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Whose agenda? Participation and Children’s Advocacy in Wales

Whose agenda? Participation and Children’s Advocacy in Wales. Imperfect present But planning a better future. Location - Cardiff. 2 hours west of London Capital city of Wales. Child as citizen?. Citizen as member of community – to be involved in decisions

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Whose agenda? Participation and Children’s Advocacy in Wales

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  1. Whose agenda? Participation and Children’s Advocacy in Wales Imperfect present But planning a better future

  2. Location - Cardiff • 2 hours west of London • Capital city of Wales

  3. Child as citizen? • Citizen as member of community – to be involved in decisions • About relationships of inter-dependence • Escape language of ‘futures’, practice listening now. Children right to our time. • Adult power inescapable – involve early. • Child is attentive witness to our morality. • Participation adult-defined?

  4. Wales policy (i) • Children’s Commissioner, 2001, £1.6m • 2003 C&YP Assembly for Wales, 0-25 yrs, (Art 12 UNCRC), engage with policy • NAfW 2004 (country report) formally adopts UNCRC as basis of policy making. • Statutory school councils. 2 students serve as governors in secondary schools. • 2006 Gov policy – Children’s Assembly - active part in decision making / influencing services.

  5. Wales policy (ii) • Children and Young People’s Cabinet Committee, monthly, Leader and ministers. • Flagship policy: Children & Young People: Rights to Action with 7 Core aims: • flying start; range of educational opps; • best health and free from abuse; • access to cultural and leisure activities; • listened to and identity recognised; • safe home, physical and emotional well-being; not disadvantaged by poverty.

  6. Children in Wales • 650,000 0 – 19; 4,500 looked after. • 28% defined as in ‘poverty’ = 170,000 • 70,000 severe poverty, £130 per week, not including housing benefit. • 16 year olds don’t get 5 GCSEs = 15% • 7.5% 16 year olds no GCSEs = worst UK • high smoking girls, obese boys, poor diet. • Unfit dwellings, highest proportion who are poor at school.

  7. Listening to vulnerable children • Scandals – children not listened to • 2001 WAG fund LAs to commission vols • Adoption & Children Act 2002, children in need have right to advocacy in complaints in relation to 1989 Children Act • 2003 WAG launch 10 National Standards • 2004 Children’s Commissioner says still problems for children being heard – why!?

  8. Wales Government definition • ‘Speaking up for children, empowering so rights respected, wishes heard. Views, needs and wishes represented to decision makers – help them navigate the system’ • Case based service – targeted at social care priorities • vol sector deliver to 22 Local Authorities • Health and education catching up

  9. What do Advocates do? • Unit of activity hard to establish / measure • 1 to 1 – counselling / comps advice • Seek and meet target groups of children • Promote service to key audiences • Participation events • Newsletters / communications/ phones • Attend meetings with children • Duplication?

  10. Suspicious minds – tick-box game? • Research to map key stakeholders views • How many children get advocacy for complaint-making or other activities and what do they think of service? • What LA think of advocates & vice versa? • What impedes / facilitates advocacy at an organisational and strategic level?

  11. Hard to find – but much regarded • Not understood – how popularise? • Info not read /retained – more innovative? • Word of mouth – other professionals • Liked /expect – rapport, accurate reporting of their words, confidence and persistence in presenting case, provide help without making decisions, setting out options. • Emotional work – being – doing advocacy

  12. Imagining the advocate • Draw and annotate – “…..they will have a big heart, big ears for listening, a big mouth for getting heard, and good shoes to get where they’re going……” “…..would listen, have satellite ears, a big brain, and uses her head, she has open and fiery eyes, but she’s not angry, she gets attention…”

  13. Antipathy, Ambivalence, Approval –Responses from social workers • SW rivalry– identity & power usurpers! pro-complaints, irresponsible, don’t refer. • Advocacy becomes a cop-out = see your advocate, nothing I can do! • Advocacy & complaints an opportunity. Not a threat. Some over-referred - advocates complain co-option!

  14. Children’s Complaints - Wales (12 months) • 678 registered complaints • 70% led by adults – mainly parents • 48% in care system • 30% led by child over 10 with adult support • 23% led by child as sole advocate • 11% involved children’s advocate

  15. How many seen and cost?2005-6 • 700 seen @ £1,000,000. • Range 12 to 80 children seen p.a. • Annual cost £25,000 - £150,000 • Network/virtual orgs, staffing fragile • 3 year contracts – time and trust • Marketised = distrust system • No independence for agencies • No robust evaluation

  16. We need a new Model • National Helpline, National Advo Unit. • Regional commissioning of one-stop service to ‘mainstream’ advocacy. • 3 tiers – complaints-specialists; high needs - hard to reach; universal access for any child • Ambitious participation agenda: children as advocates, trainers, planning, review.

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