Looked After Child (LAC) Policy Analysis

Looked After Child (LAC) Policy Analysis In this essay I will be focussing on Looked After Children (LAC) as my service user group and identify relevant laws relating to the service user group and then identify recent policies which underpin this aspect of practice, and discuss the values which underpin the law in this area of practice and finally relate these legislation to my placement practice. Definition of the term looked after? The term looked after was introduced by the Children Act 1989 and refers to children who are subject to care orders and those who are voluntarily accommodated. Wherever possible, the local authority (LA) will work in partnership with parents (Pierson and Thomson, 2002). Many children will have been affected by distressing and damaging experiences including physical and sexual abuse and neglect. Some may be in care because of the illness or death of a parent. Others may have disabilities and complex needs. The majority of young people in care come from families who experience difficulties and are separated from them because their family was unable to provide adequate care. Vulnerable unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the UK may also become looked after (Department of Education and Skills, 2004). The main pieces of legislation underpinning social services for children and young people are the Children Act 1989, the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Local authorities have specific legal duties in respect of children under the Children Act 1989 including: To safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their area who are in need Provided that this is consistent with the childs safety and welfare, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families, by providing services appropriate to the childs needs , to make enquiries if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child in their area is suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm, to enable them to decide whether they should take any action to safeguard or promote the childs welfare(Brammer, 2007). Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 places responsibilities on local authorities to provide greater support to young people living in and leaving care. These include: A duty to assess and meet the needs of young people aged 16 and 17 who qualify for the new arrangements, the provision of a personal adviser and pathway plan for all young people aged 16 to 21, or beyond for those who qualify for the new arrangements ,a duty to assist those leaving care, including with employment, education and training (the duty to assist with education and training and to provide a personal adviser and pathway plan continues for as long as a young person remains in an agreed programme, even beyond the age of 21(Brayne and Carr (2005)). Adoption and Children Act 2002 This act aligns adoption law with the Children Act 1989 to make the childs welfare the paramount consideration in all decisions to do with adoption. It includes: Provisions to encourage more people to adopt looked after children by helping to ensure that the support they need is available. A new, clear duty on local authorities to provide an adoption support service and a new right for people affected by adoption to request and receive an assessment of their needs for adoption support services .Provisions to enable unmarried couples to apply to adopt jointly, thereby widening the pool of potential adoptive parents .Stronger safeguards for adoption by improving the legal controls on intercountry adoption, arranging adoptions and advertising children for adoption .A new special guardianship order to provide security and permanence for children who cannot return to their birth families, but for whom adoption is not the most suitable option and a duty on local authorities to arrange advocacy services for looked after children and young people leaving care in the context of complaints (Department of Education and Skills,2004). The other key aspect of the duties of LAs in relation to children looked after by them is the provision of education. Every Child Matters (2000), the Children Act 1989 (s.22) (3)(a) (and amended by section 52 of the Children Act 2004) have stressed and reinforced the importance of the local authoritys duty to promote LACs educational achievements. In order to do so, a care plan needs to be produced, which would include a Personal Education Plan (PEP). The PEP would look at the childs developmental needs in terms of his/her education and, as states by Every Child Matters (2000), should be reviewed regularly. Here, partnership and inter-professional/agency work is again reinforced in order to meet the childs needs. Further, there is a need for LAs to encourage LACs to have health examinations, particularly regular checks by GPs, dentists and opticians. At the same time to acknowledge that a child can refuse this having regard to his/her age and understanding (Children Act 1989)(s.38)(6). The value of the child welfare is incorporated in the every child matters (2003) policy which emphasise that looked after children must be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve in life, make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic well being (Department of Education and Skills,2004). My second placement was with an organisation who deals with Children and Adolescents who suffer from Mental Health and also have difficulties with their status in UK. The team specifically worked with looked after children (LAC) who were suffering from emotional and psychological behavioral problems. Whilst on my placement, s31 were used most often. The social workers had to make certain that they had all the necessary documents in place before any action was taken. If a social worker interfered, without authorised documents from the courts, the birth parents could take court action against the local authorities. Legislation may at times be helpful or unhelpful for LAC. A positive aspect of legislation is that the local authority has a obligatory responsibility to make sure a care plan is in place, in accordance with the 1989 Children Acts, s26 (2) and s31A plan, within ten days of the individual being placed with the local authority. This will make sure that the individuals needs, views and wishes are taken into consideration when decisions are made. The childs parents or whoever holds parental responsibility, foster careers and an independent advisor may also be present when the care plan is been drawn up. The care plan should include factors such as the individuals education and health needs, how often contact should be made with parent/siblings. During my placement, I attended a review meeting, to discuss child x who had just been placed in a foster home. The foster carer was discussing the troubles she encountered with him, for example his challenging behavior and him missing his siblings. Following the meeting the social workers decided to speak to child x, to identify reasons for his behaviour. However, there are certain aspects of the legislation that may at times be harmful to LAC. The Children Act 1989 s22 (3) places an importance towards family stability. This may not always be in the child/young persons best interest. Kinship care may not always be suitable due to factors such as family dynamics, if the child was taken away because of abuse or neglect or there could still be contact with the birth family. The above could have a unfavorable effect on the child/young persons well being. Section 22(5) of the Children Act 1989 states that all local authority, have a duty, to consider a childs cultural and ethnic background, when placing them with foster carers. However, this may not always be possible, for service users who are from the black and ethnic minorities, due to the lack of black and ethnic minority foster carers (Colton et al, 2001). According to Colton et al (2001) there are a high proportion of black and ethnic minority children and young people, especially dual heritage service users, who are looked after. In todays society, children who are looked after are considered to be amongst the most at risk (Every child matter, 2004). Numerous having experienced hardship may be naive of their entitlements and therefore may not get their requirements met. The language often used within social work is judge to be very complex and confusing for service users, especially children and young people. Therefore Local authorities and social workers need to work in partnership with LAC, their families and agencies in order to protect and look after service users. Legislation needs to be used fittingly in order to empower service users. Research has shown when local authorities and parents work together the outcomes for the child/young person, have a higher chance of working (Thoburn et al, 1995). Social workers hold a vast amount of authority when carrying out their work therefore it is vital that they do not misuse this status. Social workers work within the restraints of policy and procedures trying to meet the needs of service users. (Allen, 1998). Good social work practice is working in partnership with all concerned. This may however cause an imbalance between the service users/family and local authority. For example, if the local authority has to remove a child due to abuse, the family may not always agree. By having awareness and working in a reflective manner, with regard to ones own personal prejudices, values and attitudes will enhance safe social work practice with service users. Legislation at times may discriminate either on a personal, cultural or structural level (Thompson, 2001). It is the duty of all social workers to be aware of this and challenge it, on all levels. In the Children Act 1989, s22 (5), tries to support anti discriminatory practice by given due consideration to LAC religious and cultural needs, before placing them with foster carers (Allen, 1998). It is important that social workers, who work with LAC and their families hold fast to the Children Act 1989.Understanding of the law is extremely important. Also social workers need to be alert and be aware of the challenge that they may meet when working within the legal framework. It is of utmost importance that social workers receive regular training to be kept informed with legislation and necessary skills, which will help to improve their current practice. Social workers need to make sure their practice is anti-discriminatory, as to empower service users and promote their autonomy. Reference Allen, N. (1998) Making sense of the Childrens Act (3rd edition), John Wiley Son Brayne, H. Carr, H. (2005) Law for Social Workers. (9th Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Colton, M.; Sanders, R.; and Williams, M. (2001) An introduction Working with children, a guide for social workers, Palgrave. Pierson, J M, Thomson (2002) Dictionary of Social Work. Harper Collins Publishers. Brammar, A. Socail Work Law,2007(2nd edition),Pearson Education Ltd. Thompson, N. (2001) Anti-Discriminatory Practice (3rd edition), Palgrave Thoburn, J.; Lewis, A and Shemmings, D. (1995) Paternalism or Partnership Family Involment in the Child Protection Process, Blackwell. Every Child Matters (2000) Guidance on the education of children and young people in public care 2000. [Online]. Available from: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/files/9E18CB7F9306BA85A821C24BBCE18082.pdf (Accessed 4/5/2007).

The Perfect Idea :: Free Essays Online

The Perfect Idea It was a true Alaskan night. The air was crisp and the road was covered with sand and pebbles embedded in the ice. Frost was beginning to form on the frozen green branches of the spruce trees and there wasn‘t a soul in sight. It was an early Sunday morning two days before Christmas and my best friend David and I had thought of a brilliant idea. I was spending the night at David’s house which was only about a block away from where I lived. As naive eighth grade students, we hadn’t counted on getting in as much trouble as we did for a nights worth of fun. It all started when David said, â€Å"Bobby, lets go pick up my girlfriend, Justine. My mom should be sleeping now. We can sneak out the garage door, put the car in neutral and quietly roll it down the driveway. After that, we can push it down the street and start it so my mom won’t hear.† â€Å"All right. Can I drive?† I asked. â€Å" Sure,† he said. â€Å"Yeahhhhhh! This is so awesome,† I shouted as we cruised down the highway thirty minutes later towards Justine‘s house. â€Å"Who is as cool as us, David?† I asked with a huge grin on my face. â€Å"Nobody,† he said laughingly as we both smiled without a worry in the world, listening to the bass vibrations pound on the back seats to the rap music. â€Å"Where are we going?† I asked ten minutes later after we had picked up Justine. â€Å"Lets go to the point,† said David, which was about fifteen minutes away located on a cliff near Cook Inlet. â€Å"Okay,† I said in excitement. Driving down the road, we spotted a police car on the side of the street with his lights off waiting for someone to ticket. We casually drove past him following all the laws as we headed towards the point. The point was located on a dead end road, and with our luck, it was already closed for that night. â€Å"Shoot! It’s closed!† said Justine, who was scared because we had just passed a cop. â€Å"What should we do, David?† I said nervously â€Å"Let’s just be calm and go out the same way,† David replied. â€Å"Are you sure?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, he’s not going to do anything. Trust me,† he said with confidence. â€Å"Okay,† I said, although I knew deep down inside something bad was going to happen.

Bartleby the Scrivener

Bartleby is employed in the narrative not merely or not really as a character but more of a representation or symbol. Bartleby’s character can be compared with another character made by Melville, Moby Dick. The reason for such comparison and at some point similarities between them is that both characters are interpreted by the readers and some literary critics in many different ways. In effect, these characters cannot be construed in a single way. In the story Bartleby the Scrivener, Melville discovers comparable philosophical concerns in a special sort of setting. In an impressive comparison with Ahab (in Moby Dick), Bartleby is also fascinated by walls – a persistent emblem in the story. Bartleby’s character can be seen as a sort of wall in a sense that no one really knows what he thinks, what he likes, what interests him, and whatsoever. Almost all things about him and about his actions are unknown and hard to explain. This description is unveiled by the character played by the lawyer, who eventually becomes Bartleby’s boss. The lawyer all throughout the story attempts to discover the absurdity of Bartleby’s character which is depicted in several scenes of the story. All throughout the story, Bartleby constantly refuses to follow what his boss asks of him. Consistently, he also refuses to state why he refuses to do so. Such attitude becomes the fundamental frustration of the lawyer in the story. He does not know how he could make Bartleby follow his orders as how his other employees do. The first impression that would justify why the lawyer does not fire Bartleby is the idea that he is probably so surprised of Bartleby’s attitude of being nonconformist such that it becomes a big challenge for him to be able to make Bartleby follow him. He does everything to do this but he always fails. To his surprise, he could not find in his heart the motivation to dismiss his eccentric employee. Lots of scenes suggest how the lawyer pays so much sympathy for Bartleby though the latter never gives him the chance of knowing the reasons why he keeps on refusing to obey his orders and why he keeps on refusing telling him the reasons. The first scene where the lawyer shows care and concern for Bartleby is when the former finds out that the latter is staying at the office even after office hours. When he learns that Bartleby does not have a home to go after work, he just lets him stay in the office. The next scene is when the lawyer refuses to agree to get Bartleby out of the office by a stranger. Probably, the lawyer feels that the stranger would not do good for Bartleby that is why he does not agree to the stranger’s proposal. Another scene is when the lawyer finally decided to relocate his office to another place and find out Bartleby standing in an empty room. He is touched by the scene and in the end gives Bartleby money but leaves him as well. The last scene is when the lawyer pays sympathy for Bartleby when he learns that he is sent to prison and he is dying because of his refusal to eat. He visits him and even pays the warden to make sure that Bartleby would eat his meals. Until the end of the story, Bartleby does not reveal his reason for behaving like what he does. No one succeeds to unveil this information not even the lawyer who becomes so frustrated of making Bartleby disclose his feelings about what is happening in his life. Towards the end of the story, the scenes between the lawyer and Bartleby suggest the tolerance and at the same time the aggravation that the lawyer feels towards Bartleby. Some critics say that it could be the case that the lawyer somehow understands Bartleby’s behavior for the reason that he too also wants to go against what the trend during that time asks them to do. But just like Bartleby, the lawyer could not find the exact words to explain the feeling that he has in his heart and the thoughts that envelops his mind.   So he tolerates what Bartleby is doing. To give a conclusion, Bartleby serves as the direct representation of the wall which is the main theme of the story. He never reveals anything just like the wall – as how the wall does not make any response whatever one does against it. Bartleby refuses to reason out for he believes that no one would understand him as he himself could not his own way of thinking. When he dies, he gives the lawyer, his boss, the lesson not to become a puppet of anyone else. Bartleby is able to show how nonconformist he is to the point of embracing death for the sake of upholding what he believes in. It is implicit in the story that somehow the lawyer is starting to realize how disgusting the trend that he is currently following (the trend of Capitalism). But he refuses to express it for the reason that he knows that when he do such, his life would be in peril. But as he sees the dying Bartleby, he understands that it is much better to die keeping one’s own principles than continue living trying to fit in with somebody else’s standards. Reference: Melville, H. (2006). Bartleby, the Scrivener, a Story of a Wall-street. Lightning Source Inc.      

Pactoric Reflection - 815 Words

Over the course of this course, I have been challenged to think about certain issues and look at them with a different perspective. It has been an informative course in which has sharpened my skills as a writer, speaker and overall thinker. This course teaches the fundamentals of Jesuit values and public speaking. Exposure of things like rhetoric, LMU’s mission statement, and the book Persepolis have made me more open minded and gain more control of my use of language and thoughts as a whole. The three forms of rhetoric, ethos, logos and pathos, have impacted the way I interact with the English language. Before being exposed to rhetoric I was unaware of its impact on everyday life. People use rhetoric every day, not only in writing but†¦show more content†¦It helps that that is the mentality of the school and it pushes me to strive to further my education as far as I can. I am all for the education of the whole person and it will help me become a better person. Giving back to the community that made is a big thing for me. Being from Westchester and LMU being such an influential component of my upbringing, I want to use the Jesuit values to have a positive impact on the lives of others. The book Persepolis made me have a more open-minded view of the world. Never have I felt that a someone’s own country would want to inflict damage on its own people and it made me feel blessed about the current situation that we have in our country. The story that we have as Americans of the middle eastern countries is only one -side of what is really going on. In the book, Marjane gives some insight as to what it is like growing up at the time of war. Marjane is an interesting character who, thanks to her parents had a very different experience of the war. She was able to participate in the actual protest and the being an activist in everything that was going on in the country. Even the schools, which were segregated between boys and girls, would teach the kids lies about the government. Luckily her parents had the awareness of everything that was going on and could inform her on the things that were actually going on. As Americans, we have no clue as to what truly goes on in other