Child Protection - Every Child Matters - Essay Example

Examine Child Protection with a view to analyzing and evaluating it in relation to “Every Child Matters The Labour government under the leadership of Tony Blair designed a program in 2004 to address all aspects of child development. This is the Every Child Matters program. It contained five key objectives. Improving and integrating diverse but related components of common child-care services was high up on the agenda. A more effective intervention system is required to prevent common problems and a sound contingency plan to mitigate their effects. Identifying and installing leaders who are committed to the cause of child welfare and make earnest efforts in fulfilling program objectives. The program also intends to place the responsibility of child protection across all involved agencies. Finally, to prime the involved institutions to come up with solutions tailored to suit the unique circumstances of each case. Viewing this comprehensive child development program from a historical perspective gives us a better understanding of some of these objectives. For example, weak accountability and poor integration had for long been the bane of the support systems of yesteryears. Poor co-ordination and low standards of accountability had led to public distrust with these institutions. The various component agencies were not properly integrated which resulted in inefficiency and redundancy. For instance, “some children are assessed many times by different agencies and despite this may get no services. Children may experience a range of professionals involved in their lives but little continuity and consistency of support.” (Youth Justice: The Next Steps) Another area of concern with the older system was the general sense of apathy on part of child health-care professional. Unless health-care professionals approach their work with dedication and compassion, their effectiveness is always going to be sub-standard. Hence, the Every Child Matters program proposes ways in which a career in child-care is seen as attractive by the professionals. The cultural norms of the English society is as much to blame for this situation; as the roles assumed by child-care workers largely goes unappreciated and undervalued. This is reflected in the fact that for long the national vacancy rate in these services had hovered around the 10 percent mark, which is one of the highest in the industrial world. The relation between socio-economic background and child delinquency is an acknowledged fact. Hence, the government had realised that child protection should consider this important aspect of a child’s life as well. The Every Child Matters program tries to tackle this issue at its root by coming up with a needs-based support system. For example, lower income families, who need the greatest support, can avail of the Child Tax Credit. The same is applicable to parents of disabled children. (Youth Justice: The Next Steps) Another proven fact is the relation between pre and post natal parental condition and child outcome. So the government framed National Service Framework for Children to cater to the needs of pregnant women and young mothers. Creating a more accessible primary care is one of the objectives within this framework. Lifting the overall standards of maternity services and alleviating the number of cases of post-natal depression are some other notable goals. Considering the fact that depressed mothers bring up depressed children, measures to reduce incidence of post-natal depression is of paramount importance. A large amount of tax-payer money is also being directed toward infrastructure projects. These include setting up close to 1 million new childcare facilities within the next few years and providing additional funding for childcare in poorer neighbourhoods. Free education programs are also being offered in these localities. (Youth Justice: The Next Steps) Seeing the Every Child Matters program from a historical perspective gives us a better understanding of the urgency of such an effort. For long, the number of children in UK “who experience educational failure, suffer ill health, become pregnant as teenagers, are victims of abuse and neglect, or become involved in offending and anti-social behaviour” have been relatively high among the more advanced countries. Statistics released by the governments of Scandinavian countries show Britain in a poorer light. Hence, there was a widespread public thrust to bring about some radical changes to the existing institutions in order to make the country a better place to live in for the future generations. It was also recognised that prevention is a more sound practice than conjuring up quick fixes. So the Blair government was keen on inventing a new approach to child care that was centred less on crisis management and more on early intervention and prevention. “Achieving these outcomes has benefits for children, families, and society as a whole. Children gain through improved health, wellbeing and prosperity now and in the future. Future generations benefit as we know that children of parents who experienced poverty, were in public care, or teenage parents are more likely to experience poor outcomes than their peers. Society as a whole benefits through reduced spending on problems that can be avoided and through maximising the contribution to society of all citizens. For instance, a child with a conduct disorder at age 10 will cost the public purse around £70,000 by age 28 – up to ten times more than a child with no behavioural problems. The overall cost of providing foster and residential care placements for 60,000 children is £2.2 billion per year.” (Green Paper of 2003) Such reforms make sense if we take a look at the recent history of childcare in Britain. Although the overall quality of health-care for children had improved in the last few decades the pace at which these improvements take place do not match the newer demands. For example, though the overall prosperity of the nation had increased during this period, the percentage of children living in poverty had not changed by any significant degree. The number of children facing uncertainties and serious risks has also not diminished. Some of this high-risk behaviour on part of children includes premature sexual activity, addiction to drugs and alcohol, etc. The fact that the divorce rates have steadily climbed during this period had worsened the condition of children as there are now more children living with single parents than there were ever in the history of Britain. There are numerous studies that back the assertion that children growing up in dysfunctional families are more prone to psychological afflictions in their adulthood. In this scenario, the Every Child Matters program offers some solid and pragmatic solutions to turn around this trend. Child Protection measures of the last half century have always met with limited success. Despite awareness campaigns undertaken by the governments of the day, teenage smoking rates have not decreased greatly. The obesity levels among children aged 6 and 15 actually had risen in recent years. Teenage pregnancy rate was lower in 2001 than it was in 1998, yet, UK has the notorious distinction of having one of the highest teenage conception rates among countries in Western Europe. During the early 1990’s the number of children in care rose by nearly 20 percent. This was a disturbing trend. So was the number of lawsuits filed by parents against care-givers on grounds of negligence. In absolute terms the total figure rose from 40,000 children in care to 60,000 in a span of a decade. During the same period the children involved in juvenile delinquency cases fell, but only marginally. Given such a record on Child-care and child protection, the Every Child Matters program was a much awaited initiative. However, it remains to be seen how efficacious some of its proposals would turn out to be. (Green Paper of 2003) In the educational front too, the results have not been very bright for some time now. Proficiency in English language and Mathematics had increased across all age groups. But it is important to note that the results are not consistent across different ethnic backgrounds. For example, Chinese and Indian students outperform Black and Pakistani students. To be fair, this anomaly is a reflection of cultural preferences of these distinct ethnic groups and not so much a testimony to the standards of British education. Another area of concern is the child participation levels in charitable and community service activities. The statistics at face value may look impressive, with nearly 50 percent of youth having partaken in various fundraising events. But behind this façade is the fact that many children participate in these activities out of peer pressure and compulsion and not out of genuine compassion toward the underprivileged. This condition is largely due to the consumerist culture of modern Britain. The appalling abuse and murder of Victoria Climbie brought to light the state of Child Protection in the country. The public enquiry headed by Lord Laming identified institutional failings across the board. The outcome of this enquiry had played a big role in the conception and implementation of Every Child Matters program. Climbie was a nine year old immigrant student, who was sent to Europe by her parents. Little did they know then that their young daughter was to go through despicable abuse and violation at the hands of her so-called “care-takers”. Climbie’s aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her bus-driver boyfriend Carl Manning were both charged under child protection law. The trial lasted nearly a year and ultimately found both of them guilty. Even though the guilty couple were handed life imprisonment, the injustice done to the young girl cannot ever be compensated. This episode will remain one of the black marks on British child protection history. The sad demise of Victoria Climbie exposed the abject failings of the British Child Protection system. The fact that no less than 12 opportunities to save Victoria’s life were squandered by various public institutions had asked many difficult questions of these agencies. Only time will tell if the Every Child Matters program proves substantive in dealing with such issues head on. “From past inquiries into the deaths of Maria Colwell and Jasmine Beckford to recent cases such as Lauren Wright and Ainlee Walker, there are striking similarities which show some of the problems are of long standing. The common threads which led in each case to a failure to intervene early enough were poor co-ordination; a failure to share information; the absence of anyone with a strong sense of accountability; and frontline workers trying to cope with staff vacancies, poor management and a lack of effective training.” (The Victoria Climbie Inquity Report of 2003) The most tragic of these problems is when the agencies fail to protect children who are at risk of neglect and abuse. But the problem of children becoming victims of the loopholes provided by our judicial system goes much further. Too often children experience difficulties at both home and educational institutions, but receive too little help too late. Most get noticed only when problems have reached crisis point. “As Lord Laming’s recommendations made clear, child protection cannot be separated from policies to improve children’s lives as a whole. We need to focus both on the universal services which every child uses and on more targeted services for those with additional needs. The policies set out in the Green Paper are designed both to protect children and maximise their potential. It sets out a framework for services that cover children and young people from birth to 19 living in England. It aims to reduce the numbers of children who experience educational failure, engage in offending or anti-social behaviour, suffer from ill health, or become teenage parents”. (Green Paper of 2003) The pressure on the Labour government to design and implement a comprehensive child protection program as Every Child Matters goes on to show that previous legislations in this domain have remained ineffective. For example, when The Children Act was passed in 1989, it was hoped that some of the basic rights of children will be safer than ever before. But statistics through out the 90’s prove the failure of this piece of legislation in curbing offences against children. Although the Children Act was a detailed piece of legislature touching upon all aspects of child welfare, it had also left many loop holes to be exploited. One of the proposals under the Act is bringing public and private sector childcare agencies under one authority so as to that it is easier to hold the agencies responsible for their failings. But as is the bane of most industrial countries, the powerful and resourceful business lobby had done its utmost against such integration, for such a move is not in its best interests. Thus, profits of privately run business corporations have won over the collective welfare of children in British society. One of the aims of the Act was to shake up the framework of the courts in order to facilitate easier management of family proceedings. Even in this, no substantial change is apparent. Hence, it will not be an exaggeration to assert that Every Child Matters program would not be needed if the Children Act was implemented and enforced in the right spirit. (Children Act of 1989) It is interesting to note that the Every Child Matters program does not make special provisions for backward ethnic groups. The secular foundations of British legislature means that it will be impossible for policy makers to devote special attention to groups based on race and ethnicity. This is one area where the program is bound to fail. Any comprehensive Child Protection scheme that pays scant attention to significant risk factors is setting itself up for failure. For instance, the socio-economic condition during childhood plays an important role in determining how successful the child will be in the future. But in a society where the gap between the rich and the poor is ever widening and poverty levels have remained stagnant over a long period, any changes in the form of policies will remain superficial unless radical reforms are undertaken to change the very fabric of society and make it a more egalitarian one. References: Key publications related to Every Child Matters from www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/publications/, retrieved on 4th July, 2007. Read More