by Vibeke Lasson

Through my international work I have had the opportunity to follow English residential childcare closely for many years. Much has happened since Charles Dickens wrote his grim stories. However, unlike the rest of the European Union, one does not come across professional social pedagogic training to prepare staff who wish to work in residential child care. This results in people being recruited directly from the streets and they often only last for a couple of years.

Over the years my husband and I have visited many residential settings for children and young people, and we have been able to follow several of them up for many years. Recently we were invited to share our many years of experience in the field with the staff of a residential home split into two units, which describes itself as treatment home for disturbed children. It was this visit which caused the following reflections about the country’s legislation to protect children against various assaults.

Differences

Socially there is much greater variety in England than we experience in Denmark. For many years there has been a multi-ethnic society in England, for example, which has naturally led to a very different set of norms.

In England there have been instances of paedophilia and other assaults on children. There have also been - and still are - many forms of assault against children in residential care, which have led to banner headlines on the front pages of the newspapers as well as on television. While these offences have at times been monstrous, the public reaction has been no less disastrous.

In Denmark we too have a scandal now and then, but at least we train the staff who are to work in residential childcare professionally. Furthermore, the recruitment of staff has a built-in safety net via an “unpunished” certificate. In England, by contrast, many untrained staff are used, especially in the daily routine work in the units, though naturally teaching undertaken by trained staff.

In Denmark, there is a strong ministerial department inspection system with annual consultant visits to ensure that everything is done correctly. The reports of these inspections are thorough and give clear instructions about any improvements thought desirable.

The Impact of Legislation

I recall English colleagues’ fear of using the internet in its early years, because addresses might get into the wrong hands. I recall the amazement of many guests on study visits at Udby Behandlingshjem (Treatment Centre) where I and my husband worked, when they realised that we had boys and girls aged from 7 to 14 in the same unit, sharing the same shower. These guests often considered the policy reckless, viewed with English norms and English law in mind. I wrote a paper some years ago, From bath tap to shower, where I discussed the management of personal hygiene among children at residential settings. Among other things I mentioned the English legislation as being a hindrance to this aspect of managing children’s lives.

It was during our recent visit, however, that my husband and I discovered how great were the pedagogic consequences of legislation which had been designed to protect children from all forms of assaults.

Observing Practice : the First Day

We visited “our residential setting” over two days. The manager responsible on the first day had been on a study tour to Udby in 1996. She had sent the latest inspection report to us in advance, and so we were informed and updated. This report drew a positive picture of the setting, with a few recommended corrections and requirements.

There were two units and on the morning of the first day we went through the first unit. We saw the way it was being maintained and how it was organised with the latest changes. This unit has an internal school in its own building. Since our last visit two years earlier, several improvements had been made, and there were plans to extend the residential unit.

We had lunch with the children. I was to have a talk with the domestic manager in the afternoon. She has been in her job almost since the place was opened. I was pleased to be able to note the improvements in arrangements in the unit as well as with the diet.

However, I wondered why the children were still not allowed a towel of their own with their own hook. Towels are handed out for each shower and thrown into the laundry afterwards. The rest of the time, paper towels are being used, and by the way there was soap in hardly any of the toilets.

The former café tables had been changed for group tables where the adults were able to keep an eye on the table manners of the children. There was nothing in sight that might make the tables look nice. There was not even a roll of kitchen paper to wipe faces or hands, as part of the table setting. Furthermore, a bag of chips accompanied the meal for each person, which seemed totally inappropriate.

The planned extension is needed, as it seems impossible to find a quiet corner where one can talk without being disturbed. We constantly had to move and ended up on a sofa in the living/dining room, where a couple of children were watching a video with the loudspeakers turned up as much as possible.

One of the boys ordered a staff member to fetch some lemonade. I asked the boy why he did not go to the kitchen himself for it.

“We are not allowed in the kitchen.”

“You are, you can go and talk to the cook, but you are not allowed to cross the line on the floor,” I replied.

His astonishment was obvious. How could I, a stranger, know about the rules? And how come I involved myself into the matter, as the domestic manager did not?

“The rules have not been changed since I was last here?” I asked her.

“No.”

“Then he has got legs to walk with.”

“We are not to interfere in the pedagogic work”, she replied.

The last sentence led to a discussion about the need to take an integrated approach to the work, and the importance of everybody pulling in same direction when it came to the benefit of the children. My husband met with the pedagogic staff for a talk about various problems in the treatment of the children. Many of his solutions were met with the constant reply, “Good idea, but the legislation does not permit this.”

“But can you not choose an interpretation in the best interests of the child, that is still in harmony with the legislation?” he asked.

A staff member from the unit we were to visit the next day introduced a major problem with a boy who would eat nothing but cereals for all meals. And he was allowed to do so, “because the legislation states that he has to have food every day.”

“Of course you cannot let the boy starve”, my husband said. “By offering him the meals of the day you are sticking to the legislation. He has the opportunity to allay his hunger. If he is fastidious, it is your job to help him with the problem, to teach him respect for the common meal of the group and to secure his appetite for the dishes on the table.”

However the unit manager turned my husband’s suggestion down and dared not implement such a pedagogically-based proposal, being scared of departmental criticism.

Observing Practice : the Second Day

On day two, we visited the other unit of the residential setting. This one is sited in a neighbouring village. Everything was neat and tidy. All the children had rooms newly equipped with appropriate furnishings.

One room, however, was painted all black with a minor personal detail on the black wall. The boy who lived here was to move shortly to a foster family.

“Can one choose any colour for one’s room?” I asked.

“Yes. The boy insisted on a black room with black furniture.”

“Do you find it right to let a child live in a room painted black, and do you not have limited money resources for redecorating, now he is moving on?” I asked. “What sort of situation are you placing the future foster parents in, when the boy can choose such a colour for his room? And what will happen if he is to share room with somebody else?”

The unit manager had no knowledge of the budget for building maintenance, and the domestic manager’s role was only to turn requests into reality. Only the bookkeeper knew the budget and the individual figures. While we were talking, a constant traffic of staff members passed through the room.

Now it was time for visiting the school of this unit. One adult was seated with each child. The children here are so called “borderline” children at the age from 7 to 12. It was obvious that these children were more difficult to deal with when we spoke to them in the classroom, which led to discussion about the group dynamic and medication, such as Ritalin.

Apparently the unit had a staff of around twenty-six people. The unit manager was not quite sure about how many were working in her unit! How can you be a unit leader without even knowing the most basic facts about the running of your unit?

The children were having a break from teaching when we talked in the living room. The garden of the unit is small, and it seemed there was little to pass time with on the spot, sp we asked about their opportunities for physical activity. The quiet room had already been shown to us on our way round. The children could go for a swim or other activities outside the setting, but it did not happen very often “in case anything happened to children”, and the legislation spelled out that they were to protect the children.

We met the boy who lived on cereals.

“Does he become overweight from Chico pops?” I asked.

“No, he also likes desserts and cakes.”

By the way, the staff could bring their own food and eat it at the tables with the children when they were being served. The vegetarians, of whom there were quite a few, practised this. It was obvious that a totally laissez-faire approach was the role model for the children to identify with.

By now we could hardly stand any more, as all good pedagogic work had apparently been stopped because of the influence of “the child protection legislation”. We had a feeling that weak staff members were able at any time to make an excuse for lacking initiative, courage and effort with this legislation to hand. Powerlessness and dullness might easily threaten the job. Of course the legislation was recognized as a straitjacket for the job, but it was also easy to see that to the unit manager it was a relief to be able to use the law as an excuse.

“Are you not overstaffed for such a small group of children?” we asked. Apparently the manager found this was not the case. In Denmark we are far behind this standard, but then the pedagogic management of care is based upon the importance of group dynamics, which a skilled pedagogue or child care worker knows how to handle, - unlike this unit where it was believed that one-to-one personal supervision and training was the route ahead.

After lunch my husband was to give a lecture to the teachers and care staff. The head of the treatment centre as well as the owner were present at lunchtime, but neither of them participated at the lecture, reasoning that their presence might hamper the staff in discussion and questions afterwards. By this decision, the managers excluded themselves from any subsequent exchange of ideas in connection with the lecture.

Domestic Management

That afternoon I was to supervise the second (and newly engaged) domestic manager. I asked her to define the difference between the two domestic managers. To my surprise she made a clear definition. From her definition I do not think they will be overworked, but they have to be able to agree on the budget if, and hopefully when, the economic responsibility of the household is passed on to them. They were to share an office in the new extension of the main building. The domestic staff have absolutely no pedagogic authority. It is their job to maintain their various tasks and not ask questions. When a new staff member is engaged, s/he is told to read and stick to the manual containing the legislation relating to the placement of residential children.

The new domestic manager was an experienced woman with a solid past in hotel administration and old people’s homes. She already had many good ideas about what ought to be changed. In connection with this we talked about new staff finding it easier to ask “stupid” questions than those experienced in the work.

The day ended with a meeting where the manager for the day, the owner, my husband and I were present. As in former visits we were asked to express our experiences, positive and negative, so that they could become part of the report to the ministerial department. In England we always experience great openness when it comes to suggestions for improvements, adjustments and changes. It surely is a country where one is used to grasping the nettle professionally, even if the whole plant does not always come out with the root. A plan for future goals before our next visit was outlined.

Cultural Differences

There are differences between Danish and English culture. Children placed in residential homes in England tend to have more severe problems than in Denmark. Generally, they are more neglected and have histories of more serious crimes behind them than Danish children. One finds a greater respect towards the adult, and as long as the adult is within hearing distance they seem to be more attentive. I have been wondering whether their way of dressing plays a role in this matter. In England the children have school uniforms and the adults certainly are dressed more formally than Danish teachers and care workers, who are always expected to be ready for play and activities. Does such a culture influence the relationship between adult and child?

When visiting private friends in England we experience a great consideration and politeness from grandchildren towards grandparents, who at the same time take an interest in the children’s doings, their choice of subjects in school and so on. This might be by chance, but also at our hosts’ home we experienced this respect from grandchild towards grandparents.

Respect as such in the 1970s and 80s used to be an unacceptable word in connection with pedagogic training in Denmark, but if respect is not present, it can be difficult to get the attention of children. We have also focused strongly on trust in the adult, and for me there is no doubt that adults who are dealing with children have to be able to combine respect and trust. Which tools the individual uses must be his or her responsibility, but hopefully his/her identity radiates something that is strengthening for a child behaviour. Today’s television series mostly work in the opposite direction and often use persons whose identity offers nothing to children with weak adult models.

Impressions and Thoughts

This short paper is based on a here-and-now impression, which led to reflection. If it is compared with the information folder about the two different units and their individual goals for the different groups of children, of course there are good explanations for staff numbers in connection with the types of children/clients. However, as a visitor, one sees the potential of a setting from what one hears and experiences by being present.

We do not know how we were introduced to the staff before we arrived. As Danes, we expect that representatives of the individual staff groups are able to formulate clear goals for their groups, especially as we are not talking about a large residential setting. It seemed obvious that the teachers had a stronger commitment towards the job than the care staff. As for the children they seemed appropriately placed for their obvious problems to be met.

As Danish “upbringers” or educators of children, we can just hope and pray that the policymakers in our country will never be tempted to make up such tight legal “frames” for any pedagogic task, such that any physical display and development is being stifled in fear of “Imagine if something happened?” Let us keep up a good debate with our policymakers and lawmakers, so that they fully understand the interests and needs of children. We have to find the time that is needed to get into debates both with officials and the media. We owe this to the children!

H.C.Ørstedsvej 17, st.th.
DK-1879 Frederiksberg
Tel: 33 79 37 47 - e-mail: lasson@privat.dk

Consultant with 30 years’ practical experience in residential child care