This information item was first posted on the www.goodenoughcaring.com home page on June 15th, 2010
In the current issue of the Journal which was published on June 15th, 2010,
John Burton writes about the running and working of children’s homes. Tiffany Dawkins tells a short story about a girl, her boyfriend and her Harley Davidson. Thom Garfat explores emotional containment as he remembers an afternoon spent with “Jason”. David Lane catalogues the hisory of our changing concepts of child care and childhood. John Molloy makes a personal survey of the state of social care for children in Ireland. Jane Kenny describes her experience of keyworking in a residential setting, John Stein examines the meanings of “consequences” in the parenting and care of children. Kay Cook has written and illustrated her story "The Little Girl who was lost inside Her Armour." Jillian Viens counsels caution on the use of the phrase “I love you” when caring for other people’s children. Ted Woolvett writes about his childhood in the 1930s and 1940s and how his identity changed at the age of 63. In an interview with Charles Sharpe, Leon Fulcher and Thom Garfat talk about CYC-NET, training for child and youth care workers, foster carers and residential child care, reflective practice and supervision.
The next edition will be published on December 15th, 2010.
Thursday 23 September 2010
From NCERCC to NCBRCC
This news item was first posted on the www.goodenoughcaring.com website during July, 2010
Jonathan Stanley informs us that the National Children's Bureau has announced that it will be continuing its long-standing work supporting the residential child care sector to improve the expedriences and outcomes for children in their care, with a new service called NCB Residential Child Care (NCBRCC). Jonathan will kead the new service.
The former title ‘National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care’ may return in the future but to signal the difference in the service the title NCBRCC has been chosen.
The new service is in development and we are saddened to learn that the reduced funding has led to a loss of staffing and so NCBRCC it cannot yet do all that NCERCC was able to do. NCB has made the commitment to support development. However the range of NCBRCC services is directly linked to the funding it can attract. It is being funded entirely by the work it undertakes. NCBRCC is now able to undertake training, commissions, contracts, consultancies and project work. This work will be undertaken by Jonathan Stanley along with the comprehensive list of Associates developed during the time of NCERCC. We hope that the new service will develop, and eventually build upon, the outstanding work of its predecessor. For more information go to :
http://www.ncb.org.uk/default.aspx?page=3715
Jonathan Stanley informs us that the National Children's Bureau has announced that it will be continuing its long-standing work supporting the residential child care sector to improve the expedriences and outcomes for children in their care, with a new service called NCB Residential Child Care (NCBRCC). Jonathan will kead the new service.
The former title ‘National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care’ may return in the future but to signal the difference in the service the title NCBRCC has been chosen.
The new service is in development and we are saddened to learn that the reduced funding has led to a loss of staffing and so NCBRCC it cannot yet do all that NCERCC was able to do. NCB has made the commitment to support development. However the range of NCBRCC services is directly linked to the funding it can attract. It is being funded entirely by the work it undertakes. NCBRCC is now able to undertake training, commissions, contracts, consultancies and project work. This work will be undertaken by Jonathan Stanley along with the comprehensive list of Associates developed during the time of NCERCC. We hope that the new service will develop, and eventually build upon, the outstanding work of its predecessor. For more information go to :
http://www.ncb.org.uk/default.aspx?page=3715
Sunday 12 September 2010
Exploring a role for new technologies in life story work with adolescents in residential care : Simon Hammond’s website
This information item was first posted on the http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/ website on July 19th, 2010
Readers will be aware of the writing of Simon Hammond from his articles for the goodenoughcaring Journal about residential child care workers who were themselves in care as children and also about the use of new technology in residential child care and in particular its potential it offers for life story work. You can keep up to date with Simon’s University of East Anglia doctoral research on his website at
http://www.uea.ac.uk/swp/people/shammond
Simon's goodenoughcaring Journal articles, "A penny for your thoughts Jen : surviving and thriving in residential care homes" and " Updating life story work with a technologically profound generation : a review" can be found respectively at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/JournalArticle.aspx?cpid=75
and
http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/JournalArticle.aspx?cpid=100
Readers will be aware of the writing of Simon Hammond from his articles for the goodenoughcaring Journal about residential child care workers who were themselves in care as children and also about the use of new technology in residential child care and in particular its potential it offers for life story work. You can keep up to date with Simon’s University of East Anglia doctoral research on his website at
http://www.uea.ac.uk/swp/people/shammond
Simon's goodenoughcaring Journal articles, "A penny for your thoughts Jen : surviving and thriving in residential care homes" and " Updating life story work with a technologically profound generation : a review" can be found respectively at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/JournalArticle.aspx?cpid=75
and
http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/JournalArticle.aspx?cpid=100
A National Conference for Social Care in Ireland
This notice of an event was first posted at the http://www.goodenoughcaring.com home page on December 15th, 2009
Social Care Under the Spotlight : Moving Forward Together
This conference is to be held on February 24th and 25th at the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone and it marks the first combined conference presented by the three representative bodies of the social care field in Ireland, The Irish Association of Social Care Workers, the Residential Managers Association and the Irish Association of Social Care Educators.
The theme of the conference is focused on the recognition of the current difficult economic and social climate for social care and promotes the importance of continued integration of social care education, practice and policy to ensure delivery of quality care services in Ireland. A range of topics are being presented at the conference which will be of benefit to those involved in all aspects of the social care field.
Further information about the conference is available at the IASCW website at www.iascw.ie and bookings can be made by emailing info@hotel-solutions.ie
Linked article : The text of Charles Sharpe's presentation to this conference "Where did it go right ? positive aspects of residential child care" can be found at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/WritingsArticle.aspx?cpid=123
Social Care Under the Spotlight : Moving Forward Together
This conference is to be held on February 24th and 25th at the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone and it marks the first combined conference presented by the three representative bodies of the social care field in Ireland, The Irish Association of Social Care Workers, the Residential Managers Association and the Irish Association of Social Care Educators.
The theme of the conference is focused on the recognition of the current difficult economic and social climate for social care and promotes the importance of continued integration of social care education, practice and policy to ensure delivery of quality care services in Ireland. A range of topics are being presented at the conference which will be of benefit to those involved in all aspects of the social care field.
Further information about the conference is available at the IASCW website at www.iascw.ie and bookings can be made by emailing info@hotel-solutions.ie
Linked article : The text of Charles Sharpe's presentation to this conference "Where did it go right ? positive aspects of residential child care" can be found at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/WritingsArticle.aspx?cpid=123
Developing Relationships and Reflective Practice : Dundee pilots a new training method for residential child care staff
This item was first posted on the http://www.goodenoughcaring.com home page on March 10th 2009
Visitors to our site will be aware of the significance we place on training residential child care workers and other professionals to become able to build relationships with the children and young people they look after. We believe this can only be done through experience and study underpinned by considered reflection and insightful supervision and so it is exciting to learn of the start of new pilot training course which has been initiated by the City of Dundee Social Work Department (Children's Services). The course, “The Art of Effective Communications – Developing Relationships with Young People” which is lead by Calum Strathie and Sandra Deuchars, uses an approach which is called Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) to help residential child care staff enhance their day-to-day interactions with the young people in their care. The aim is to activate the thinking of practitioners by using a method called Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) to help them learn from their own and their colleagues' practice.
The course is taking place in a Young People's Unit in Dundee. It is believed that the training will be the first of its kind to be undertaken in a residential child care resource in the United Kingdom. All fifteen staff including the cook and the handyman will participate in the course. The young people's permission to have their conversations with staff filmed was sought and was given. The young people have been both helpful and vocal about the project.
The project will be evaluated after 4 sessions. Early indications are that the staff are positive and enthusiastic about the project, having overcome a natural trepidation about having their engagement with young people video recorded for use in future reflective practice workshops. The goodenoughcaring Journal hopes to publish an article* about the pilot project when it has been completed .
* This article can be found at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/JournalArticle.aspx?cpid=111
Visitors to our site will be aware of the significance we place on training residential child care workers and other professionals to become able to build relationships with the children and young people they look after. We believe this can only be done through experience and study underpinned by considered reflection and insightful supervision and so it is exciting to learn of the start of new pilot training course which has been initiated by the City of Dundee Social Work Department (Children's Services). The course, “The Art of Effective Communications – Developing Relationships with Young People” which is lead by Calum Strathie and Sandra Deuchars, uses an approach which is called Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) to help residential child care staff enhance their day-to-day interactions with the young people in their care. The aim is to activate the thinking of practitioners by using a method called Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) to help them learn from their own and their colleagues' practice.
The course is taking place in a Young People's Unit in Dundee. It is believed that the training will be the first of its kind to be undertaken in a residential child care resource in the United Kingdom. All fifteen staff including the cook and the handyman will participate in the course. The young people's permission to have their conversations with staff filmed was sought and was given. The young people have been both helpful and vocal about the project.
The project will be evaluated after 4 sessions. Early indications are that the staff are positive and enthusiastic about the project, having overcome a natural trepidation about having their engagement with young people video recorded for use in future reflective practice workshops. The goodenoughcaring Journal hopes to publish an article* about the pilot project when it has been completed .
* This article can be found at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com/JournalArticle.aspx?cpid=111
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