After Caring for Children

- FICE’s future in England and Wales
- the management of the Webmag
- the last letter to CfC members

As from 31 December 2004, Caring for Children ceased to exist, and there is no National Section representing England and Wales in the Federation Internationale des Communautes Educatives (FICE), the biggest international professional association for people working with children and young people.

FICE

Steps are being taken, though, to ensure that the links with FICE are maintained, as Kathleen Lane’s last letter to CfC members (below) shows, and it is hoped that the National Children’s Bureau will one way or another be able to pick up the baton. It will still be important for individual childcare workers and organisations to take part, and anyone interested in participating who wants more information should email Kathleen Lane on kathleenlane@caringforchildren.co.uk

Managing the Webmag

Now that CfC no longer exists, the management of the Webmag is passing to a Consortium, headed by University College Northampton Centre for Children and Youth. You will see that there are one or two extra columns in this issue, and we are planning to keep continuity with the past five years while making the Webmag bigger and better. Any ideas of ways in which we can improve things and make them more relevant to children and young people and the services they need will be welcome.

The Last Letter to CfC Members

December 2004

Dear Member,

I believe that after the AGM in June 2004 the then President, Professor Ewan Anderson, wrote to members indicating that there was not enough support for Caring for Children to continue. The AGM reconvened within the context of the FICE International Seminar in Glasgow in September 2004, with the Vice President Richard Rollinson in the Chair. It was proposed and agreed that since no other candidates had come forward to fill the roles of the Officers of the Association, CfC would cease to operate as of 31st December 2004.

Our colleagues in FICE were greatly dismayed to hear that England and Wales might not be represented at the Federal Council in the foreseeable future and pledged whatever help and support might be needed to support CfC or another organisation able to take on the role representing England and Wales.

Some of us who have been involved in CfC from its inception and who believe strongly in the benefits which can be derived from involvement with colleagues from other cultures have been working to try to ensure that representation and the flow of ideas and information can continue internationally.

It seems to us that the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) Children’s Residential Care Unit (CRCU), of which the Children’s Residential Network (CRN) is a part, could be a logical successor to CfC in FICE. The CRN is in electronic contact with 90% of all children’s residential provision within England and the CRCU could well become the home of the hoped for English Centre for Residential Child Care. Obviously their coverage of the field could be far wider and more effective than CfC ever aspired to achieve. In conjunction with Children In Wales, NCB’s partner organisation in Wales, we believe that this could be of enormous benefit to both FICE and to the childcare workforce of England and Wales.

So far one meeting has been held between representatives of FICE England and Wales and NCB, which felt quite positive. However in the present climate the big question is always how will any initiative be funded.

The purpose of this letter is therefore twofold. One is to inform you as a loyal member of CfC of the current position, which is that as from 31st December 2004 CfC will cease to exist and there will be no representation of England and Wales within FICE. The second is to ask you about the future.

Individuals and organisations are welcome to join FICE Scotland, and although we are assured of a warm welcome it is obvious that their focus will be on Scotland. Another possibility is that talks continue with NCB. However, if international representation is to be continued by either body they will need the financial support of people like yourself, or your organisation.

It would therefore be very helpful if you could indicate as soon as possible if you wish to support the continuance of international links in the residential and childcare field and if you are willing to continue your financial contribution, but divert it from CfC via NCB. Please either write to me, or e-mail me.

The CfC bank account has now been closed, so you should stop your Standing Order for the moment, but if we are able to hand the torch on to we shall be in touch to let you know of the new banking arrangements with all speed.

Yours sincerely,