEO of Barnardo’s, has been appointed by the government to head up a review into Foster Care practices in England and Wales and he’s just shared a personal address on Twitter inviting all those with a view to get in touch.

Narey Email

Setting aside for a moment the fact that this Inquiry is not the first of its kind (the government launched a similar one as recently as last year to little effect) or that it appears to be an investigation backed by local authorities who have had enough of fostering agencies luring people away from council run services, it is a good opportunity for young men and women to tell the government what needs to be improved.

We would also urge those contacting Martin to share their submissions to him somewhere public, if happy to do so. 

The official line on the Department for Education’s consultation page is this:

“We want to learn from those who have an interest or experience in fostering, including children and their representatives, to build a better evidence base and gain first hand and frontline insight about how the fostering system works in practice and the issues and challenges facing it. This will help us to spread best practice and to understand where changes might be needed to make a lasting impact on outcomes for children in care.”

It’s worth nothing that as all government work has come to a halt as a result of the general election, it’s not clear whether this review will go ahead after June 8th or why Martin is asking for feedback to a personal email address, or perhaps one he’s created for feedback because government channels are currently closed, so making feedback count over and above government business is important. That’s why we suggest sharing your feedback online, somewhere highly visible if you’re comfortable doing so.

Martin is joined by Mark Owers as joint leads for this investigation. Mark’s formal title is Children’s Services Adviser (you can find him on Twitter at @markowers73), and he appears to have extensive experience working within the foster care sector as a children’s social worker, including time as a member of the Leadership Team at The Consortium Of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA), and ‘professional adviser’ to the Adoption Leadership Board.

The consultation description offers more on who it would like to seek views from and what kind of feedback they’re hoping to get:

We’d like to hear from the following about how to make fostering more effective in meeting the needs of children:

  • practitioners
  • academics
  • foster carers
  • children in care
  • children and adults who have left care

We’re looking at:

  • the types of fostering currently offered by providers
  • the status, role and function of foster carers in relation to other professionals
  • how we commission, regulate and inspect fostering settings
  • what works best in fostering settings to improve outcomes for children and young people
  • how we can improve the experiences of young people entering foster care, transitioning between placements, and leaving foster care

The consultation is now open, and closes at 5pm on 16th June, 2017. 

Martin’s email address is sirmartinnarey@gmail.com and you can chat to him on Twitter at @martinnarey.

 

 

 

New Definition For Child Sexual Exploitation Published

12 Friday May 2017

Posted by in child abuse, child welfare, CSE, Researching Reform

≈ 2 Comments

The government has released a working document for child welfare professionals and all those who work with children and families which outlines a revised definition for child sexual exploitation (CSE). It replaces the 2009 guidance ‘Safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation’.

The document, which was published in February of this year, defines CSE as:

“A form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.”

This definition is not statutory, meaning that it’s not a legal definition, however it has been published to help professionals detect CSE and take the necessary next steps to address it.

The guidance goes on to say:

Like all forms of child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation:
• Can affect any child or young person (male or female) under the age of 18 years,
including 16 and 17 year olds who can legally consent to have sex;
• Can still be abuse even if the sexual activity appears consensual;
• Can include both contact (penetrative and non-penetrative acts) and non-contact
sexual activity;
• Can take place in person or via technology, or a combination of both;
• Can involve force and/or enticement-based methods of compliance and may, or
may not, be accompanied by violence or threats of violence;
• May occur without the child or young person’s immediate knowledge (through
others copying videos or images they have created and posting on social media,
for example);
• Can be perpetrated by individuals or groups, males or females, and children or
adults. The abuse can be a one-off occurrence or a series of incidents over time,
and range from opportunistic to complex organised abuse; and
• Is typified by some form of power imbalance in favour of those perpetrating the
abuse. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be
due to a range of other factors including gender, sexual identity, cognitive ability,
physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources

The guidance also explains that “Child sexual exploitation is never the victim’s fault, even if there is some form of exchange: all children and young people under the age of 18 have a right to be safe and should be protected from harm. One of the key factors found in most cases of child sexual exploitation is the presence of some form of exchange (sexual activity in return for something); for the victim and/or perpetrator or facilitator.”

The document offers rough guidelines on which demographics are most affected by CSE, indicators for the phenomenon and the effects of CSE on children. It also offers suggestions on how to respond to incidences of child sexual exploitation.

If you have any questions you can contact the Department Of Education here. 

 

CSE Know signs