THE WORKFORCE ACCORDING TO CHILDREN: children’s views on what they want their workforce to be like

1. THE WORKFORCE ACCORDING TO CHILDREN:children’s views on what they want their workforce to be like Dr Roger Morgan OBE Children’s Rights Director for England Children England / CWDC March 2009

2. Brief provenance … • Statutory independent post – hosted by Ofsted • Children’s Rights Director statutory consultations • Children in care or receiving social care services • Children living away from home – in care or otherwise • Representative invitations • Researching children’s own views • Worforce issues always key – staff always key • Fieldwork and residential staff • Reports all published on www.rights4me.org

3. Top messages • Children’s workers need to be the right sort of people • Workers need to be accessible • Workers need to be able to pull levers

4. Ten Top Criteria • Fair • Powerful • Knowledgeable • Understanding • Even tempered • Accessible • Trustworthy • Checked • Approachable • Fun

5. Key issues for entire workforce • Treat each child as an individual • Don’t believe adults over children • Take what a child says as seriously as what an adult says • Don’t let your private life affect your child care • Ask and listen to children’s views and feelings • Be better at confidentiality – “people can hear through doors” • Keep children informed

6. Social Workers - 1 • Children in care give theirs a median rating of 8 out of 10 • Need to carry out promises • … and not be overruled by admin or budget committees • Need to reduce frequent changes • Children would like some choice of social worker • Should visit placements monthly • …with additional visits when problems or when requested • Listen to the child first, rather than the adults • Is the child happy? • Speak to the child alone • … and out of possible hearing • Keep in touch by phone and text

7. Social Workers - 2 • Be directly accessible – not via messages or duty systems • Don’t drop contact for out of authority placements • Most important decision is placement • … choice of two, check settling in, have a backup • Social workers come 6th most likely to contact over a problem • … after friends, parents, foster carers, police and teachers • Must be better at consulting on and keeping to care plans • Must be better at keeping informed of changes and progress • Make sure each child gets what the law says they should • Only know what you need to know about the child • Give both personal and practical help • Don’t decide for me by your targets • Make exceptions for my safety and happiness

8. Top five training issues for fieldworkers • Knowledge of young people’s issues • Children’s rights • Issues and concerns for those living away from home • Education issues • Leaving care issues

9. Children on social workers “my social worker is great. She knows lots about children with disabilities like me” “it takes ages for a social worker to help” “talk to the young person to get it right first time” “you get to know one then they leave” “my social worker doesn’t bother with me - and I don’t like her”

10. More from children on social workers “their managers stop them doing things as well as they could” “social workers are like young people – you have your good and bad ones” “ring me and tell me what’s going on” “they would not only listen to what we want but act on it and make sure that things we are unhappy with change”

11. A social worker should be for “support, advice, friend, someone I can trust, someone I know really cares about me, not just a number or a client who they really don’t care about, someone who has life experience with teenagers, not just someone who just read the textbook”

12. Do risk assessments, But be proportional and reasonable … “balance fun and risks” “if one kid falls off a horse, no other kids can go on a horse”

13. Foster carers • Give information about family (race, religion, other children) • ‘House rules’ (eg can I eat food from the fridge?) • Choice please – at least two • Most treated much as carers’ own children • Give care, support, safety, opportunities, family life, help education, help independence, individual attention • Being expert at specific needs • Help with being bullied for being fostered • Most likely to go to foster carers with personal problems • Clarifying the future • Be friendly, kind, cheerful, fun, caring, easy to talk to • Need to be able to make decisions – SLEEPOVERS ! • Liking matters

14. Children’s home staff - good points

15. Children’s home staff - bad points

16. Residential special school staff • Generally very positive • Negatives are punishing and shouting

17. Secure unit staff • sense of humour, laid back, friendly, joins in activities with young people, is on the side of the young people, a good listener, not aggressive or bossy, talks calmly, doesn’t shout • Don’t have moods • Give support as well as control • Be good at dealing with safety and bullying • Don’t have favourites • Don’t wind young people up • Help for the future, rather than judge for the past • Don’t keep reminding you’re missing things on the outside

18. Residential FE college staff – good points

19. Residential FE college staff – bad points

20. “I live in a three star authority But I’ve got a crap social worker”