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Conference at Athlone on 24/25 February 2010

“Where did we go right?” Positive aspects of residential child care Charles Sharpe IASCW RMA IASCE Social Care under the Spotlight : Moving Forward Together. Conference at Athlone on 24/25 February 2010. To the casual observer residential child care may seem to have a troubled history.

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Conference at Athlone on 24/25 February 2010

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  1. “Where did we go right?” Positive aspects of residential child careCharles SharpeIASCW RMA IASCESocial Care under the Spotlight : Moving Forward Together Conference at Athlone on 24/25 February 2010 Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  2. To the casual observer residential child care may seem to have a troubled history This notion is reinforced the widespread negative publicity aroused by the events like those which brought about the investigations which resulted in publication of the Waterhouse Report in the United Kingdom and more recently the Ryan Report and the Murphy Report concerning aspects of residential child care in Ireland . Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  3. What we always get right in residential child care is that by taking care of a child who has nowhere to live we provide immediate crisis management for : • A child • A family • A social worker • Statutory bodies responsible for the public care of children • The wider community Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  4. Most of the time residential child care workers do get things right but there are obstacles in the way. • Our capacity for denial • Our propensity to scapegoat, that is what the psychoanalyst Melanie Klein termed “Projective Identification” Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  5. Projective Identification • We all have parts of ourselves which we find intolerable and we deny them by unconsciously repressing them • When at times of stress these come to the surface we deal with them by projecting them into another. The other becomes the scapegoat. • There always seems to be one child in a children’s home who if they were removed would mean that the staff could get on with their work properly. Sometimes the scapegoat is a member of staff. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  6. Projective Identification is evident in groups. The psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion suggested that there are two kinds of group which a staff team oscillates between : • the basic assumption group which assumes that the group’s existence is in danger from internal and external threats and spends most of its time finding strategies to protect itself • the work group which focuses on the tasks that need to be done to carry out its overall function Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  7. Overcoming obstacles in our way • An awareness of, and continued reflection upon these individual and group processes - projective identification and the basic assumption - are necessary to counteract their negative influence. • Awareness and honest reflection are important because we cannot and do not get things right all the time. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  8. To get it right is to be “good enough” • The paediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott argued that a child will flourish if the care given to him is ‘good enough’. • The paradox is that if we did get it right all the time, we would be developing youngsters who could not deal with the ups and downs of everyday life. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  9. Good enough caring is made up of a wide array of seemingly simple mundane nurturing functions that have to come together in a unified a way in order that trust develops between the child and the carer. This is not as simple as it would appear when caring for children who, often with good reason, are mistrustful of adults offering them care, concern and love. Gaining such a child’s trust is not straightforward. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  10. Gaining a child’s trust is not straightforward. It is achieved by a carer demonstrating : • sincere respect for the child • exceptional tolerance • persistence • consistency in care and concern • Imagination and creativity • a capacity for deep reflection about the influence of her personality on her relationship with a child and about what goes on between the child and her Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  11. In acknowledgment of all the complex qualities required of the good enough residential child carer, here are some of the things they are getting right….. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  12. Giving a child a warm welcome that could only be for him when he arrives at the home and always giving him that warm welcome whenever he returns from being out somewhere. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  13. Demonstrating warm respect for each child we care for in the home. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  14. Showing genuine friendliness to the each of the children. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  15. Joining with children in spontaneous play both in activity and conversation. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  16. Encouraging and helping children look well and feel well. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  17. Showing real care and nurture in our preparation and presentation of food for the children and showing our enjoyment of joining with them to eat together. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  18. Taking care to respect the culture of children and working hard to make sure they are not isolated from it. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  19. Providing them with, and joining them in, a variety of cultural and recreational activities. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  20. Encouraging them and helping them with their schooling. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  21. Comforting them when they are unhappy. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  22. Helping them when things have gone wrong and showing them that we always have a loving concern for them. . Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  23. Showing the children that we, as colleagues, have a warmth, a care and a respect for each other. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  24. Residential child care workers get it right by using everyday moments and events to give children good experiences that will always enrich them whatever the vicissitudes of their future lives. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  25. These moments, events, and good experiences are mutual and just as in the story of Jimmy, Luigi the chef, the whispering badminton and the Irish Sleepstakes, they enrich the life of residential child care worker as much as they do the child’s, and they are the foundation of what every child needs – a healthy, trusting relationship with a caring adult. Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

  26. ……and that’s when we get it right ! Charles Sharpe www.goodenoughcaring.com

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