In this essay I will look at barriers, both social and practical, that commonly exist to prevent, and or limit children’s full participation within society. Firstly I will define what we mean by the child and childhood and then ascertain my understanding of both practical and social barriers. Barriers that prevent any or full participation for children within society are so vast and complex with their many facets and interpretations that they cannot all be fully explored within this assignment. However of the various things in which we can look at, I will focus on two key areas of policy and practice pertinent to the question. Firstly we will look at the government initiative ‘Sure Start’ and the policies which feed off this such as ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM) and secondly of how children are viewed in the arena of politics and how this is in line with children’s rights and what the UNCRC want in terms of full participation for all children. Both of these samples are UK based and within these I will explore to what extent inclusive practices are either effective or tokenistic. I will conclude with a look back at the essay question with the aim of critically answering whether children are anywhere near being recognised as full participants, or whether full participation is still just an ideal.
The child, in the United Kingdom, is categorised within a legal framework as anyone under the age of eighteen years of age. Thorne, (2009) suggests that childhood follows a pattern
Every Child Matters Framework which is currently in the process to be changed is part of the Children Act 2004; it is a piece of legislation which has and influences planning and provisions of learning opportunities. The Every Child Matters ensures that settings provide quality of children’s and young people’s play and learning.This supports children from birth to 19 years. When practitioners plan, they should relate their work to the five outcomes for children; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve though learning, make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic
I always try to respect race, religion and cultural identity as there is the need for continuity and security, This is one of the reasons why I always address each young person by his/her name.
2.2 Describe with examples the importance of recognising and responding to concerns about children and young people’s development
Children Act 1989 – Determines the duty of early year’s practitioners to identify and meet the separate and distinctive needs of children and to keep them safe. It initiated the belief that the child ought to be at the centre of planning and that a child’s well-being and safety are vital when judgements are made concerning them. This act also recognises the accountabilities of parents in keeping their offspring safe. In this act there are two particular segments that relate to the duty of local authority with concern to child protection, these are-
Modern society now especially since 1997 have tried putting children first such as committing to meeting children’s needs. There are still problems such as school truancy, adolescents not in education or training and also child protection as there have been tragic deaths including baby P and Victoria climbie, which her death was largely responsible for the formation of every child matters inactive plus a lot of other changes in different systems,
In this essay i will be discussing equality amongst children, inclusion, inclusiveness and diversity and how to put these things mentioned into practise when working with children and young people.
Every child matters green paper focuses on all the aspects of children and young people’s welfare.
Communicate with children and young people in a way that is appropriate to the individual, using both conventional language and body language
The children act 1989 has influenced some settings by bringing together several sets of guidance and provided the foundation for many of the standards practitioners sustain and maintain when working with children. The act requires that settings work together in the best interests of the child and form partnerships with parents or carers. It requires settings to have appropriate adult to child ratios and policies and procedures on child protection. This act has had an influence in all areas of practice from planning a curriculum and record keeping. The every child matters framework has
Each child is recognised and valued as an individual, “treat them as individuals and make them feel respected and valued as an essential part of our commitment to safeguarding children, young people”, LSCB, (2013:p5). Being accepted is what all children want, and it is another need on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, “Belongingness and Love: affiliate with others, be accepted”, Huitt, (2007).So providing children with the provision of equality, diversity and inclusive practice, children and young people are able to fulfil this need and move on to the next need.
The main legislation in our county that supports the rights of children is Children Act 1989. According to Penny Tassoni, ‘this act is a result of the UK government adopting the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, new legislation was required. The 1989 Children Act also made it clear that children’s and young people’s views had to be taken into consideration when decisions about their future were being made.’ The key elements to this legislation are:
1. The Children Act 1989 - 2004 is the most relevant legislation for safeguarding children and young people’s welfare. It was first made to give boundaries and support for local authorities for the welfare of children. The act then also made changes to the law that are regulated for children and their safety if they are in foster homes, adoption agencies, babysitting services and also handling childcare crimes and crimes against children. The children act’s main purpose is to ensure that the UK is a safer for children and young people and improve their wellbeing. It provides support and help to children of all ages, and backgrounds, and if they have a
The idea behind the Act is to promote (co-ordination between multiple official entities to improve the overall well-being of children. The 2004 Act also specifically provided for including and affecting disabled children. The Act places a duty on local authorities and their partners (including the police, health service providers and the youth justice system) to co-operate in promoting the wellbeing of children and young people and to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Department for Education (DfE), (2003a), ‘Every child matters’, [online] Available at webarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk (Accessed 17 February 2014)
Over recent years there has been an increasing approval in Britain and elsewhere that children and young people should be involved more in decision making which may affect them. Recent years have seen an increase on the focus of children 's rights which include ways of getting young people and children involved more directly in decision making that impact their lives. In research terms, this has been mirrored in a linguistic shift from talking about 'research on ' to research with ' and now, increasingly, to 'research by ' children and young people (Kimmel, A.J., 1988).