A Childs Place In The Big Society Social Work Essay

A Childs Place In The Big Society Social Work Essay It is a great privilege and pleasure to have been asked by Margaret Hodge and Patricia Hewitt to give the first lecture in memory of Henry Hodge. It is also a somewhat daunting task. At first sight I would not be an obvious choice to speak today, nor did I think my subject on children was obviously connected with a lecture in memory of Henry. There is however a strong connection between issues about children and his strong sense of social welfare was well demonstrated by his spending 5 years as deputy director of Child Poverty Action Group and his successful legal aid practice which included family and children cases. As a father and grandfather in his private life as well as in his distinguished public career he cared passionately about children. Margaret assures me that my decision to talk about children would have met with his approval. My theme this evening is to examine how our children fit in to the Big Society which was at the heart of the Prime Ministers speech in November 2009 and part of the strategy of the Coalition Government. I shall refer very briefly to a variety of problems children face, some of which are not as widely recognised as others. One aspect which is not always appreciated is how they are viewed by the adult public and the media and how they are treated. This has an important effect upon how they view themselves, their self esteem and how their voice is heard in our adult society. Much, if not indeed, all of what I say is well known but I feel that it is worth repeating at a moment when the phrase the Big Society is in the news and both government and the public need to have the welfare and rights of children well in the forefront of the difficult and challenging decisions which have to be made. The Big Society The Prime Minister spoke of Galvanising, catalysing, prompting, encouraging and agitating for community engagement and social renewal. It must help families, individuals, charities and communities come together to solve problems. It was an ambitious agenda to build a Big Society based around social responsibility and community action. Oliver Letwin described the relationship between government and civil society as: Government helping to sustain a society that is a rich tapestry of active citizens, families, places of worship, dedicated professions and independent associations. These are worthy ambitions in which families, schools and welfare play an important part. The Labour Government produced Green and White Papers dedicated to the theme Every Child Matters. They did some good work, including Sure Start, and it is encouraging that the Coalition Government intends to continue to support Sure Start and to target the poorest families. But, in a sense, they only scratched the surface of the multiplicity of the needs of children. No government should underestimate the size and complexity of the problems too many children face in growing up in this country and the financial cost of coping even with some of them. That financial cost, even in a period of austerity, must not blind us to the essential requirement in considering priorities to put children and what they require at the beginning, middle and end of all discussions and decisions which need to be made. What are the problems children face in growing up? Many of them are common to all children and we ourselves as children had to work our way through them. But for too many children those ordinary problems of adjusting to the adult world are compounded by and sometimes distorted by their state of health, the health of their parents, the behaviour of their parents, the environment in which they live and above all by poverty. Clearly in the time available I can only touch very briefly upon some issues and those faced by children who live within or who come to the UK. For most children their problems may not be as immediate nor as life threatening as those in some other parts of the world but they are very real and can inhibit and undermine their childhood. In a report from UNICEF Child poverty in perspective: An overview on child well-being in rich countries (2007) it stated, under the heading childrens material well being, that the evidence from across the world is that children who grow up in poverty are more vulnerable; specifically they are likely to be in poor health, to have learning and behavioural difficulties, to underachieve at school, to become pregnant at too early an age, to have lower skills and aspirations, to be low paid, unemployed and welfare dependent. Of course, these problems do not apply to all children growing up in poor families but it does not alter the fact that, on average, children who grow up in poverty are likely to be at a decided and demonstrable disadvantage. I shall now look very briefly at how those words apply to the UK. Children in poverty Even after the recession, the UK remains one of the richer countries in the world. But the reality of life for some of our children is that 29% of British children live in poverty. Over one million children live in seriously overcrowded accommodation. Over 100,000 children in the UK live in temporary accommodation. Many poor children do badly in education. Over a million children truant from school and about 9,000 are permanently excluded. Such children tend to live in the areas of highest deprivation where there is a high incidence of drugs and crime. The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe many of whom are schoolgirls. Well over a million school children are working illegally. The government is committed to improving education and the new Secretary of State for Education has a number of innovative and exciting ideas. I was delighted that in the debate in the Lords on the Queens Speech the Minister for Schools, Lord Hill of Oareford, said that: raising standards, lifting aspirations and tackling behaviour are crucial. That will help all children but, above all, it should help those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who have suffered most. The problems of educating children from the most deprived areas are partly having good enough schools and teachers who enthuse and inspire but also motivating the parents as well as the children to the purpose and importance of education for a childs future life. A lack of education has a devastating effect upon job prospects and a distressing large proportion of children leave school without the basic skills. If you cannot fill in an application form by hand or online you probably will not get a job. It is a huge task to motivate families to want education but it is crucial for the future of this country. One area of education which should be tackled by the Education Minister is the need for better education of children who are in youth custody. It is a crucial part of the fight against the high rate of re-offending. The London charity, Kids Company, helps to educate and support young people who stream into that excellent organisation which, at last, receives government support. I v ery much hope that such support will not be cut. To do so would be self defeating; a short term cost benefit but a long term expensive blunder. Intervention at an early stage with problem families is crucial. Some parents as well as their children need help and I am reminded of an excellent voluntary preschool initiative which was set up in a poor part of London some years ago. It concentrated on young single mothers and required them to attend with their children. One mother had almost never talked to her little girl. After 3 months attending with her child they were seen at Christmas dancing down the steps both singing Christmas carols. The place closed for lack of funds. It is important for government, in funding voluntary initiatives, to keep on giving support and not just start up costs. All too often otherwise they fold as that one did. I turn now to other groups of children who have problems, some but not all connected with poverty. Children in need of care Two children die each week from abuse or neglect within the home. Social workers are the thin line of protection of children at risk. They are criticised when they intervene and when they do not intervene in dysfunctional families. It is crucial for the well being of children at risk that the work of social workers is better understood and that social workers are given the status they deserve. It is not just a question of pay; it is also recognition of the importance of the work they do. There is no doubt that some children have to be removed permanently from their families. But it is a sad reflection on our system of care that looked after children do markedly less well at school than other children. More support for children in care is needed. Around 5,000 children under the age of 16 are used for prostitution in the UK, including those moving across borders. Children are trafficked into the UK not only for prostitution but also for forced labour and begging. Boys from Vietnam are brought into the UK to tend cannabis plants in well to do suburbs of big cities such as London: there are over 3,000 cannabis farms in England and about 300 in London. Very young children, often Romany children, are brought into the country and taught to thieve in a modern day Fagin style. Bulgarian children are brought here by gangs to work the London underground system and Bulgarian police are working with our British Transport police to deal with it. Trafficking of people is now more lucrative for the gangs than drugs. The last government signed the European Convention on trafficking and incorporated it into English law. The Metropolitan Police has been engaged in excellent work with other countries which receives some European financial suppo rt and, up to now, some government support. One problem is that the UKBorder Agency does not uniformly recognise the welfare needs of young people who are victims of trafficking and much more training and flexibility in decision making is necessary. Immigration and asylum children coming here and living here are treated very differently from citizen children although I understand that the new government is intending that such children should no longer be detained. The Family Justice Council, at the request of its Voice of the Child sub-group, has set up a discussion with the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and they have held two meetings. They are looking at the concerns of the Childrens Commissioner about the treatment of asylum and trafficked children both here and on their return to their own homes. They agreed that an Adjudicator Guidance Note from Henry Hodge in 2004 on Unaccompanied Children would be a good starting point. I think Henry would have been very supportive of these discussions. There is another very large group of children, many of whom do not come from deprived backgrounds but who face problems which may have an inhibiting and sometimes devastating effect upon their development. The most obvious is the family in which one parent is violent to or threatening and intimidating towards the other parent. Generally it is the man but a minority are women. I know of cases where children hide in the kitchen with the TV on very loudly so as not to hear what is going on. Children do not have to be physically attacked to be victims of domestic violence. I was concerned to read that in the case of Raoul Moat the prison authorities informed the police domestic violence unit. I hope that did not mean that the warning was not taken seriously. I must however pay a tribute both to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers who take domestic violence very seriously. But domestic violence is widespread and children are also the victims. There are also children, also not from deprived backgrounds whose life is turned upside down by the separation of their parents. When parents part many, of course not all, do not sufficiently consider the effect upon their children or even tell their children what is going on. When I sat as a judge in children residence/custody cases, I often thought that the last people who should be making decision s about the children were the parents. Over 60% of fathers who leave do not stay in touch with their children more than occasionally, most of that 60% not at all. They do not tell their children why and the children do not even have the consolation of a bereavement process. Children, even young children, can often have a sensible view of what would be best for them. Some years ago in Michigan children of all ages whose parents had separated were asked their views about the process. The views ranged from sadness, confusion, guilt that they were responsible for the parting to anger and fru stration. All parents considering separation should see or read about the effect on their children and many parents would be astonished. Fortunately only a small minority of parents go to war over their children. But those who do make endless applications to the courts which may last for years. Almost always both parents are to blame and the children are the victims. Those children also may do less well at school and may find it difficult to make lasting relationships as adults. It is very important that there should be access to justice in all child welfare cases. I am, of course, aware of the huge burden of legal aid. The last government made substantial cuts to legal aid in family cases. The Ministry of Justice is likely to be making further substantial cuts. But the welfare of children is the paramount concern of the courts in the Children Act 1989. It must not be lost sight of by the government in its austerity measures. Children who offend England and Wales are seen as a punitive country in our approach to young offenders. We lock up more young people than any other Western country and most countries in the world. Well over 2,000 children aged between 15 and 17 are in Young Offender Institutions and some who are much younger. The four Childrens Commissioners of the UK said in a joint Report in June 2008 to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: There is a very punitive approach to misbehaviour by children and young people and the criminal justice system is used too readily. Compared to other European countries, England has a very low age of criminal responsibility and high numbers of children are locked up. We know from research the ways in which many children become criminals. There are many reasons and I am sure you all know them so forgive me for rehearsing some of them. I do not believe that children are born wicked although some may be born with mental illness or behavioural problems which may predispose them to serious misbehaviour. But for many children it is the environment and not inherent characteristics which are likely to set them on a course of crime. Poverty to which I have referred earlier is obvious and there is a link between poverty in childhood, poor health, low educational attainments and lack of future opportunities which encourages crime. We also know that dysfunctional families create an environment where children offend. There are children and young people who have never had a good home; never had a secure background; may or may not know who their father was; or may live in a family with drink, drugs, mental illness, serious domestic violence, abuse towards the children or serious neglect. These problems at home create situations, not surprisingly, in which children react adversely. In some families no-one loves the child or shows affection other than in an abusive situation. He may be and probably with such a background will be disruptive at school, permanently excluded and offered little or no education at home. Children truant for a variety of reasons and truanting leads to crime. Increasing numbers of young people are on drugs and have to find the money to pay for them. He, and increasingly she, will be roaming the streets and joining gangs. The gang becomes the family, the security and, while they are feral towards the community, they support each other. Because no-one has ever cared about them, they care about no-one outside the gang. Why should they? Many such young people do not understand the concepts of good behaviour, honesty or kindness that we expect from our children and grandchildren. We are shocked, I certainly am, by the appalling brutality of some of the attacks by teenagers, often on other teenagers, but I believe many of these young people would not understand why we were shocked. They live in an entirely different world from us. One can see why many of the public react adversely to children who offend and especially teenagers. Yet a Chief Constable recently went on record saying that the police alone could not deal with the feral gangs of you ng people and society had to do something about it. The Labour Government did some good work with Youth Offender Schemes (YOTS) and other initiatives to divert children from crime as well as dealing constructively with those who had already offended but much more needs to be done. It is often pointed out that to keep a child or young person in custody costs substantially more than sending a child to Eton. So it is very encouraging to hear that the Lord Chancellor is looking at reducing the prison population. He should start with the children and young people in youth custody. Of course some children have to be locked up for the safety of society and often of themselves but we surely should not be at the top of the European countries in our figures of youth custody. As a result of our signing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (although not incorporated into English law) the UNCRC Committee reported in October 2008 on the UK and recommended: that the State party (the UK) take all appropriate measures to ensure that the principle of the best interests of the child, in accordance with Art 3 of the Convention, is adequately integrated in all legislation and policies which have an impact on children, including the area of criminal justice and immigration and recommends that the UK fully implement international standards of juvenile justice. I hope that this government will takes those comments to heart so that the next UNCRC Report will be more encouraging than the previous ones. The Prime Minister sees the Big Society based on social responsibility and community action and I was interested to read about a proposal for a National Citizens Service for 16 year olds. I strongly support the encouragement of local initiatives and have already referred to Kids Company. Other examples are a police scheme in Sheffield to divert 6 year olds from being couriers for local gangs and a drop in centre in Tiverton in North Devon which concentrates on advising and counselling young people between 11 and 19. The Tiverton project is entirely funded by local donations. If, however, there are to be other good local projects round the country, there may need to be some financial support which would be very cost effective in diverting children and young people from crime, prostitution and drugs and protecting the community. Restorative justice is another area which is being successfully explored. I know that we live in a time of financial stringency and austerity. I do not for a moment suggest that the government can immediately improve the lot of the children whose problems I have set out but, in implementing financial cuts and allocating scarce resources, our children must be at the forefront of all decisions which affect them. Children in the media I turn finally to an entirely different subject but one about which I feel strongly, the way in which the media portrays children. I refer again to the Report of the Four Children Commissioners in June 2008 who referred to the negative image of children and said: In the UK there is a widely held fear of young people which has been partly fuelled by the consistently negative portrayal of young people in the media. Seventy one percent of media stories about young people are negative and a third of articles about young people are about crime. Young people feel the media represent them as anti-social, a group to be feared, selfish criminal and uncaring. They believe that the media stereotypes the majority of young people based on the bad behaviour of a minority. The incessant portrayal of children as thugs and yobs not only reinforces the fears of the public but also influences policy and legislation. Examples of the press portraying in vivid language the wickedness of children and young people were starkly illustrated in the cases of Mary Bell and Thompson and Venables. In both cases the tone of the press and the tone of those who responded to the press was that such children were the embodiment of evil and should never be released from imprisonment for life. The approach of this country is vastly different from parts of Scandinavia, for example Norway where such children would more easily be reintegrated into the community. I recognise that such a move might be impossible here in the UK and the headlines in all types of newspapers would be soft on youth crime. In my view all parts of the media, but principally the newspapers, should reflect upon the views of children expressed by the Commissioners and take them to heart. This is one among many other issues where the voice of the child should be heard. Article 12 of the UNCRC articulates that right. Conclusion Finally I return to the 2007 UNICEF Report which said in its foreword: The true measure of a nations standing is how well it attends to its children their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialisation and their sense of being loved, valued and included in the families and societies into which they were born. That foreword seems to me to encompass what we in this country should seek to achieve for our children. They are our future and there is little purpose in striving to improve society unless we are aware that what we do has to be for them or there is no purpose in our lives. Children must therefore be at the core and in the heart of the Big Society. This article is based on the first Sir Henry Hodge memorial lecture given on 19 July 2010 at the Law Society, London.

Historical experience leader was not trusted Essay

Terry finished from college as an engineer with excellent grades. He got jobs with several companies within the space of two years after graduation. He decided to change job because of harsh environment conditions of the location of the companies. After staying at home for three months, he got another job with a university as an IT assistant, in charge of networking and system repairs. He was enjoying himself in this company: a young university graduate with bright future. He was very dedicated to the discharge of duties. Because of dedication to duty, he was loved by all and sundry. He actually also had good human relationships. During his stay in the company, he had three major plans: settle down for a family with his girl-friend. He wanted to continue his education by bagging a postgraduate degree in Information and communication technology. He also had a business plan to accomplish that would be open the door for his self-employment and own his company. Because of these, he was ready to get as much experience as possible. He was poised to learn as mush as would come his way. And he did. However, he started developing problems with his Unit director who felt he was outshining him in the Unit. They argued on several occasions about they had to do on network problems affecting the University Internet access. At last, he got a sack letter. He left the company. He did not particularly see the sack as a major problem: it was an opportunity for him to actually work on his plans. So, he set forth. He drew up his business plan: got fund from the savings and investments he had made while gainfully employed, from friends and family members. He got a vantage position for his IT Company that provides information and services on Website designs, PC sales and repairs, Internet access and Computer training. He got started with a number of hardworking staff. He made them understand that since the business is new, they had to see themselves as part of a team that must work hard to see that customers are satisfied, their requirements met and services delivered effectively. These workers understood and dedicated their time and energy to the progress of the Company. They trusted his knowledge and managerial skills. They were also ready to make sacrifices for the Company. I got employed into the company as a Customer Service agent in charge of customer relations and keeping a journal of order delivery status. I noticed that Terry had a problem with his girlfriend and he had to break up. This affected his mood and outlook to work in the office. During this time, he lost his vigor and strength. We got talking about many things, including our personal lives. He was articulate and intelligent. But he could not keep to schedule nor meet appointments. A lot of customers and some members of staff complained on this. He promised to change. But he did not. Apart from this, he refused to pay salaries for the first two months. This was not surprise to us as we knew that the Company was getting up and we understood that a lot of money had to go into the running of a new company. After the third month, we met to discuss why salaries had not been paid. The Accounting unit reported that the Company could pay its workers. Against his will, they also told those present that some people have been selectively paid. This got the ‘unpaid’ workers annoyed and seriously vexed. We demanded for an explanation form the Boss. He was ready, as usual to give excuse and sweet-tongued us into this same old story: the Company is just catching up, and soon, all will be well. He supported his point with facts and figures convincing those paid are on special contract. He also used the opportunity to chastise workers who had not been working, especially those he had proposed to and they refused his advances. It later dawned on us that the company leader was making advances to many female workers in the office; those who agreed got paid and those who did not were chastised for their disobedience and were also not paid salaries. I was disappointed to come to this conclusion. I was learning a lot on the job, so I did not want to leave. After five months of endurance, we were paid for three months. I make proposal to opt out of the company because the situation grew worse daily. I called him several times to advise him but he would tell me I was young and had limited experience. Complaints by staff intensified daily. He sacked some, and others opted out willingly . The Situation became embarrassing: virtually everybody in the company knew about the ordeal. After series of threats, all salaries were paid. By then, he had lost a lot of resourceful workers. I also left the Company but not without lessons: little disappointments add up to big distrust. Trust is a major tool that makes communication effective. Anyone that loses this all-important trait is building a castle on sand, it would not last. It’s only a matter of time: it would fall. The company no longer exists. It has now been closed down. Terry had to get a paid job to pay his debts.

Vendor-specific Objective Evidence

Hemo-Tech Case Presentation Outline * 1 Myles Intro: Facts: * 1 Issues: Multiple Element Arrangement * How should revenue be allocated to each deliverable? * What sales price should be allocated to each deliverable? * How are deliverables defined? * 25-4 â€Å"A vendor shall evaluate all deliverables in an arrangement to determine whether they represent separate units of accounting. That evaluation shall be performed at the inception of the arrangement and as each item in the arrangement is delivered. * 25-5 â€Å"In an arrangement with multiple deliverables, the delivered item or items shall be considered a separate unit of accounting if both of the following criteria are met: * a. The delivered item or items have value to the customer on a standalone basis. The item or items have value on a standalone basis if they are sold separately by any vendor or the customer could resell the delivered item(s) on a standalone basis. In the context of a customer's ability to resell the delive red item(s), this criterion does not require the existence of an observable market for the deliverable(s). b. Subparagraph superseded by Accounting Standards Update No. 2009-13 * c. If the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item or items is considered probable and substantially in the control of the vendor * 25-6 â€Å"A delivered item or items that do not qualify as a separate unit of accounting within the arrangement shall be combined with the other applicable undelivered item(s) within the arrangement.The allocation of arrangement consideration and the recognition of revenue then shall be determined for those combined deliverables as a single unit of accounting. † * * warranty, update machines * 2 Sandra Alternatives: * Company’s selling price to a different customer * A different company’s selling price of the same product * Selling price of a similar product’s prof it margin, applied to the total costs of product * Proportional based on costs * 3 4 Troy Jessie Literature: Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements: ASC 605-25 * Vendor-specific objective evidence:   ASC 605-25-30-6A * 30-6A Vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price is limited to either of the following: * a. The price charged for a deliverable when it is sold separately ( annually, supplies-$3,000 per box, monitor and test-$600,000 annually) * b. For a deliverable not yet being sold separately, the price established by management having the relevant authority (it must be probable that the price, once established, will not change before the separate introduction of the deliverable into the marketplace). Third-party evidence: ASC 605-25-30-6B * Third-party evidence of selling price is the price of the vendor’s or any competitor's largely interchangeable products or services in standalone sales to similarly situated customers. * screen and report services-$730,00 0 median price * Estimated selling price: ASC 605-25-30-6C * The vendor’s best estimate of selling price shall be consistent with the objective of determining vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price for the deliverable; that is, the price at which the vendor would transact if the deliverable were sold by the vendor regularly on a standalone basis.The vendor shall consider market conditions as well as entity-specific factors when estimating the selling price. * equipment * 5 6 Kelly Crystal Recommendations * IFRS: IAS 18? Type: Revenue Recognition Subject: Accounting for multiple-element revenue transactions under U. S. GAAP   (specifically identifying deliverables and determining selling price) and exploring the sources of IFRS guidance for such transactions

A Summary On The Sunset Manicure - 904 Words

Kleancolor Metallics sunset manicure. This is the sister manicure to my Kleancolor purple/ blue peacock. These metallic polishes, simply named Metallic Orange and Metallic Yellow , apply as smoothly and easily as the blue and purple. The consistency was the same, thick, but not too thick. These polishes are 2-coaters, but they go on reasonably opaque with the first coat. Meaning if you re short on time, you could get away with a few thick swipes. Here I used the same gradient technique, applying one coat of the yellow polish and gradually blending yellow to orange. I sponged on a bit of Sally Hansen s Copper Penny to the tips to give the orange polish a bit of sparkle. You know I love to sparkle! Gradient tutorial: For this tutorial I used colors that obviously don t go together so that you can see how to make a seamless blend. [use purple and green, one thick and dark, the other thinner and light.] First step: After you apply your base coat, your first color coat should ordinarily be the lightest of the polishes you ve chosen for your gradient. I say usually because there are plenty of times when you might want to use a darker base color and sponge a lighter color over it. Since this is a basic tutorial, however, I ll keep it simple. [pic of nails with base color] While you re waiting for that coat of color to dry, I suggest applying a latex-type coating or a homemade glue mix to the skin around your nails. You could use tape also.