A Childs Place In The Big Society Social Work Essay

A squirts Place In The astronomic Society Social Work undertakeIt is a great privilege and pleasure to apply been asked by Marg atomic number 18t Hodge and Patricia Hewitt to accomplish the first lecture in computer memory of Henry Hodge. It is in any case a what ever sowhat daunting task. At first sight I would non be an obvious choice to speak today, nor did I think my defeat on children was obviously connected with a lecture in memory of Henry. T here is however a strong connection amidst issues circle children and his strong sense of fond domain assistance was fountainhead demonstrated by his spending 5 years as deputy director of Child Poverty Action Group and his successful legal aid coiffe which included family and children cases. As a father and grandfather in his mysterious manners as well as in his distinguished general c beer he cargond passionately well-nigh children. Marg bet assures me that my decision to talk virtu onlyy children would construct met with his approval.My theme this evening is to examine how our children fit in to the Big Society which was at the pick upt of the Prime pastors speech in November 2009 and vox of the strategy of the Coalition Government. I sh e real refer very(prenominal) briefly to a variety of problems children fount, or so of which argon non as widely recognize as new(prenominal)s. ane aspect which is non always appreciated is how they are military positi matchless(prenominal)d by the adult reality and the media and how they are treated. This has an important imprint upon how they view themselves, their self esteem and how their voice is heard in our adult corporation. Much, if non indeed, tot completelyy of what I say is well acknowledgen except I feel that it is worth repeating at a moment when the forge the Big Society is in the news and nigh(prenominal) governing body and the public unavoidableness to comport the welfare and rights of children well in the foref ront of the surd and challenging decisions which go to be made.The Big SocietyThe Prime Minister spoke of Galvanising, catalysing, prompting, encouraging and agitating for community engagement and social renewal. It moldiness service families, individuals, charities and communities ejaculate together to solve problems. It was an ambitious agenda to shape up a Big Society based around social righteousness and community action. O equalr Letwin described the relationship between government and civil society asGovernment helping to sustain a society that is a rich tapestry of active citizens, families, places of worship, dedicated professions and independent associations.These are notable ambitions in which families, shallows and welfare play an important part. The Labour Government produced special K and White Papers dedicated to the theme Every Child Matters. They did to a greater extent or less broad(a) solve, including Sure Start, and it is encouraging that the Coalition Government in consorts to continue to shop Sure Start and to target the poorest families. But, in a sense, they only scratched the outdoors of the multiplicity of the demands of children. No government should rasestairsestimate the size and complexity of the problems excessively many a(prenominal) children face in experienceing up in this realm and the m whizztary cost of coping even with some of them. That financial cost, even in a period of austerity, must not covert us to the essential requirement in considering priorities to put children and what they require at the beginning, middle and end of all discussions and decisions which need to be made.What are the problems children face in baffleing up? Many of them are common to all children and we ourselves as children had to work our way through them. But for too many children those ordinary problems of ad preciselying to the adult human are compounded by and some cartridge holders distorted by their state of health , the health of their parents, the demeanour of their parents, the environment in which they live and above all by poverty. Cl primordial in the time available I can only touch very briefly upon some issues and those faced by children who live within or who come to the UK. For approximately children their problems may not be as immediate nor as life threatening as those in some other part of the world however they are very real and can bottle up and undermine their childhood.In a report from UNICEF Child poverty in perspective An overview on child well-being in rich countries (2007) it stated, under the heading childrens material well being, that the evidence from across the world is that children who grow up in poverty are more(prenominal) vulnerable specifically they are likely to be in poor health, to have teaching and behavioural difficulties, to underachieve at school, to stick pregnant at too early an age, to have lower skills and aspirations, to be low paid, unemploy ed and welfare dependent. Of course, these problems do not apply to all children growing up in poor families scarce it does not alter the fact that, on average, children who grow up in poverty are likely to be at a decided and demonstrable disadvantage. I shall now look very briefly at how those words apply to the UK.Children in poverty level off after the recession, the UK remains one of the richer countries in the world. But the reality of life for some of our children is that 29% of British children live in poverty. Over one zillion children live in earnestly overcrowded accommodation. Over 100,000 children in the UK live in temporary accommodation. Many poor children do badly in command. Over a million children truant from school and virtually 9,000 are permanently excluded. Such children tend to live in the demesnes of highest deprivation where on that point is a high incidence of drugs and crime. The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in western Europe many of whom are schoolgirls. Well over a million school children are working illegally.The government is committed to improving education and the new Secretary of State for culture has a number of modernistic and exciting ideas. I was delighted that in the debate in the Lords on the Queens Speech the Minister for Schools, Lord Hill of Oareford, verbalize that fostering standards, lifting aspirations and tackling behaviour are crucial. That will help all children but, above all, it should help those from the most disadvantaged mounts who have suffered most.The problems of educating children from the most deprived areas are partly having good enough schools and teachers who enthuse and inspire but also motive the parents as well as the children to the purpose and importance of education for a childs future(a) life. A lack of education has a devastating effect upon job prospects and a distressing large proportion of children pass away school without the basic skills. If you cann ot fill in an application form by book or online you probably will not get a job. It is a huge task to motivate families to want education but it is crucial for the future of this country. One area of education which should be tackled by the Education Minister is the need for better education of children who are in early days custody. It is a crucial part of the fight against the high rate of re-offending. The capital of the United Kingdom charity, Kids Company, helps to educate and nourish unfledged people who stream into that excellent organization which, at last, receives government support. I very much hope that such(prenominal) support will not be cut. To do so would be self defeating a short term cost benefit but a long term expensive blunder.Intervention at an early stage with problem families is crucial. Some parents as well as their children need help and I am reminded of an excellent voluntary preschool initiative which was sit up in a poor part of London some years ago. It concentrated on adolescent single mothers and required them to watch with their children. One mother had almost never talked to her little girl. After 3 months attending with her child they were seen at Christmas dancing down the steps two singing Christmas carols. The place closed for lack of funds. It is important for government, in support voluntary initiatives, to keep on giving support and not just start up costs. All too often otherwise they tidy sum as that one did. I turn now to other groups of children who have problems, some but not all connected with poverty.Children in need of careTwo children die each week from abuse or neglect within the fellowship. Social workers are the thin line of shelter of children at risk. They are criticised when they intervene and when they do not intervene in dysfunctional families. It is crucial for the well being of children at risk that the work of social workers is better understood and that social workers are given the st atus they deserve. It is not just a question of pay it is also wisdom of the importance of the work they do. There is no doubt that some children have to be re conk outd permanently from their families. But it is a sad condemnation on our trunk of care that looked after children do markedly less(prenominal) well at school than other children. More support for children in care is needed.Around 5,000 children under the age of 16 are employ for prostitution in the UK, including those moving across borders. Children are trafficked into the UK not only for prostitution but also for forced labour and begging. Boys from Vietnam are brought into the UK to tend cannabis plants in well to do suburbs of big cities such as London there are over 3,000 cannabis farms in England and about 300 in London. Very teen children, often Romany children, are brought into the country and taught to thieve in a modern day Fagin style. Bulgarian children are brought here by juntos to work the London unde rground system and Bulgarian law are working with our British Transport constabulary to deal with it. Trafficking of people is now more lucrative for the gangs than drugs. The last government signed the European Convention on trafficking and incorporated it into English law. The metropolitan Police has been engaged in excellent work with other countries which receives some European financial support and, up to now, some government support. One problem is that the UKBorder Agency does not uniformly recognise the welfare ask of small people who are victims of trafficking and much more training and flexibility in decision reservation is necessary.Immigration and asylum children coming here and living here are treated very differently from citizen children although I understand that the new government is intending that such children should no longer be detained. The Family Justice Council, at the request of its Voice of the Child sub-group, has set up a discussion with the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and they have held ii meetings. They are looking at the concerns of the Childrens Commissioner about the treatment of asylum and trafficked children both(prenominal) here and on their return to their own homes. They agreed that an Adjudicator Guidance name from Henry Hodge in 2004 on Unaccompanied Children would be a good starting point. I think Henry would have been very confirmative of these discussions.There is another very large group of children, many of whom do not come from deprived backgrounds but who face problems which may have an inhibiting and sometimes devastating effect upon their development. The most obvious is the family in which one parent is violent to or threatening and intimidating towards the other parent. broadly it is the man but a minority are women. I know of cases where children hide in the kitchen with the TV on very loudly so as not to hear what is button on. Children do not have to be physically attacked to be victims of domestic help violence. I was concerned to pick out that in the case of Raoul Moat the prison authorities informed the police domestic violence unit. I hope that did not mean that the standard was not buckn seriously. I must however pay a tribute both to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of question Police Officers who take domestic violence very seriously. But domestic violence is widespread and children are also the victims.There are also children, also not from deprived backgrounds whose life is turned upside down by the separation of their parents. When parents part many, of course not all, do not sufficiently consider the effect upon their children or even tell their children what is going on. When I sat as a judge in children star sign/custody cases, I often thought that the last people who should be making decision s about the children were the parents. Over 60% of fathers who leave do not stay in touch with their children more than occasionally, most of that 60% not at all. They do not tell their children why and the children do not even have the consolation of a bereavement process. Children, even spring chicken children, can often have a commonsensible view of what would be best for them. Some years ago in Michigan children of all ages whose parents had separated were asked their views about the process. The views ranged from sadness, confusion, guilt that they were responsible for the piece to anger and frustration. All parents considering separation should see or read about the effect on their children and many parents would be astonished. Fortunately only a small minority of parents go to war over their children. But those who do cultivate endless applications to the courts which may last for years. Almost always both parents are to blame and the children are the victims. Those children also may do less well at school and may mystify it difficult to make lasting relationships as adults.It is very important that there sho uld be introduction to justice in all child welfare cases. I am, of course, mindful of the huge burden of legal aid. The last government made upstanding cuts to legal aid in family cases. The Ministry of Justice is likely to be making further substantial cuts. But the welfare of children is the paramount concern of the courts in the Children Act 1989. It must not be lost sight of by the government in its austerity measures.Children who offendEngland and Wales are seen as a punitive country in our tone-beginning to youthfulness offenders. We lock up more young people than any other Western country and most countries in the world. Well over 2,000 children aged between 15 and 17 are in Young offender Institutions and some who are much younger. The four Childrens Commissioners of the UK said in a joint enunciate in June 2008 to the UN Committee on the Rights of the ChildThere is a very punitive approach to misbehaviour by children and young people and the abominable justice syste m is used too readily. Compared to other European countries, England has a very low age of criminal responsibility and high amount of children are locked up.We know from research the ways in which many children become criminals. There are many reasons and I am sure you all know them so forgive me for rehearsing some of them. I do not trust that children are born wicked although some may be born with mental illness or behavioural problems which may predispose them to serious misbehaviour. But for many children it is the environment and not inherent characteristics which are likely to set them on a course of crime. Poverty to which I have referred earlier is obvious and there is a link between poverty in childhood, poor health, low educational attainments and lack of future opportunities which encourages crime.We also know that dysfunctional families create an environment where children offend. There are children and young people who have never had a good home never had a secure bac kground may or may not know who their father was or may live in a family with drink, drugs, mental illness, serious domestic violence, abuse towards the children or serious neglect. These problems at home create situations, not surprisingly, in which children reply adversely. In some families no-one loves the child or shows affection other than in an black situation. He may be and probably with such a background will be disruptive at school, permanently excluded and offered little or no education at home. Children truant for a variety of reasons and truanting leads to crime.increase numbers of young people are on drugs and have to find the money to pay for them. He, and increasingly she, will be roaming the streets and joining gangs. The gang becomes the family, the security and, while they are feral towards the community, they support each other. Because no-one has ever cared about them, they care about no-one outside the gang. Why should they? Many such young people do not under stand the concepts of good behaviour, truth or kindness that we expect from our children and grandchildren. We are shocked, I certainly am, by the appalling brutality of some of the attacks by teenagers, often on other teenagers, but I believe many of these young people would not understand why we were shocked. They live in an entirely different world from us. One can see why many of the public react adversely to children who offend and especially teenagers. Yet a Chief police constable recently went on record saying that the police alone could not deal with the feral gangs of young people and society had to do something about it.The Labour Government did some good work with Youth Offender Schemes (YOTS) and other initiatives to skylark children from crime as well as transaction constructively with those who had already offended but much more necessitate to be done. It is often pointed out that to keep a child or young person in custody costs substantially more than sending a chi ld to Eton. So it is very encouraging to hear that the Lord Chancellor is looking at reducing the prison population. He should start with the children and young people in youth custody. Of course some children have to be locked up for the safety of society and often of themselves but we surely should not be at the top of the European countries in our figures of youth custody.As a result of our signing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (although not incorporated into English law) the UNCRC Committee reported in October 2008 on the UK and recommended that the State party (the UK) take all appropriate measures to gibe that the principle of the best interests of the child, in accordance with Art 3 of the Convention, is adequately integrated in all legislation and policies which have an impact on children, including the area of criminal justice and immigration and recommends that the UK fully implement world(prenominal) standards of juvenile justice.I hope that this go vernment will takes those comments to heart so that the next UNCRC Report will be more encouraging than the antecedent ones.The Prime Minister sees the Big Society based on social responsibility and community action and I was interested to read about a proposal for a National Citizens Service for 16 year olds. I strongly support the encouragement of local initiatives and have already referred to Kids Company. Other examples are a police scheme in Sheffield to divert 6 year olds from being couriers for local gangs and a drop in centre in Tiverton in North Devon which concentrates on advising and counselling young people between 11 and 19. The Tiverton project is entirely funded by local donations. If, however, there are to be other good local projects round the country, there may need to be some financial support which would be very cost effective in diverting children and young people from crime, prostitution and drugs and protecting the community. Restorative justice is another a rea which is being successfully explored.I know that we live in a time of financial stringency and austerity. I do not for a moment suggest that the government can immediately improve the striation of the children whose problems I have set out but, in implementing financial cuts and allocating exactly resources, our children must be at the forefront of all decisions which affect them.Children in the mediaI turn finally to an entirely different subject but one about which I feel strongly, the way in which the media portrays children. I refer again to the Report of the Four Children Commissioners in June 2008 who referred to the negative range of a function of children and saidIn the UK there is a widely held fear of young people which has been partly fuelled by the consistently negative portrayal of young people in the media. Seventy one percent of media stories about young people are negative and a third of holds about young people are about crime. Young people feel the media e pitomise them as anti-social, a group to be feared, selfish criminal and uncaring. They believe that the media stereotypes the majority of young people based on the bad behaviour of a minority. The incessant portrayal of children as thugs and yobs not only reinforces the fears of the public but also influences policy and legislation.Examples of the constrict portraying in graphic language the wickedness of children and young people were starkly illustrated in the cases of bloody shame Bell and Thompson and Venables. In both cases the tone of the press and the tone of those who responded to the press was that such children were the embodiment of evil and should never be released from imprisonment for life. The approach of this country is vastly different from parts of Scandinavia, for example Norway where such children would more easily be reintegrated into the community. I recognise that such a move might be impossible here in the UK and the headlines in all types of newspapers wo uld be soft on youth crime. In my view all parts of the media, but principally the newspapers, should reflect upon the views of children expressed by the Commissioners and take them to heart. This is one among many other issues where the voice of the child should be heard. denomination 12 of the UNCRC articulates that right.ConclusionFinally I return to the 2007 UNICEF Report which said in its forewordThe true measure of a nations standing is how well it attends to its children their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialisation and their sense of being loved, cherished and included in the families and societies into which they were born.That foreword seems to me to encompass what we in this country should seek to achieve for our children. They are our future and there is little purpose in striving to improve society unless we are aware that what we do has to be for them or there is no purpose in our lives. Children must because be at the core and in the heart of the Big Society.This article is based on the first Sir Henry Hodge memorial lecture given on 19 July 2010 at the Law Society, London.