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Exercise – Words & Pictures Scenario: Zac is an 8 year old boy the youngest by 9 years of 6 children. All of the older children have left home and live independently but are still local. Zac lives with his mother, (she has been a single carer for all of his life) he doesn’t have any contact with his father. Jan (mum) is a very heavy drinker and she has drank heavily for all of her adult life. Children’s Services have been involved with all of the children on and off because of mum’s drinking. 4 weeks ago Zac was found by police wandering the streets looking for his mum. She had gone out to a friends and told Zac to go to bed at 10pm and she would be back soon after. He woke at 3am to find he was on his own in the house. He was very worried that something might have happened to his mum so he went to look for her. 1
Exercise – Words & Pictures Jan says that she went to her friend’s house and planned to return home at 10.30 but they ended up having a few drinks and she fell asleep. When she woke up at 5am she rushed home to check on Zac only to find he wasn’t in the house. She was in a panic and went out looking for him and when she couldn’t find him she called the police who told her that he had been found and had been taken to a foster carer. Mum was arrested and charged with child neglect. Zac is still in care and is doing really well but he is very worried about his mum and wants to be at home so he can look after her if she gets ‘sick.’ Jan says she is desperate to have Zac home and will do anything to show the agencies she can look after him safely in the future. Zac’s brothers and sisters have been to see him and can see he is being well looked after, they think he should stay where he is until their mum sorts herself out. 2
Process… • Explain W&P to parents (and advisors) • Offer a first draft of the words to parents • Refine, finalise and agree the explanation • Provide the explanation to the child and create the pictures with them
1) Explaining W&P to parents (& advisors) • Introduce carefully and sensitively • Explain how parents will be involved and share in the control of the process • Clarify that they won’t be ‘steam-rollered’ • Advisors’ presence can add reassurance • Explore parents understanding of what the children already know; what they are making of the situation; what they might be thinking, feeling, wondering, saying to other children • Explain the process to the child; explore what they already know and what they are worried about / what questions they have
2) Offering a first draft to parents • Who’s worried? • What are they worried about? • (Private parts) • What happened then? • What are we doing about it? N.B. Talk through how you plan to present it to the child
Refining, finalising and agreeing the explanation • Words can be changed, but not the seriousness of the worries • Names of family members and which professionals to include • Words for private parts • How to describe the social worker • Other details parents feel are important • Checking out the words with older children • Involving an informed network
Providing the explanation to the children and creating the pictures with them • Pre-session preparations • To draw or not to draw? • Greeting the children, introducing yourself and your role, rapport • Preparing children for the W&P process • Providing the explanation one step at a time
