Celebrating Belonging-focused Children’s Services Practice in York
A Christmas Jumper Story
For the last three years in mid-December, York Children’s Services has brought together its practitioners, managers, and leaders in an end-of-year celebration to listen to practitioners from each service present detailed stories of practice they are proud of.
The stories certainly spell out practitioners’ use of York’s key practice models, (see picture) as well as the partnership and teaming arrangements that underpins the work. More importantly, the stories from the people doing the work, is knitting together practitioners and leaders into a learning community focused on success. Every presentation for example, offered a clear vision of statutory work that unites compassion with skillful use of authority, a foundational skill for doing statutory social work well.
From the 13 presentations I’ll relate just one story, that revolves around a looked-after teenager I’ll call, ‘Sam’.
Over the past 18 months, York’s Foster and Our Care teams have led conversations with their foster carers about how they can help sustain and strengthen children’s sense of belonging. These conversations prompted foster mother, ‘Jeni’, to talk to ‘Sam’ about the possibility of Jeni meeting with his mother. With the guidance and support of her social worker and after the discussions with Sam, Jeni started to talk to Sam’s mum.
While Sam thought it was a good idea, he was also a little cautious. Interestingly though, as both of Sam’s mothers began to establish a connection, Sam started to make jokes that ‘now there’s the two of you looking out for me’. Sam’s mum described that she really likes knowing what’s happening in Sam’s life and what Jeni is doing.
While Sam’s time with his mum hasn’t significantly increased, the worker and Jeni have seen marked differences in Sam’s behaviour. Sam comes out of his room more, joining more wholeheartedly with the family and his foster brothers. Jeni now sees much more of Sam’s personality, his sense of humour and natural intelligence. Jeni says seeing these changes makes her experience of being Sam’s foster mum much more enjoyable.
And so, to the Christmas jumpers which Jeni buys for everybody in the family each December. Talking with Sam, Jeni and he agreed that Jeni would buy Sam’s mother a Christmas jumper this year. They are also talking about whether his mum will come to Christmas at Jeni’s home. For me, the Christmas Jumper is the perfect metaphor for the changes that are emerging in the practice and the relationships.
This and several other cases like it, is leading York leaders, service directors, managers and practitioners to ask themselves:
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Have we become too obsessed with this idea of permanency?
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Do we need to create a situation of divided loyalties for young people between the carers and their family and parents?
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If we bring carers, parents and extended family together in more cases as the village around the child,
how would this improve life and outcomes for the children and young people we bring into care?
It is a privilege for me to have been involved as a consultant with York Children’s Social Care over the last 30 months. Seeing them become a learning community that is drawing on their best practice as a vehicle to continuously improve their services to vulnerable children and families in their community is inspiring.
Professor Andrew Turnell AM