residential care Flashcards
(21 cards)
what legislation underpins residential care?
Child care act 1991
What does the childcare act do?
It aims to promote the welfare and protection of children and the role of agencies in this
It emphasise that the welfare of the child should be the most pressing concern in all situations concerning them
What is Tusla’s role in childcare act?
Implementing the act, providing care and protection for children and ensuring adequate services are available
How does the act allow for court involvement?
It allows for the courts to have a say in decisions regarding the care of children
What is the background of residential care?
In the past reformatory and industrial schools were the
major provision for orphaned, homeless & delinquent
children. In 70s realised need for family in child’s life, then foster care was introduced
What does the Boarding Out of Children Regulations (1983) say
Made guidelines for selecting foster homes, said children should be put in foster homes instead of residential homes
Why were children put into residential homes?
Gaps in the system- provision for children who display
challenging behaviour, hard to place children, homeless
children
Is keeping children with families prioritised?
Yes, Social Worker or Family support worker will try to work with
the family around issues of concern
What is alternative care?
Where it is impossible to maintain the child in the family,
they may be taken into the care of Tusla, involves foster care and residential care
What is residential care for?
To provide safe, nurturing environment for children who cannot live at home or with other family, to provide for emotional social needs
What are special care units for?
For children who pose a danger to themselves or others. Children with significant behavioural or emotional difficulties often struggle in standard residential care settings. They may exhibit chaotic behaviours such as running away, drug use, or violence, and can become homeless
How do special care units differ to regular residential care?
These units differ by having higher security and increased staff-to-child ratios. Their main purpose is to offer short-term, stabilising care with the goal of returning the child to less secure environments when possible.
What are children detention schools?
When a child is charged with an offence and is taken before court, they usually do community based sentences, if serious sent to children detention centre
Under the children act 2001, illegal to detain a child since 2007
What are critiques of residential centres?
Need for variety of care placements for adolescents
– Misplacement of young people
– Need for development of guidelines in a range of areas
including aftercare, care plans and reviews
– The lack of a follow up service for care leavers
What are the 7 themes of national standards in residential care
Child centered care and support, effective care and support, safe care and support, health wellbeing and development, use of info, responsive workforce
What do the national standards say?
Each child’s dignity should be respected, children should receive care based on their needs, safeguarded from abuse, supported to meet developmental needs
what is the role of the social care worker?
Important to remain professional, be efficient, and work
together with other agencies and professionals for the best
interests of the child.
* This role may be very different to the child’s previous
experiences of adults
* Child/young person may find it difficult to trust adults and
may have become very self-reliant, be trusting
How can social care workers build relationships with service users
How can social care workers build relationships with service users?
Empathy: the ability to experience another person’s world
as if it were one’s own
* Warmth: accepting the person as they are, without
conditions and helping them to feel safe.
* Genuineness: a way of being with other people built on
open communication and respect.
* Maintaining meaningful relationships through everyday
activities
what theories underpin residential care?
Attachment theory and resilience
what is attachment theory and resilience?
What is attachment theory and resilience?
encourages workers
to be focused on causes and meanings of
behaviour and provides guides for
intervention in working with clients
(b) Resilience: (allied to attachment theory)
a collection of concepts and ideas which
promote elements of good care
