Providing Quality Foster CareLocal and Global

Core Assets Scotland – Team ParentingWendy BrownSenior Therapist

Core Assets International DevelopmentsGabrielle JeromeHead of International Social Work

Social Services Expo and ConferenceEdinburgh March 19 2013

www.coreassets.com

Quality Care in a Family Setting

• Core Assets founded in 1994 by Jan Rees and Jim Cockburn, operating in England• Core Assets founded in 1994 by Jan Rees and Jim Cockburn, operating in England

• Core Assets Scotland was set up by Estella Abraham, our founding Director, and celebrated its 10th Anniversary in October 2012.

• We have cared for over 1,600 children in Scotland and currently have over 350 children and young people in placement

• Over 265 foster carers are supported by nearly 100 staff members

• Our vision: to make a positive and lasting • difference to the lives of children and

• young peopleCore Assets founded in 1994 by Jan Rees and Jim Cockburn, operating in England

Core Assets founded in 1994 in England by Jan Rees and Jim Cockburn.

Core Assets Scotland was set up by Estella Abraham, our founding Director, and celebrated its 10th Anniversary in October 2012.

We have cared for over 1,600 children in foster care in Scotland and currently have over 350 children and young people in placement.

Over 265 foster carers are supported by nearly 100 staff members

Our vision: To make a positive and lasting difference to the lives of children and young people

Where Are We in Scotland?

1 Core Assets Scotland’s Head Office – Glasgow

8 local offices:

2. Glasgow & West - Stepps3. Central & Lanarkshire - Hamilton 4. Edinburgh5. Perth6. Scottish Borders - Selkirk7. Ayrshire - Prestwick8. Inverness9. Aberdeen

Care Inspectorate Inspection Report 2012

• Quality of care and support – 5. Very good• Quality of staffing – 5. Very good• Quality of management and leadership – 5. Very good.• www.scswis.com

What Team Parenting Means

• Team Parenting suggests that a looked after child should be “surrounded” by carers and professionals who understand the child’s emotional and developmental needs

• Team Parenting emphasises the impact of traumatic experiences on a child’s ability to form attachments

• Team Parenting perceives that a child’s attachment difficulties are often central to their inability to fulfil their potential

• Team Parenting hypothesises that looked after children have specific therapeutic needs because of their history and experiences

Our Team Parenting Model

Theoretical Base

TEAM PARENTING

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Team Parenting

• Suggests that a child’s early experiences are likely to be “acted out” again at a later date, either by themselves or by the wider system

• Suggests that a child’s behaviour may be an expression of survival within their history of trauma and poor attachment

• Suggests that carers should be supported within a process of understanding, empathy and non-blame, given the enormously challenging task they undertake

Therapy Services input to Team Parenting

Individual ChildRecharged Therapy

Joint carer and child sessions

Team parentingMeetings

Consultation to carers

Consultation to staff and training for carers, including new carer groups,

ADAPT and other similar groups

Ensuring a system ofReflective and systemic practice across staff and

carers

Education Services input to Team Parenting

Year 11 tuition

Education crisis support work

Attendance at education meetings/reviews & team

parenting meetings

Carer training and staff and carer advice

Accessing & maintaining a school place and gaining education information about the child

Ensuring an ethos of educationattendance, attainment and

achievement.

Key components of Team Parenting

• The creation of a metaphoric ‘therapeutic space’ community around the child

• The belief that carers are the ‘primary agents of change’

• A systemic approach that works to combat the fragmentation and fracturing of the lives of children lives who are in care

• A dynamic, vivid and experiential appreciation of how a child has come to be the way they are

• ‘Emotionally intelligent’ team members willing to consider how they interact with and impact on the system and vice versa

TEAM PARENTING: creating a parenting team around our children

Thank you!Wendy BrownSenior Therapist

Core Assets Group

Our Services

• Children’s Services• Fostering • Education• Children’s Domiciliary Care• Therapy• Independent Social Work• Adoption Support• Disability Services• Children's Centres

• Consultancy • Social care Interventions • Outcome based

accountability programme

Recruitment & ResourcingResourcing and recruiting in health and social care Whole team solutions

Learning & DevelopmentWork force DevelopmentTrainingCreative LearningEarly Years TrainingE Learning

Our Story

Working internationally since 2005

• World wide shortage of foster carers• Realization that our model of care is not common practice in other

countries and its transferable.• Culturally relevant• Human capital is locally-based, we can be a bridge and catalyst for

change, building-capacity • Demonstrated that we can effectively manage the dual

imperatives of being carer-focused and child-centred• We seek local visionary partners as we believe that communities

look after their child best• Our model can bring both social and actual cost-benefit.

• Currently looking after 3288 children in foster care with 3326 foster families

Our International Reach

• Ireland• Finland• Sweden• Germany• Australia• New Zealand• Canada• Singapore• Japan• USA

Operating in 10 countries / 17 Jurisdictions

CSR project in Bulgaria partnering an NGO called ‘For our Children Foundation”www.detebg.org Building a sustainable fostering service through financial resources and skills sharing, consultancy and mentoring.

Where to next………….

New South Wales- AustraliaSouth Island - NZFlorida -USA

Developing Fostering Standards Internationally

Our Priorities in Outcomes for Children

Standard 1 Promoting Children’s SafetyStandard 2 Promoting Health and WellbeingStandard 3 Promoting Growth and Development

Standard 4 Promoting Belonging & KinshipStandard 5 Promoting CultureStandard 6 Promoting Skills for LifeStandard 7 Promoting Participation

Promoting Key Developmental Assets

Adapting Team Parenting to Culture and Context

Adapting to language and practice

Adapting to child care and foster care context

• Children living in large Soviet Style institutions• Children living in hotels/motels• Children living in “baby” homes• Medical models of disability• Medication of children with emotional and behavioural issues

• Foster carers seen as “volunteers”• Foster carers not well supported or trained• Fostering seen as appropriate only for younger children• Refugees placed in hostels• Parents and children placed in hostels or institutions

Adapting to geography and lifestyle

North Ontario Canada Osaka Japan

Investing in Research

• Rees Centre is funded by the Core Assets Group for 3 years.

• The focus will be on the efficacy of• foster care and outcomes for children.

• International Experts Reference Group advises the Centre.

• Seminars• Publications• Blogs• Monthly newsletters• http://reescentre.education.ox.ac.uk

A global world

A very local challenge

The right to family life for every child