Have Your Say

Last issue, BBC journalist Ashley John Baptiste spoke of the need to place more emphasis upon “aspirations” and “self-worth”. As part of our regular Have Your Say feature, we asked our community what you think are the best methods to help young people in the care system dream big. Your answers were hugely inspirational. Here are just a few of the many comments we received.

“We need suitable training for foster carers and care workers. There should also be an emphasis on trauma-informed practice for social workers and continued support post-18” Rosalie, Social Worker, Cornwall

“Young people in care need to be heard and valued. So often they are stigmatised and made to feel "different", so much so, they can grow up with a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was one of those children myself, having been in the care system from infancy until I was eighteen. I came across very few people who believed in me; one of those people was my social worker who always made me feel that she believed in me and my future aspirations. I have never forgotten her.” Natasha, Independent Social Worker, West Midlands

“In the last issue, Ashley spoke about how a single social worker gave up their free time to commit to him and how during residential living, a social worker continually made him get up each morning and attend school. These examples are the bedrock of self-worth. We each get our confidence and motivation from family and positive role models around us.

For those in care, this role often falls to us as social workers. It’s hard to encourage children in care to go to school every morning as their starting base for valuing education can often be much lower than their peers. One or two knocks on the bedroom door and then giving up is not enough. In residential settings, every worker, every day should be consistent about motivating and encouraging young people to attend school, training or other productive activities. We should avoid organizing meetings or other less relevant activities during school times which can create an avoidance culture and disrupt an appreciation of school. Social workers also have a range of personal interests, these skills should be promoted in the home for young people to engage in activities. One home in the Northern Trust in N.I as an example promotes regularly activities such as boxing, kayaking, surfing, hiking, etc, using the skills of the workers. This should be an easy fit as most workers would love getting paid for taking part in their own hobbies.

We must also recognize that university isn't for everyone and that vocational qualifications and training can lead to just as rewarding a career. There are partnered organisations in the voluntary sector who specialise in educating and working with care experience young people to gain their Essential Skills and OCNs and help with college applications or job skills. As these agencies work specifically with Health Trusts and Local Authorities, they take a longer-term approach to commitment, understanding young people regularly experience crisis which affects attendance and therefore won’t drop them at the first sign of difficulties.

Confidence not only comes from learning it’s OK to fail and how to react but also experiencing positive risk taking. This may be a relationship which isn't ideal and instead of preventing at all costs, we allow the young person to develop the ability to work through it and learn key life skills, whilst we safely supervise. It may also be a sporting activity such as Duke of Edinburgh or wider learning experiences to promote independence. A young person I recently worked with would experience anxiety and poor mental health as a result of low self-esteem. They would avoid all public engagement, so we explored options for them to become involved in group work and deliver presentations. This sometimes backfired, but we kept going and eventually it led to them delivering a speech to a large audience in Belfast. The self-esteem this gave them was invaluable.

Exploring opportunities for young people such as work placements, or taster days, often lets the individual find out for themselves whether a goal is for them or not.

Most of the approaches here are easily set up, only needing imagination and little to no cost. There is no need for any fancy or expensive tools or complicated ideas. Motivation and self-worth come from how someone is encouraged and picked back up when they fail..and they will fail. But if keep finding opportunities for them, eventually, for most people, it will work.” Stu, Social Worker, Ballymena

“The education system needs to be more joined up with social care and share the same understanding and empathy.” Sara, Service Manager, Hull

“We can begin by actually listening to young people and trying to understand what their aspirations are. Regardless of being distracted by funding issues or having to attend numerous panels to seek the funding that is rightly theirs. We need to also pay more than lip service to actually spending time with young people to build relationships in that so many go through an infinite number of social workers in the first place. We need to ensure that we meet our responsibilities as corporate parents and argue strongly for what they both have and need. Talking to young people who have already been disenfranchised within society realistically enabling them to be who they are, and they want to be. This takes commitment, energy, time and purpose.” Mark, Senior Social Work Practitioner, West Midlands

“Continuity of worker is paramount. Assistance to identify key interests and achievable aspirations and joint research of how to pursue these. Development of SMART strategy. Ensure inclusion of 'fun' activities and include regular but not over frequent reviews of progress. Constructive support through failure, enabling reflection. Celebrate the achievement of goals.” June, Director, Orkney Islands

“By allowing them to dream big and encouraging them toward their dreams. Whether it be university or apprenticeship or something else where they are achieving. Fundamentally we need to listen to what they are saying and become role models for them.” Marcie, Fostering Social Worker, Warwick

Do you agree with what our readers are saying? Join in the conversation with us online on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at @myswnews.