WHO
LISTENS UP TO DISABLED CHILDREN?
Is Britain really a nation of complainers? Not if you are a child
with a learning disability. Disabled children are expected to
‘put up or shut up’ with things they don’t like.
They are expected to feel grateful that they are getting any help
at all. Any complaints they do make about places such as hospitals,
schools or play schemes are often ignored. This leaves them feeling
sad, isolated and confused. Although virtually all of these services
now have complaints procedures they are not accessible to children
with a learning disability.
To
tackle this problem Mencap has developed Listen Up, a new multi-media
pack funded by the Community Fund, to help disabled children complain
about the services they use.
Kate,
aged 19, who has physical and learning disabilities did not like
the short breaks unit that she had been going to from the age
of 10. She did not like the group of young people there, she hardly
got any sleep and was given chips every night when she was trying
to stick to a healthy eating plan. Kate said: “I couldn’t
say anything as I knew my mum needed me to go into respite.”
Kate
was aware that her mum needed a break because she had a bad back
so could not help with lifting and was worried that if she complained
the place would be taken away from her. In fact, if Kate had felt
able to complain the unit staff might have easily been able to
make some changes.
Children
with severe learning disabilities are often the most disadvantaged
because there are so many barriers to staff listening and acting
on their concerns.
They often use non-speech forms of communication, such as turning
away from an activity or subtle signs such as facial expressions
or withdrawing eye contact. This means that staff may not have
the training or tools to help them detect what the child is trying
to communicate.
For example, it is only very recently that symbols and signs for
abuse have been added to communication systems used by children
with a learning disability.
Children
with severe learning disabilities are often long term users of
support services such as short breaks or holiday play schemes.
They are also more likely than other children to spend time in
hospital. But staff in hospitals, schools and leisure services
often lack the resources to help find out what disabled children
like or dislike. Choices are not explained to them and they are
often left feeling frustrated, confused or ignored.
Jo
Williams, Mencap’s Chief Executive said: “Despite
the introduction of complaints procedures for children, they are
often not accessible for disabled children. Children with severe
learning disabilities pick up from parents and professionals the
scarcity of resources and the lack of choice and they do not want
to risk services being taken away from them. Parents are often
expected to be grateful recipients of services and are regarded
as demanding and difficult if they raise any concerns on behalf
of their child. The Listen Up pack will give disabled children,
parents and professionals the tools they need, so that disabled
children’s views are valued and they get the services they
want and need.”
Halivia,
mother of Tania who has severe and profound learning disabilities
said:
“Tania needs 24 hour care and it is not always easy to get
the right kind of support. It takes lots of time to get to know
Tania, what she likes and dislikes because she does not communicate
verbally. There are no complaints procedures set up that really
help. I hope the pack will help staff to see children with severe
learning disabilities as individuals, respond to their needs and
act on parent’s complaints on their behalf.”
The
Listen Up Pack provides the tools to enable children to complain
and supports staff in responding to them. The packs include posters,
complaints cards and a board game for children. There is a training
video and workbook for staff and a leaflet about complaints for
parents. There is also CD -ROM of extra resources to help parents
and staff customise any of the products for individual children.
Helen
Jackson, Team Manager, Norfolk County Council said: ”Listen
Up is a really valuable pack. We need to enable disabled children
to understand their right to make choices about their lives and
to complain when services aren't right for them. It has been fun
working on the development of the pack and I hope the Listen Up
materials will support staff in putting the message across that
all children have the right to make choices. It will be good to
have quality, well produced resources to support our work."
•
Listen Up is funded by the Community Fund and free packs are available
from The Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (England)
or visit www.mencap.org.uk/listenup
to order online
GATESHEAD
COUNCIL TACKLES NON-ATTENDANCE IN THE COURTS
Gateshead
Council has taken the dramatic step of taking a number of local
parents to court - in an effort to get their children into school
every day.
Cases
were heard at Gateshead Magistrates Court, after Gateshead Council
had made attempts to ensure their child attended school on a regular
basis.
Several
parents received small fines in court, however two parents, who
also failed to attend the hearings, received substantial fines
of £800 plus costs, for, "failing to ensure their child's
regular and punctual attendance", under the 1996 Education
Act.
This
was the second time the parents had been fined, having previously
received, again in their absences from court, fines of £600
plus costs.
However, the fine for such cases, can go as high as £2,500
for each parent, depending on circumstances.
Two
other parents were given fines of £500 plus costs, again
after previous fines, and again in their absence from the Magistrate
Courts.
Before
the cases eventually went to court, Gateshead Council had spent
time to try to find out why the children were not attending school,
in order to help both parents and the children concerned.
This
included talking to parents, teachers, family members, Educational
Welfare Officers, health bodies and school governors.
During
those discussions, problems raised such as home care issues, bullying,
homework, schoolwork and other non-school related problems, could
be solved with the help of Gateshead Council employees and other
local organisations.
In
the vast majority of non-attendance cases, this help, advice and
support ensures that children attend school regularly, and continue
to develop, learn and flourish.
Parents
were also invited to attend monthly non-attendance panels in a
last-ditch attempt to get them to be more responsible for their
child's education, welfare and social development.
Councillor
John McElroy Gateshead Council's Cabinet Member for Learning and
Culture said: "Although it may seem shocking for Gateshead
Council to have to take parents to court, it really is a last
resort for us to take this action.
"But
we do have a legal duty as regards the education of local children,
and we will continue to enforce that duty, after we have exhausted
every possible way of helping children and their parents."
"It
has to be said that the vast majority of local parents ensure
their children regularly attend school.
"There
are almost 30,000 children attending schools in Gateshead, and
this tiny handful of court cases shows the effort that Gateshead
Council puts into working with parents and children, to solve
attendance problems that crop up occasionally."
Celebrating
Children's Exploration of their Heritage
Television
presenter Loyd Grossman is to chair a panel for a new awards scheme,
Roots and Wings. The awards, launched in August 2003, will celebrate
inspiring examples of engaging children with heritage of all kinds
and will be recognised at a high profile party and exhibition
at the end of May 2004.
The
awards were launched by Curiosity & Imagination, the national
network for children's hands-on learning, and are funded by the
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Commenting
on the awards, Loyd Grossman said, "This is a wonderful opportunity
to celebrate the excellent work that is going on around the country
engaging children in hands-on learning activities. I know that
these awards will bring deserved prominence to those people who
strive so hard to give our children fantastic learning opportunities."
A
children's panel and an adult panel of key figures from the heritage,
education and play sectors, chaired by Loyd Grossman, will select
up to ten exciting and innovative pieces of heritage learning
provision from around the UK. This provision will then be celebrated
at an event during Museums & Galleries Month (May 2004).
The
scheme is based on the belief that an understanding of heritage
is crucial in helping children to develop a strong sense of identity
and to deepen connections with their communities and the wider
world. Through developing these 'roots', children can gain the
confidence to 'grow wings'
and take an active and imaginative role in shaping the future.
Roots and Wings will find and help showcase the inspiring work
which is going on around the UK but which often goes unrecognised.
The
deadline for submissions is 16 April 2004. To find out how to
submit an innovative piece of heritage learning provision please
visit www.curiosityandimagination.org.uk
For
further information please contact Simon Goldsborough on 020 7522
6928 or email simon.goldsborough@kidsclubs.org.uk
Mad
about ART
Here
is some information about a charity that we work with called MADaboutART.
I have included some background material (attached).
The
charity has been been working for two years to deliver innovative
HIV & AIDS education and prevention initiatives through the
medium of art.
In
a nutshell, MAD has collected hundreds of paintings and drawings
from children in Africa living with HIV & AIDS. These works
of art are then shown to children in Britain who are given the
opportunity to respond to the pictures with their own paintings,
inspiring the children and young people to participate actively
in the learning process. This simple formula allows children to
talk through their pictures and how they depict their lives and
experiences, and this involvement facilitates learning as an essential
precursor to bringing about behaviour changes ie minimising risk-taking
and a reduction in new transmissions of HIV amongst young people.
Currently
the charity is working with The Community School in Regents Park,
where the workshops have been highly successful and the children
have produced over 40 works of art. In collaboration with BBC
London's Sadie Nine, these children have also recorded a song,
"Make a Difference" top raise funds for the charity.
Another
aspect of MAD is their new online facility which will allow teaching
staff to download materials for classes, and work through a teaching
program devised by the charity.
MAD
will be holding their next fundraising event at The Shaw Theatre,
Euston on the 30th November from 5.30pm, where youngsters will
have the chance to produce their own pictures and watch an exctiting
programme of dance and song
NATIONAL
AUTISM AWARENESS WEEK 17-24 MAY 2004
The
National Autistic Society is pleased to confirm that Autism Awareness
Week 2004 will be held from Monday 17th to Monday 24th May.
Autism
is a lifelong disorder and the focus of this year's week will
be on 'planning for life'. We will be looking at the position
of ageing individuals with autism and their parents or carers,
and will be highlighting the issues facing people with autism
and their families during the many transition stages in life,
such as moving between education, employment and retirement.
The
NAS will be holding a number of exciting events around the UK
during Autism Awareness Week, including a conference, parliamentary
reception, corporate fundraising challenge and regional awareness-raising
activities.
CONFIDENCE
IS THE QUALITY PARENTS MOST WANT FOR THEIR CHILD
If they could wish their children three qualities for when they
grow
up, UK parents would choose "confident", "considerate"
and "hardworking"
according to research released by leading children's savings
specialist The Children's Mutual. 62% of UK parents picked confidence
as one of their three most wanted qualities for their child, with
"considerate" and "hardworking" scoring 42%
and 38% respectively.
According to the research conducted on behalf of The Children's
Mutual
by think-tank The Future Foundation, this choice is revealing
of
today's parents mixed aspirations for their children. The research
report, Paradoxical Parents, shows today's parents living a 'yo-yo'
existence, torn between the parallel worlds of modern, liberal
society
and conservative ideas when it comes to raising their children.
Whilst
in some ways they are adapting to the ways in which society and
families are changing - and are certainly taking personal
responsibility for their children's future - they are in other
ways
falling back on tradition and familiar ideas as anchors in the
face of change.
"Parents' top choice of confidence suggests that they are
responding
to the demands of today's economy and the likelihood that their
children will not have a job for life, but will need to be able
to
adapt and survive in a changing environment. Yet, in second and
third
place are the conservative virtues of consideration and hardwork.
Only a small minority of parents want their children to be resourceful
(12%), creative (11%) or articulate (5%). Given the importance
of all
these qualities in today's fast-growing knowledge economy, it
seems
parents might be missing a trick here", David Halliday, Marketing
Director of The Children's Mutual says.
In response to the research findings, The Children's Mutual has
teamed
up with child development expert Dr. Terri Apter to provide parents
with advice on how they can best support their child, today and
tomorrow.
Dr. Apter's advisory - Five tips to boost your child's confidence
1. Try to ease your child's anxiety about failing
The important thing is to focus on the activity, the task, the
project, not on an assessment of your child's abilities. The aim
is
to focus on the ability to learn and improve.
2. Take the opportunity to show your child that he/she has control
and
influence over some areas of their life When he/she works at
something, they can succeed; when he/she reflects on something,
they
can gain a new understanding; when he/she understands another's
feelings (for example), they can take steps to improve a relationship.
3. Help your child set realistic goals for themselves
If goals are too high, your child may be discouraged, or be unable
to
assess their progress.
4. Allow your child to admit failure in something
Do this in as neutral a way as possible, and then work with them
to
discuss what went wrong - not in a way that casts blame on them,
but
which outlines a process which can be changed/improved.
5. Help them make decisions, stick with them, and cope with the
consequences.
"Confident children are not necessarily hardworking (that
is a matter
of personality type and lifestyle preference), but they are able
to
work at what they choose to do or achieve; confident children
have the
capacity to be considerate of others (though not necessarily,
during
the teenage years, towards their parents), because they care about
their effects on others (and believe that they can have some influence
on their impact on others.)", Dr. Apter said.
Three steps towards helping your child fulfil their ambitions
Looking to the future Dr. Apter suggests:
1. Parents should focus on a son's or daughter's own views
Don't assume you know everything about your son or daughter -
as your
child makes career choices, he or she is going through rapid changes
in self understanding and desires.
2. Be prepared to hear new things about her/his interests and
hopes
Try to keep up, by keeping an open mind, and be ready to reshape
your
expectations.
3. Be ready to discuss alternative plans
"When thresholders (young people just at the doorway to adulthood,
but
not yet through it) realise they are diverging from a parent's
hopes
or expectations, they may feel dazed by a sense of failure, or
lonely
and frightened. A parent's willingness to listen and take another
look at a son's or daughter's future is immensely supportive",
Dr. Apter said.
- Ends -
For a copy of the Paradoxical Parents report, case studies and
further
information, please contact:
Julia Le/Steven Proud at Consolidated Communications on tel. 020
7208
2740/020 708 2704
