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CASEBOOK

The kids of Rose Cottage

Brian Gannon

There was a strange contrast between Rose Cottage and The Oaks, two of the cottages at one of the city's best-known children's programmes.

Rose Cottage was always rather noisy and active, and whenever you walked in the door something was sure to be happening. There would be a group mopping up some spilt water, a row about whose turn it was to do the dishes, or a heated argument in the passageway over a too-loud radio or a broken hockey stick. At the centre of these disputes (not usually doing too much of the talking but very much present nevertheless) was housemother Jenny Hilton. She would be listening intently to whoever was talking (complaining, explaining, whatever) and would then skilfully pass the questions or complaints to the appropriate youngster, and then listen again carefully to what was being said.

Next door at The Oaks, things were always quite the opposite. There was never any doubt, for example, as to who should be washing the dishes, since Jo French, the housemother, took care to stick up very clear rosters and timetables for all of the household duties. Arguments were largely avoided by simple and unambiguous rules about exactly when radios must be turned down, when baths should be taken (ensuring that each child got a fair shot at the hot water) and when the children should tidy themselves up for the next meal.

What made the contrast between the two cottages strange, was that the youngsters in Rose Cottage seemed always to be less anxious and more self-possessed than those in The Oaks. The Rose Cottage kids seemed to get over their family and personal problems sooner, and to have time to get on with their lives. In the relatively ordered environment of The Oaks, however, the kids were much more competitive and scratchy – certainly in the 'more difficult and disturbed' category.

It was a problem for Jo French. She noticed the difference, and often wondered whether she just happened to get the more troubled kids, or whether the grass only looked greener on the other side of the fence. Or was it something she wasn't doing right? She walked over to Rose Cottage one afternoon. Sure enough, it was Bedlam. A kid was shouting the odds to nobody in particular from half-way up the stairs. There was a running battle over – could it be? – a sock. One of the girls was angrily unpicking a sweater she had knitted too long, while there was a wrangle as to which TV channel should be on ... And seemingly everywhere, with each of these kids, was Jennifer Hilton, commenting, observing, answering and asking questions ... stirring?

And yet, as each of these issues was resolved, these Rose Cottage kids were secure, relaxed, confident. It certainly was a strange contrast.

Evaluation

1. It is not immediately obvious why the Rose Cottage kids should appear to be doing better than those at The Oaks. Certainly the housemother at The Oaks appears to be taking some trouble to provide consistency, predictability and order – and are those not good qualities in the residential environment? Maybe. Maybe not.
2. In Rose Cottage, there was certainly a lot of interaction. Things were always happening (or being allowed to happen?) which brought the children into situations which had to be resolved. Also, Jenny Hilton encouraged them to sort out these situations by themselves, by getting them to say what they felt and to take responsibility for what they had done. The youngsters had good opportunity for dealing with problems.
3. If we watched Jennifer we would see more than this. Not only was she teaching the children verbal problem-solving skills, but she also modelled good listening. When a child was complaining or replying, she listened intently – took the youngster's feelings and views seriously, so that they knew what it was like to be listened to. Thus they, too, learned to listen.
4. Jennifer understood that deprived children need more opportunity, not less, to build their sense of mastery and empowerment. Ironically, Jo French was doing the reverse of this with her efficient system of avoiding problems. The careful rules and timetables pre-empted the problem solving experiences, while Jenny left enough untied ends around for the children to have to hassle with.
5. So the paradox is explained. The youngsters in Rose Cottage are slowly building up their sense of personal competence, and therefore feeling confident and good about themselves as they develop. Those in The Oaks are not having enough 'hands-on' experience in life's battles. Nobody learns life in theory, only by doing. And children, most of all, are always saying “Let me have a go."