Member News: St Christopher's - Learning from experience – reflections on recent events

Jonathan Whalley's Blog

​I have worked in children’s social care since 1991.  In that time I have experienced a great many things and met and worked with some incredible people.  I remember a lecturer on my first morning at university when I studied for my social work qualification who advised the class to be prepared to change as individuals as a result of the course and our work as a social workers.  We were told to prepare to have experiences that will affect the way we see the world, how we see ourselves and how we understand relationships.  And she was right.

I am a vastly different person now than I was 32 years ago, having been shaped and impacted by the experiences of my life and my career.

I was fortunate to attend the St Christopher’s Fostering Conference in the West Midlands, where the theme was “Learning from Care Experience, Leading with Care Experience”.  We received presentations from four speakers, each of whom have their own experiences of the care system, including Smash Life, two brothers whose time in care was one of abuse and ill-treatment.  These two men spoke with energy and passion about what and who made a difference to them, the people they look back on now with fond memories and sincere gratitude, as well as those who showed a lack of professional curiosity into their obvious cries for help, or worse, who abused them while they were in their care.

This was a tough story to listen to.  When you have been in this sector for as long as I have, you might be forgiven for thinking that such stories wouldn’t get to me, but they do.

As care professionals we must learn from our experiences.  We must also remain professionally curious and be alert to signs of concern at all times.  We must listen to the voices and the experiences of our young people, and be willing to see them as the experts in their own lives. I urge you to be alert.  Be continuously professionally curious of each other and encouraged, willing and able to speak out if you are concerned about anything at all.

I am also mindful this week of the recent announcement by the Government in response to the care review. I will explore this in greater detail in next month’s blog, as more information is set to emerge around the proposed changes and investment as well as highlighted priorities.

As I said, I have been doing this work for a very long time now.  I have no idea of how I might be able to calculate the numbers of children and families I have been able to support to have brighter futures in that time, but it must be running into the many thousands.  My passion for this work is as bright as it ever was, and my desire to be child centred in my approach has never diminished.  I want every child placed into our care to have positive childhood experiences and to look back on their time with us as the time when they were happiest.  I see passion and commitment from you, my colleagues, every day and am proud that together we make a difference.

Source:
www.stchris.org.uk

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