The first ever conference dedicated specially to children who have experienced the care system has published its report on the event, and it is a must-read for anyone working with children.
The Care Experienced Conference, which is chaired by Ian Dickson, a retired social worker and former Ofsted inspector who grew up in care and now advocates for children’s rights, took place in April and offered 20 workshops touching on a broad range of subjects nominated by care experienced people.
There were 141 care experienced people at the conference ranging from 14 to 82 years old, and attendees came from all walks of life.
The conference also featured outstanding artwork by individuals who have been in care, and many of the pieces are deeply moving. You can see the artwork here.
The conference group has published two documents, one being a summary report on the event and the other being a research report.
We have not had the chance to read the research report yet, but we will as soon as we get the chance. The summary offers quotes about experiences inside the care system shared by people of all ages, and while the sentiments are well known to most of us who have been campaigning to raise awareness around these issues it is wonderful that there is now a conference to represent children inside the system.
Some of the quotes will also be loaded with meaning for some. For example, this one:
“Bin bags.”
This refers to the way in which children’s belongings are ‘packed up’ when they are sent to a placement. They have to carry their possessions around in a plastic bin liner.
The summary also offers a list of the top ten messages delivered at the conference:
Unsurprisingly, the biggest takeaways from the conference were that children in care needed to feel loved, and that the system had failed entirely to provide the nurturing children need.
One of the other important aspects about this summary report is that it includes the names of the core working group for the conference, and the many individuals and organisations who supported the event.
While Researching Reform doesn’t know everyone on those lists, the names we did recognise were all professionals we would call “the good guys” inside the sector, including Ian Dickson, who we have known for some time through the social media platform Twitter.
They are men and women who champion children and believe in pure social work, which places the needs of every child above any other aspect inside the system. These are individuals worth following.
Useful links:
You can catch Ian on Twitter @IDickson258.
Researching Reform 
Natasha, This report doesn’t surprise me. These may be the good guys but I wish I could say I met just one social worker who was looking out for the welfare of my grandchildren but I can’t. As a grandparent, they smiled to my face & stabbed me in the back.
They were not interested in keeping any family relationships intact even though they knew they were good because they, I surmise, thought they would undermine the foster care placement.
Having met the foster carers at court for a SGO I knew it was them who didn’t want the children to have contact with the birth family (this was confirmed in their paperwork & attitude in court). but a social worker should have followed the law at least & been concerned with the child & not be more concerned with keeping unfeeling foster carers. One wonders just what went on behind closed doors with no scrutiny from outside sources.
All the social workers I met appeared to have some kind of personal agenda. Power, brown nosing their superiors, jobs worth and none appeared to be concerned about how the child in care was feeling having been taken from all of their family.
It really shouldn’t have needed research into how kids were feeling, they could have asked how would they feel and amplify it to understand how a child would feel. If they couldn’t do that then they shouldn’t be social workers.
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Having now had the opportunity to look at the art work I felt uncomfortable & was saddened about how these kids depict their experiences through art of being in care. The artwork shows just a moment in time of what they felt but wouldn’t show the life long scarring they endured.
Family members, who pose no threat to the child, must be allowed to participate in the child’s lives whilst they are in care, for the sake of the child. They must not grow up thinking it was the family who chose not to see them.
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“Family members, who pose no threat to the child, must be allowed to participate in the child’s lives whilst they are in care, for the sake of the child.”
unfortunately that is not happening due to dishonest social workers and Carers. and when children are denied an independent advocate to establish their true wishes and feelings the big question is what can be done about it as its almost impossible to break through the LA circle of control. Place2be, a mental health charity who work with children in schools are also being pressured into withholding the childs wishes and feelings from the parents by Social workers.
this is a very grey area that needs to be exposed and investigated.
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Finding out what these kids have gone through inside the care system isnt the real issue here. its how on earth do you get something done about the injustices that have taken place. Social workers are likened to the Mafia. no matter what evidence you have nothing seems to stick to these people and they keep walking away scot free to go and do the same to other parents and children.
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Appears more abuse within care system making millions profit, than outside it and no regulation of it, nor care for the children with State parents.
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Young children (8-14 approx) in state care need ,FREE SPEECH,= mobile phones,laptops,and the freedom to talk to anyone they like about anything they like in any language they like and as often as they like .
Simple isn’t it?
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