BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in H&SC Essay

Vocational Context Task 1 (P1) Imagine that you are a researcher for a local radio station and you have been asked to put together a piece on looked after children and young people. Task 2 (P2,M1 M2, D1) Imagine you are a young parent and have recently moved into a new area with your two young children, following separation from your partner who was drinking and abusive. You are worried about the behaviour of your children and are concerned about them being looked after. You carry out research to  find out the support available in your local area and decide to organise the information into a resource pack you can refer to easily if necessary. Task 3 (P3) Produce a written document which would identify and explain different factors that would lead to the suspicion of child maltreatment and abuse Task 4 (P4 & D2) You are a support assistant and two of the children give you cause for concern that they may be experiencing some maltreatment or abuse. You find it helpful to explain the factors that could lead to the suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse in your report. Task 5 (P5 & M3) Explain the strategies and methods that can be used to support children, young people and their families where abuse is suspected or confirmed. Ensure you explain how these strategies/methods help children and their families. (P5) Assess strategies and methods that are used and how they minimise the harm to children, young people and their families where abuse is confirmed. You need to also assess why some strategies are more effective than others and explain your reasons. (M3) The Brief Task 1 (P1) Carry out some independent research and use a report to outline why children and young people may need to be looked after away from their families. Looked after children: following the imposition of a care order by the court; with the agreement of their parents Potential reasons: family related, eg following a bereavement/loss of a parent, parental illness or incapacity (hospitalisation, mental ill health, substance misuse); suspected or actual maltreatment; child or young person related, eg health problems, behavioural problems, learning difficulties, disability, as a result of committing an offence Task 2 (P2, M1, M2, D1) Outlines the arrangements for providing quality care for looked after children and young people (P2) Discuss how policies and procedures help children, young people and their families whilst the child is being looked after (M1) – add to the notes to discuss the role of policies and procedures in more detail Explains the roles and responsibilities of two members of the children’s workforce in relation to looked after children and young people (M2) Evaluate the regulation of care provision for children and young people (D1) – in order to judge the quality of the provision for looked after children research the role of regulators and use inspection reports for local providers to evaluate provision in the local area by comparing the strengths and weaknesses and use the comparison to explain your judgement. Legislation/legal framework: relevant to home country; relevant sections from, eg United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989, Every Child Matters (ECM) 2003, The Children Act 1989, 2004, The Human Rights Act 1998, The Data Protection Act 1998, Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Parents 2000, Common Assessment Framework (England); other relevant local policies Care available: foster care; respite care; residential childcare; adoption; planning for care in partnership with the child or young person, their parents, and other agencies, eg fostering agencies; the paramountcy principle Organisation of care provision: home country governments responsible for overall social care, health and education for children and young people; local authority services, eg Local Authority Children’s Services (England), Health and Social Service Trusts (Northern Ireland); third sector organisations, eg Barnados, NSPCC, British Association for Adoption and Fostering; private providers, eg private nurseries Type of services: universal (provided to all children and young people); specialist (to meet the needs of a particular group, eg looked after children, children who are disabled); targeted (towards certain groups of children or young people to prevent risk eg of harm, or offending) Job roles: commissioning, directing and managing services, eg Directors of Children’s Services; directly working  with children and young people, eg volunteers, social workers, health visitors, nursing assistants, youth workers, tutors, educational psychologists, play workers, foster parents Regulation of care provision: regulation of those working with children and young people, eg CRB checks; regulation of services provided for children and families, eg Ofsted; regulatory bodies, eg General Teaching Council for England, General Social Care Council Task 3 (P3) Write a report explaining the different factors that would lead to the suspicion of child abuse, giving examples and explanations. Types of maltreatment: abuse (physical, emotional, intellectual, sexual); neglect; bullying and harassment Risk of maltreatment: within family; outside family; in care setting; strangers Wider factors suggesting risk of maltreatment: dysfunctional family relationships; child or young person acting out abuse, eg animal abuse; family history link to abuse; poor or impaired parenting skills; lack of attachment; risk of exploitation, eg from visual, written and electronic forms of communication and media; substance abuse in household Theories of maltreatment: medical, sociological, psychological, feminist Issues: cultural, eg changing face of the family, social disadvantage, different concepts of discipline, cultural Variations Task 4 (P4 & D2) Explain the appropriate responses when child maltreatment or abuse is suspected.(P4) In your written statement justify your responses where child maltreatment or abuse is suspected or confirmed (D2) Procedures where maltreatment is considered, suspected, confirmed or excluded: policies of the setting; implementing safe working practices; whistleblowing; reporting arrangements; security of records; sequence of events leading to registration on child protection register or care proceedings Roles and responsibilities: following the policies and  procedures of setting; observation; responsibility for observing children and families and their interaction; recognising maltreatment indicators; how to respond if maltreatment is suspected; what action to take following disclosure, maintaining confidentiality according to policies of the setting Responding to direct or indirect disclosure: listening carefully and attentively; communicating at the child/ young person’s own pace and without undue pressure; taking the child/young person seriously; reassuring and supporting the child/young person; providing unconditional acceptance; boundaries of confidentiality; promptly following the correct procedures of the setting; how to deal with own feelings and emotions Task 5 (P5 & M3) Explain the strategies and methods that can be used to support children, young people and their families where abuse is suspected or confirmed. Ensure you explain how these strategies/methods help children and their families. (P5) Assess strategies and methods that are used and how they minimise the harm to children, young people and their families where abuse is confirmed. You need to also assess why some strategies are more effective than others and explain your reasons. (M3) Strategies with children/young people: respectful, child-centred approach; providing active support; empowering children and young people; support assertiveness and self- confidence, self-esteem and resilience; sharing information and not keeping secrets; giving children information according to their age, needs and abilities, eg how to respect their bodies and keep safe; preventing the transmission of disease Strategies for working with parents and families: developing supportive partnership relationships with parents and families, involving parents in the assessment of children’s needs; helping parents to recognise the value and significance of their contributions, encouraging the development of parenting skills Support for children/young people who disclose: provide access to professional support; demonstrating unconditional acceptance of the child/young person; empowering children and young people to take control of their situation; awareness of the potential impact on the child/young person and other family members,  counteracting possible stereotyping Minimising the effects of abuse: encourage expression of feelings within acceptable boundaries; improving self-image; building self-esteem and confidence, eg play therapy, counselling; role of voluntary organisations Grading Criteria. Evidence What you have to do P1 Outline why children and young people may need to be looked after away from their families Report Report You will need to consider a range of reasons why children and young people might need to be looked after away from their families and include both short and long term solutions. Please remember to look at UK sources only. Discuss the role policies and procedures, legislations and frameworks have M1 Discuss how policies and procedures help children, young people and their families whilst the child is being looked after P2 Outline the arrangements for providing quality care for looked after children and young people Booklet Booklet Booklet Public library and newspapers provide useful information. Make notes to outline the arrangements for providing quality of care for children and young people In particular, focus on two individuals who you think will be most helpful if your children were to become looked after In order to judge the quality of care provision for looked after children research the roles of regulators and use inspection reports for local providers to evaluate provision in the local area by comparing their strengths and weaknesses and use the comparison to explain your judgement M2 Explain the roles and responsibilities of two members of the children’s workforce in relation to looked after children and young people D1 Evaluate the regulation of care provision for looked after children and young people P3 Explain the factors that would lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse Written Review what has been observed about the children to explain your suspicions that abuse has taken place. Consider the possible type of maltreatment as evidenced from your observations of the children; review the possible risks of maltreatment for each child including wider factors relevant to each of them, potential consequences of any maltreatment as explained by theories of maltreatment and other relevant issues. You might find it useful to put together a short pen portrait of each child to identify key features relating to the children before you start this task P4 Explain appropriate responses when child maltreatment or abuse is suspected Report You will need to explain all the appropriate responses and order of events, initially from you as a class room assistant and then how you would report and document your suspicions of this maltreatment D2 Justify responses where child maltreatment or abuse is suspected or confirmed, referring to current legislation and policies Report This is your opportunity to link the responses to the policies and procedures that are in place and how they comply with current legislation P5 Explain the strategies and methods that can be used to support children, young people and their families where abuse is suspected or confirmed. Report Here you will need to provide an explanation of a range of strategies and methods that might be used to support children and their families where abuse is suspected or confirmed M3 Assess strategies and methods used to minimise the harm to children, young people and their families where abuse is confirmed. Report Once you have identified the strategies, you will need to assess them and consider strengths and weaknesses as they will not all be suitable for every situation