Children & Young People Now
October 2010
Comment
Christine Davies CBE – Director – C4EO
This month saw C4EO publish Grasping the Nettle: Early Intervention for Children,
Families and Communities, a report based on the joint call for evidence of effective
local practice by C4EO and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS)
at the start of the year, which led to more than 100 submissions.
In parallel, C4EO commissioned a rapid review of international experience from the
Wave Trust [the charity set up to identify the root causes of violence and child
abuse] to build a solid base of evidence.
By teasing out and distilling the key messages from evidence of "what works",
including research findings, this practice guide aims to support local authorities
and partners in improving life chances for the children, families and communities
they serve.
This work has been led by an expert group of senior leaders and academics, chaired
by Kim Bromley-Derry, past president of the ADCS and acting chief executive of Newham
Council.
Grasping the Nettle demonstrates that programmes promoting breastfeeding, children
with speech, language and communication needs, parenting support, and young people
on the edge of care, ought to be areas of particular focus.
ADCS vice-president Matt Dunkley said just a few "simple steps", such
as making contact with expectant mothers to make them aware of the services available
to them, could have massive benefits for them.
"In many of the examples it is clear that this approach requires co-operation
across services and professions," he said.
The most striking message is that early intervention clearly works when it is an
appropriate intervention, applied well, and following timely identification of a
problem.
And it really is a case of "the earlier, the better" to secure maximum
impact and greatest long-term sustainability.
That means intervention, both as early in the child’s life as possible, or as soon
as possible after a difficulty becomes apparent to the family or the authorities.
The wealth of effective local, national and international practice showing evidence
of improvements in outcomes and the quality of life for many children and families
gives cause for optimism, and encouragement to replicate local innovations more
widely.
Making the difference
Lesson to develop young people’s resilience - Hertfordshire
Schoolchildren in Hertfordshire are learning key life skills through a programme
tested in the US
The programme improves children’s ability to cope with situations in and out of
school
Hertfordshire was one of three areas to pilot the UK Resilience Programme, which
is based on a cognitive behavioural therapy course developed by the University of
Pennsylvania and is being evaluated by the London School of Economics.
It consists of 18 lessons designed to give 11- to 13-year-olds skills to cope with
situations in and out of school.
"People assume it’s just about feelings and all a bit fluffy," says Hertfordshire
programme man-ager Lucy Bailey. "But it’s about giving young people skills
they really need."
The lessons feature case studies, role play, and other activities designed to "develop
a flexible and accurate approach to thinking", she explains.
Young people learn about emotions and emotional control and skills like communication,
negotiation and decision-making.
"If a young person’s parents are separating then this gives them the skills
to talk to their parents about how they’re feeling," says Bailey.
"It doesn’t change the situation but means that the young person feels more
able to cope."
The programme is now available in 33 Hertfordshire schools inc-luding alternative
education centres and special schools. The aim is to run it in all secondary schools
by 2012.
It has also been used for targeted work with children in care, young people not
in education or employment and young offenders.
The course is delivered by staff from schools and other settings, who get special
training, which includes looking at how to apply the approach to their own lives.
"It’s important adults understand that before they teach it to young people,"
says Bailey.
The programme, an example of local practice validated by C4EO, has helped prevent
bullying, reduced anxiety and led to improved school attendance.
It is part of Hertfordshire’s wider How To Thrive initiative, which is currently
part of the county council but set to become a not-for-profit organisation that
will help others deliver the courses.
Key points
- The programme helps improve key measures of schools' success like attendance and
attainment but also helps meet broader education goals
- It benefits staff by helping them to develop their own ability to deal with different
situations
- It can be delivered in different ways including fortnightly, weekly or twice-weekly
sessions
- Staff delivering the course need support from senior managers and time to do training
Need to know
Looked-after children - Using stats to improve outcomes
One of the challenges facing local authorities today is how best to improve outcomes
and life chances for children and young people in care.
C4EO has identified three priorities: improving the educational outcomes of looked-after
children and young people, improving emotional and behavioural health and increasing
the number of care leavers in safe accommodation.
Local authorities can now access national data on placements, how long children
stay in care, and some educational outcomes for looked-after children and young
people.
"This makes an important contribution towards local authorities understanding
the situation in their area and being able to compare themselves to other geographical
and statistical neighbours," says Simon Rutt, head of statistics at the National
Foundation for Educational Research and C4EO’s data lead.
However, this data does not capture the complex processes involved in working with
looked-after children and young people, and the different ways in which policy and
practice affects their educational experiences and outcomes.
Published research at local, regional and national level is critical to providing
a more comprehensive picture, yet the current data is limited when it comes to understanding
the emotional and behavioural health of vulnerable children.
However, future data collected by local authorities will use "strengths- and-difficulties"
questionnaires and should provide a clearer picture than the survey by the Office
of National Statistics of more than 1,000 children aged five to 17.
One useful source is the National Indicator 147, which covers care leavers in suitable
accommodation, while data at local authority level is available for the years 2002
to 2009.
Nuggets of useful knowledge
Looked-after children in mainstream schools reaching Level 4 at Key Stage 2 was
43%
compared to 73% of non-looked-after children
Looked-after children attaining five good GCSEs, including English and maths, was
52%
of non-looked-after children
In 2009, the percentage of care leavers in the South East in suitable accommodation
was
87%
compared to 92% in East England
Where to go next?
Youth service resources
The latest findings from C4EO’s research into effective youth services can now be
accessed on the organisation’s website. Resources include a summary of research
to date for directors of children’s services. Other research summaries focus on
positive activities and efforts to reduce alcohol consumption among children.
Visit the Youth theme
pages on the C4EO website.
Poverty checklists
A series of “postcards” designed to provide simple checklists for those developing
strategies to tackle child poverty can be downloaded from the C4EO website. The
cards feature key questions for strategic leaders in children’s services, housing
professionals, health professionals and frontline practitioners working with children
and young people. www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/poverty
Visit the Child Poverty
theme pages on the C4EO website.
Online learning
Professionals working in safeguarding and to tackle child poverty can test their
knowledge online with e-learning modules now available on the C4EO website. The
resources are tailored for workers at different levels including children’s services
directors, senior practitioners and frontline staff and include fun, interactive
exercises. www.c4eo.org.uk/elearning
Visit the Elearning section on the C4EO website.
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