IRISH IDEAS  

On photos in Child & Youth Care: Erasing the past and denying the present

It all happened rather incongruously really. One of my Masters in Child and Youth Care students was delivering a presentation to a colleague and me last week on a general theme of keywork in residential child care. Nothing strange about that you might say as it’s the usual College fare.

In the midst of her presentation, she made reference to the fact that her Unit had placed a ban on putting up photos of service users and staff. It had also placed a ban on staff bringing mobile phones (with picture taking capabilities).

I nearly fell out of my seat. Hold on a minute here I shouted to myself. Is this acceptable? Is this where we want child and youth care to go? Is this the future for us? Is this something we support?

A week later, I’m left wondering is it just me or is this a major philosophical and ethical issue that has just gone under the proverbial radar? I have no doubt that this decision was taken to embrace the burgeoning legal stipulations in this country, but I feel that someone needs to shout Stop! Someone needs to ask, who is taking these decisions and why.

Back in 2003, I had the opportunity to finally meet in person the influential Henry Maier at a conference in Victoria, Canada. We got to chat for a few minutes. We even took part in a seminar where we exchanged views on ‘gift-giving in child and youth care’. And, I remember clearly that Henry argued a residential home should be exactly that – a home. Now I agreed with that.

In the vast majority of homes I have visited in several countries, on a couple of Continents, over fifteen years, I have seen photo after photo of families, family members and friends. Some of these one might describe as happy, some sad, some indifferent. But, scenes were recorded. History remains in a photograph. In fact, I wrote about this in a personal context in a CYC-Online column in the past. I love photos. Sad as it may seem, I enjoy leafing through photo albums noticing the change in people as they move through life.

So, I wonder how we can deny children and youth and, of course, their families, their peers, their friends, their coaches, teachers, child and youth care workers, social workers, psychologists, juvenile police officers from appearing together, marking projects, vacations, birthdays, opening of homes, closing of homes and the like. Will all photos contain black spots over faces? Will the heads be cut off? Does anyone care?

Please write back on this brief article if you feel exercised by this issue. Maybe we should start a petition. Or maybe, you agree that no photos should appear in residential child care homes. I have the seen the future. And the future is scary.

Be Well,

Niall