It Is With Anger and Disbelief!!

The link takes you to an article published about a 16 years old girl called Dana. She had been

• Sexually abused since she was 13
• Groomed for abuse in a classic manner, by someone in authority and with credibility: someone she should have been able to trust
• Removed from what is reported as a successful Foster Placement
• Allocated multiple social workers (12 in 18 months)
• Known to self-harm
• Known to attempt suicide
• Disbelieved

http://tinyurl.com/6dody59

I urge you to follow the link and read the story: whether you work directly with children, young people or vulnerable adults or not, take a couple of minutes and read not only what is said but (crucially), what is left unsaid.

We train professionals in Safeguarding and they are left in no doubt whatsoever as we deliver our programme-believe the child.

Dana found a friend in a trainee teacher who was told by the School’s Child Protection Officer that Dan was an attention seeker.

Without best guessing the outcome of the serious case review it seems that we are once again failing to protect the most vulnerable in spite of a series of what anyone, with the most basic awareness in Safeguarding would recognise as “classic indicators” of a potentially abusive or dangerous situation.

For the trainee teacher who Dana had befriended it is my hope that she/he is able to reconcile that they did the right thing and spoke to the right people: the responsibility for what transpired is shared elsewhere.

From Conflct to Confidence: Addressing Underachievement

Our Consultancy has been pleased to work in partnership with a number of schools, further education and training organisations in areas related to the behaviour of learners, students and trainees.
We also deliver our own mentoring and coaching programmes, designed to raise the achievements of all learners by addressing some of the “blockers and stoppers” that are preventing progress. We deliver interventions with the intention of raising aspirations and enabling learners and trainees to break out of the truly unhelpful boundaries that exist because of artificially low expectations, lack of confidence and self-belief. We want the young people who work with us to develop realistic expectations that are fun and challenging.
We know that a key element in raising achievement and making progress is the quality of the relationships formed with trusted adults at critical times. I can’t think of any of my current or past associates and friends who are unable to name and recall the positive input made by significant adults throughout their childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.
The Children and Young People Workforce combines the skills of leaders, managers, teachers, lecturers and trainers to delivers its programmes. This important task would be made much more challenging without the contribution of Para-Professionals: Mentors, Learning Assistants, Student & Pupil Support Managers who bring their very special and refined skills to supporting trainees, often with high risk and vulnerability factors, throughout the learning/training process by providing supportive challenge, trust and advocacy.
We also know that some of our most valued colleagues would like an opportunity to meet with others who are involved in similar work, to address specific challenges and to talk about “what works”. Our programme “From Conflict to Confidence” provides a structured framework in which the above and more can be achieved. All participants will have an opportunity to consider how best to deliver their role within an ethically valid framework that considers best practice, the sources of anger and aggression and the importance of a systematic approach to intervention and support, together with an opportunity to receive ongoing support from Coady Consultants Ltd.