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29 FEBRUARY

The review of the 4th “How to Love a Child” the Janusz Korczak Lecture by Cynthia Ramsay, The Jewish Independent

Applying Korczak’s lessons

“Rights are paper tigers, just pieces of paper, unless there are people courageous enough to defend them, and unless there are mechanisms to enforce them and compel them. The child who has a right to be heard but no one listens to, and disappears without ever being heard, never really had a right to be heard,” warned B.C. representative for children and youth Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond at the fourth session of “How to Love a Child,” the Janusz Korczak Lecture Series.

The Jan. 21 lecture at the University of British Columbia, which is part of a six-part series co-organized by the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada and UBC’s faculty of education, focused on The Human Rights of Aboriginal Children. Also speaking was Dr. Mike DeGagné, president and vice-chancellor of Nipissing University, who was the executive director of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), which was established in 1998 with a grant from the federal government and wound down its work in 2014. Its mandate was “to encourage and support, through research and funding contributions, community-based aboriginal-directed healing initiatives which address the legacy of physical and sexual abuse suffered in Canada’s Indian residential school system, including inter-generational impacts.”

Dr. Grant Charles, associate professor at UBC School of Social Work, acted as moderator, and Janusz Korczak Association president Jerry Nussbaum also spoke, explaining briefly who was Janusz Korczak. The educator, writer and orphanage director – after whose book How to Love a Child the lecture series is named – not only wrote about his theories, but lived and died by them. When the Nazis created the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940, Korczak’s orphanage was forced to move there, and Korczak went with the children. In 1942, he and the almost 200 children in his care were taken to Treblinka, where they were murdered.

Nussbaum reminded the audience of Korzak’s philosophies on the rights of children and their direct influence on the content of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Korczak believed that every child has a right to love, said Nussbaum, and that “children offered love and care will reciprocate with love and care.” Children have a right to be taken seriously, to education, to protest an injustice, among other rights. Nussbaum explained that Korczak believed that the health of a society could be gauged by the health of its children.

Despite protection under the UN convention, there are many children and youth who are marginalized and, in Canada, First Nations children are among those who are the most at risk. Dr. Jo-Ann Archibald, associate dean for indigenous education at UBC, gave an example of one of the research programs at the university’s faculty of education that is trying to ameliorate this situation. Called Awakening the Spirit, “it’s about revitalizing canoeing at Musqueam,” she explained. There is cooperation among different faculties and some students are involved, “but the most important part is the Musqueam communities that partner in this research. They are the ones who determined this particular project because they felt that they wanted to have something positive in their community for the young people, for the youth.”

Canoeing, she said, was a very important part of the community lifestyle, “it was a way to build family and community cohesiveness and also have fun and learn about the environment at the same time.”

The benefits of the research project, she said, “will be realized in educational materials, in the way of revitalizing important values, the Musqueam language, ensuring we have intergenerational learning.”

DeGagné has had 20 years of experience working with the repercussions of residential schools. He said his views about rights, “especially indigenous children’s rights, I color it with the history of residential schools.”

Often when there is a conversation within the community about indigenous issues, he said, it begins with the high rates of suicide, poverty, over-representation in the justice and child welfare systems, “the rosary of our grievances.” Given that indigenous children have rights, yet the grievances continue, he asked, “How can we be sure those rights are being supported and upheld?”

When AHF began, he said, grant applicants would ask, for example, whether the foundation had an approved list of elders that they could use. “We were astonished. Can you imagine in your own community … in your own spiritual context, asking if your priest was OK, if your rabbi was OK? This is the making of the colonial mind. After years of being subjected to doing it someone else’s way, even when we came along, we could not engender people doing it their way.” He described this as “a learned helplessness,” and a lack of trust in their own culture.

To move forward, it is important to talk of the past, he said. He used the metaphor of a pebble being dropped into a pond to describe the effects of the residential school system. The child’s abuse at the hands of an adult is at the centre, it is the pebble being dropped; the next ripple out is one child at a residential school abusing another child (“learned behavior”); the next is when that person leaves the school and returns to their community and starts a family in which violence takes place; then the violence between that family and another in the community. As we look at the outcome, standing on the outside, we see the high rates of suicide, family violence, neglected children, but we, as observers, “can’t see anything but the dysfunction and so infrequently do we get to examine what happened in the middle, what happened in that first instance of violence, what happened when that child’s human rights” were disregarded. “This is why we talk about history,” this is why 100 years of residential schools is important, he said.

To change the situation, he pointed to two necessities: the establishment of fairness, “the money that we spend on First Nations child welfare should be equal to the money that we spend in the rest of the population’s child welfare systems”; and transference of control to First Nations peoples of their lives, agendas and resources.

DeGagné commended the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on capturing the hearts and minds of Canadians and drawing them to indigenous issues, and for talking about system reform as opposed to tweaking or just adding money to a dysfunctional system. But, among his criticisms of the commission’s recommendations is that they do not make him uncomfortable. “It turns out that, in the reconciliation between you and me, indigenous people and non-indigenous people, that 93 of the 94 recommendations require that you do something…. I’d like to feel a lot more uncomfortable reading these recommendations because reconciliation is going to require that I work and that you work, and not that you come to stand by me, but that somehow I come to stand in the middle with you. And so, I think, too often with these recommendations, and this could be a reflection of the colonized mind, we are calling upon someone else to fix the problems with our community. That’s a concern of mine.”

The TRC, he added, also describes issues as if there has been no progress in the last 20 years – by the churches, universities, governments and others – towards reconciliation. “We have much to do, but we have to start by acknowledging the good work of all us and how much progress we’ve made.”

Turpel-Lafond spoke about how long it takes to change systems. “You have to really make that investment [in change], and it takes time,” she said.

AHF “laid the groundwork for thinking about healing” and the view of storytelling and its importance in healing, she said. “Stories, particularly the stories of grievances that aboriginal adults have – and many of our parents and grandparents have – are stories that needed to be told, that needed to be heard, that needed to be listened to.” AHF “gave resources for people to validate that process of allowing individuals who had been through residential school, their personal experience and their collective experience, to be told and listened to in a very sincere way in which they were supported, but also could create that medicine toward healing.”

Turpel-Lafond’s great-great-grandparents were the first two students at St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake, Sask. She spoke of the difficulties in sharing some of the stories with her own children. “Children are not always ready to hear those stories. I’m not trying to be over-protective, but we need to think about children’s well-being … how we tell the stories to children, when we tell stories to children, and how we can put those stories in a context.”

She then went on to speak about Korczak and the lecture theme, “How to love a child.” For her, Korczak represents what it means to love children, even “where it was extremely unpopular to love and support some children, who were considered to be less worthy, who were considered to be disposable…. And also to bring forward the idea that love is a kind of medicine with respect to our society…. We express our love for our own society and its furtherance by how we love our children because we create a vision of something we may not even be here to enjoy, that we create through that very values-based process.”

We’re not talking about creating the perfect system or bureaucracy, she said, noting that Treblinka was an attempt at a perfect system, “we’re talking about values.”

The love that Korczak represents for her in the context of indigenous children is an approach that does not come from a perspective of shaming, blaming, contempt or judgment. This is “a really serious problem that we continue to have for the current generation of indigenous children, which is, we want to save them but we still want to blame their parents, and that’s a very unhealthy attitude.” We need to come “from a perspective of love and understanding and context, and seeing … [how] multiple shocks … can just devastate families, not every family, but some families.”

A second lesson she takes from Korzcak’s views is “the idea that nobody owns your story, that you have to have the courage to say it.” People may relate to your story in various ways, “but the story, and telling it, the courage to do that, to talk about the difficult things, is a very important instinct related to love and, if you can’t bring that out and you don’t have enough people in your society who are courageous, then your society is doomed. And how do you build courageous people? … [I]t’s about love and acceptance and space, but it’s also about having very strong adults to allow people like kids to tell stories.” Korczak “represented that right to be heard,” she said, and he went even further, going against the mores of the day in that he wanted “no corporal punishment of children.”

She said that many indigenous children have been “raised in an environment deprived of the type of unconditional love, culture, language and the right to know who they were and where they were…. If you love people and you’re prepared to understand that grievance and suffering is not permanent, it can be redressed.”

But, adults who love children must see something in the children that the children may not see themselves because they’re mired in rejection. “There have to be positive, healthy adults who see their potential and support them to get to their potential. That’s a very important concept because, not surprisingly, guess what, some of the children who have been most abused and ill-treated can be the most challenging to engage with in terms of their emotional regulation, in terms of their contact with adults, in terms of their anger.”

The government label is that these children are “service resistant,” she said, which means, “we will leave you alone because you’re too angry for me even to listen to your story. But, if you take a page from Andrew Solomon [author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity] and Janusz Korczak, what would you say? I am able to rise above it and listen to this story and, if I’m a good, healthy adult that’s coming from a place of love, I can probably see what’s in the story and see how it can be a medicine for the future.”

The third lesson she takes from Korczak, her experience as an indigenous person and as an advocate for children is that “rights are an important medicine.” Rights are so important because “rights are a way to reframe incredible vulnerability and systematic disempowering … into a different context that overnight takes, for instance, that residential school experience and now makes it appalling, completely unacceptable, who would ever do that to children? Because they have a right to learn, they have a right to be safe, they have a right to be heard, they have a right to their language, [to their] culture transmitted from their parents to them, and there’s nothing threatening or harmful about that.”

In British Columbia, we have a long way to go. Of the children in care, more than 60% are indigenous children. While Turpel-Lafond said we are in a better place as a society than when she left home and went out in the world, “we are not in a place where indigenous children can in any way be guaranteed equal opportunities with other children in British Columbia. By accident of birth, they’re going to be born with significant disadvantages that will only be overcome based on what we decide to do.”

In the half-hour question and answer period that followed, one of the listeners shared her story of how her child had been abused by foster parents and, when she tried to remedy the situation, she could not find help, no matter to whom or to which government office she turned. Turpel-Lafond was at a loss to respond, other than to empathize and say we don’t have the answers, “but we’ve got to find a way to get them.”

http://www.januszkorczak.ca/the-review-of-the-4th-how-to-love-a-child-the-janusz-korczak-lecture-by-cynthia-ramsay-the-jewish-independent/

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26 FEBRUARY

Good and bad news about Indiana's children

The latest report by the Indiana Youth Institute says kids are still smoking and drinking too much, but the teen birth rate continues to decline

More children in Indiana live with adults who are struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues than their peers nationally. That's one finding of the 2016 Kids Count report, compiled by the Indiana Youth Institute. It shows more than 13 percent of Indiana's children have lived with someone who has a drug or alcohol problem – a figure higher than the national rate.

Glenn Augustine, interim CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, says it isn't only the adults who are using. "The most common, of course, is alcohol," says Augustine. "But one thing that's sort of interesting in those numbers is that the second most-used drug among teenagers is now electronic vapors products, or e-cigarettes."

Augustine says the drug problem hurts Indiana's economy, too, as jobs go unfilled when applicants can't pass the drug screening. He adds substance abuse and mental health go hand in hand. The report says one in 20 Indiana children has lived with someone who is mentally ill or suicidal. which also means a high percentage of kids suffer from serious behavioral problems.

There is also good news in the Kids Count report, says Augustine. It shows a continued decline in the teen birth rate. "Now, we're seeing it at it's lowest rate ever recorded," he says. "About 14 in every 1,000 teen girls between the ages of 15 and 17 gave birth in Indiana."

More good news is education-related: Indiana in-state college tuition and fees rank seventh-lowest in the nation, according to the report, increasing only seven percent in the past five years. And for the first time ever, more than half of fourth-graders who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress scored well in the math portion of the test.

Veronica Carter

15 February

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-02-15/childrens-issues/report-good-and-bad-news-about-indianas-children/a50285-1#sthash.erbP3icd.dpufh

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24 FEBRUARY

UK

Huge increase in 'at-height' custody protests in youth jails

Young people in custody are increasingly placing themselves in danger by climbing onto “anti-suicide” netting and railings, it has emerged.

Figures released in parliament show that there were a total of 250 so-called “at-height incidents” at young offender institutions (YOIs) holding 15- to 18-year-olds during 2014/15. There were a further 314 incidents at "split-site" YOIs that hold both under-18s and 18- to 24-year-olds in separate accommodation.

This represents at least a five-fold increase compared with 2013/14, when the Chief Inspector of Prisons' annual report revealed there were 49 incidents involving under-18s. In 2012/13 there were 25 incidents.

Writing in that report, the chief inspector said the incidents often involve prisoners clambering onto the netting or railings attached to wing landings in the hope they will be taken to segregation and transferred to another prison, or because they are protesting at something.

The figures also showed that there had been four hostage incidents in under-18 YOIs during 2014/15, as well as a further three at sites holding 15- to 24-year-olds.

Prisons minister Andrew Selous, who released figures for all prisons and YOIs in England and Wales following a parliamentary question from Labour MP Andy Slaughter, said the vast majority of at-height incidents “are minor in nature and resolved quickly and professionally without injury, damage or disruption to the running of the prison”.

“Each incident is investigated fully to ensure lessons are learned and best practice in managing incidents is shared across the National Offender Management Service," he said."Many incidents at height are relatively short in duration, lasting less than 15 minutes, and take place on netting or over railings."

“Hostage incidents are relatively rare and in many cases of hostage taking collusion between the perpetrator and victim is suspected. We do not tolerate violence or disorder in our prisons.

"Earlier this month an initial report of a government-ordered review into youth justice conducted by Charlie Taylor called for a greater focus on education for young offenders.Taylor's report proposes the creation of a network of smaller custodial establishments as secure schools, in a similar way to alternative provision free schools.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1156095/huge-increase-in-at-height-custody-protests-in-youth-jails#sthash.YMmJf1gI.dpuf

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22 FEBRUARY

SOUTH AFRICA

Youth work conference lights path to professionalisation

A line-up of experts has been announced for the second Commonwealth conference dedicated to youth development work, to be held in Pretoria, South Africa from 8 to 10 March.

Some 50 renowned Commonwealth and global speakers, including leading youth work academics, practitioners and policy makers, are to deliver speeches and presentations at the event, which is the foremost youth work forum of its kind.

Hon. J.T. Radebe, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation will welcome delegates to the conference, which this year will explore the theme, “Engaging Young People in Nation Building – The Youth Worker’s Role.”

Commenting on the value of the event, Hon. J.T. Radebe said, “This conference has quickly become regarded as the preeminent symposium for knowledge creation, sharing, and intellectual reflection on youth work anywhere in the world.”

Conference speakers will offer their perspectives on supportive legislative and policy environments for the profession, and advocate for greater professionalisation of the sector, as well as share good practice case studies. Keynote speeches will include:

• Mduduzi Manana (South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training) will argue that “supporting education and training of youth workers is our business.”
• Miguel “Steppa” Williams from Jamaica (Caribbean region winner of the Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year 2015) will address delegates on “the role of youth work in building cohesive nations.”
• Gideon Sam (Commonwealth Games Federation and President, South African Sports Federation and Olympic Committee) will explore the role of youth work in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Deodat Maharaj, will also be in attendance at the event, underlining the Commonwealth’s commitment to youth work and development.

Highlighting the fact that youth work paves the way for constructive thinking, action, and positive social relations, as well as national and global development, Mr Maharaj said, “The Commonwealth sees young people as personifying the vibrant hope and potential of any society.

“The Commonwealth has been a pioneer in advocating for youth work education and training, and professionalising youth work for the past 40 years. We will continue to advocate for the professionalisation of youth work to ensure that it commands the policy status it requires. The Commonwealth will continue to give youth workers the recognition and respect they richly deserve”, Mr Maharaj continued.

The conference’s advocacy for the professional recognition of youth work will be based on papers and discussions that provide some answers to questions such as:

1.Is the impact of youth work being strategically thought of in terms of contributions to national and global development?
2.Why should countries invest in youth work?
3.What evidence exists that shows linkages between youth work successes and national development?

Press release

18 February, 2016

http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/youth-work-conference-lights-path-professionalisation#sthash.MPhkg6pj.dpuf

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19 FEBRUARY

CANADA

B.C. has ‘most ever’ special needs kids: teachers

The B.C. Teachers Federation says the number of classes with four or more special needs students in the province has climbed to its highest ever – at 16,516 classrooms.

The statistics, reported for the 2015/16 school year, show about a quarter of these classrooms have seven or more children with special needs. The union said that despite this, the number of classes assigned with an educational assistant declined by more than 400.

“B.C. teachers are working so hard to support every child and meet each student’s unique needs,” said Jim Iker, BCTF president, in a statement. “When classes become too large and overly complex, all students lose out on time with their teachers.”

The union said new students arriving in the province this year are making matters worse. It said 6,500 new students arrived this year and more than 1,300 of them have a special needs designation.

“The system needs new funding now to reduce class sizes, meets the needs of a growing population, improve class composition, and hire more specialists like Learning Assistance teachers, English Language Learner teachers, and special education teachers,” Iker said.

According to the provincial data, there are about 1,300 classes with more than 30 students in B.C. out of a total of 67,107 classrooms in all – 29% of those classrooms have assigned education assistants.

Coquitlam has, on average, the most overcrowded class sizes, with an average of 28.6 students in each Grade 4 to 7 classroom.

By Michael Mui

15 February

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2016/02/15/bc-has-most-ever-special-needs-kids-teachers

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17 FEBRUARY

Justice Department agrees to termination of consent decree concerning children in Ohio juvenile correctional facilities

The United States announced today that it has joined with the state of Ohio in seeking the termination of a consent decree with the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS), recognizing Ohio’s successful elimination of its use of disciplinary solitary confinement on children in its custody and its improvement of individualized mental health treatment for children formerly at risk of such confinement.

DYS pledged in the consent decree on May 21, 2014, to dramatically reduce and eventually eliminate its use of solitary confinement on children in its custody. DYS also committed to ensure that children in its juvenile facilities receive individualized mental health treatment to prevent and address the conditions and behaviors that led to solitary confinement. Ohio also committed to reduce the potential harms caused by solitary confinement by increasing access to therapeutic, educational and recreational services while a child is in solitary confinement and addressing the child’s behavior that led to acts of violence.

The consent decree resolved allegations that Ohio subjected children with mental health needs to harmful solitary confinement and withheld treatment and programming, in violation of their constitutional rights. The consent decree included performance standards to measure compliance, and the monitors in the United States and S.H. cases monitored compliance jointly. In the order of termination, the court concluded that Ohio had complied with the terms and conditions of the consent decree.

In granting the joint motion to terminate the consent decree, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio noted the “remarkable improvement” in conditions of confinement at DYS juvenile facilities. The court commended DYS for numerous improvements, including the abolition of the practice of disciplinary solitary confinement, its “vastly improved” mental health services and a reduction in the incarcerated population from over 2000 children to fewer than 500 today. The experts who monitored the consent decree prepared and filed with the court a detailed report that explained the reforms DYS made “to memorialize [DYS’] major policy and practice decisions for the benefit of others in the field.”

“The state of Ohio, the administrators of the Department of Youth Services and their counsel are to be commended for their commitment to reforming Ohio’s juvenile correctional facilities,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division. “Ohio’s achievements can serve as a model throughout the nation.”

“The termination of this consent decree illustrates state and federal cooperation to provide safer practices for children in Ohio juvenile facilities,” said U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart of the Southern District of Ohio.

“We are gratified that we were able to work together with our state partners to make juvenile justice in Ohio more rehabilitative,” said U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio.

The department first investigated conditions at Ohio juvenile correctional facilities in 2007 and found constitutional deficiencies in Ohio’s use of physical force, mental health care, grievance investigation and processing and use of solitary confinement. In June 2008, the department entered into a consent decree with Ohio to remedy these violations at two facilities that are now closed – the Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility and the Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility. Simultaneously, private plaintiffs in the case S.H. v. Reed entered into a consent decree with Ohio regarding similar deficiencies at all of the state’s juvenile correctional facilities. However, between November 2013 and January 2014, data from the monitoring of both consent decrees revealed that Ohio had continued to use unlawful solitary confinement on children at Scioto and in the other facilities.

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 authorizes the department to seek a remedy for a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the constitutional or federal statutory rights of youth in juvenile justice institutions. Please visit the Civil Rights Division’s website to learn more about this act and other laws the Civil Rights Division enforces.

This agreement is due to the efforts of the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Ohio and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Ohio. The agreement was also due to the work of plaintiffs’ counsel in S.H., Alphonse Gerhardstein of Gerhardstein & Branch Co. LPA and Kim Tandy of the Children’s Law Center Inc., and to the leadership of DYS.

https://fredericacade.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/press-release-justice-department-agrees-to-termination-of-consent-decree-concerning-children-in-ohio-juvenile-correctional-facilities/

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15 FEBRUARY

Canadian experts on FASD visit New Zealand

Canadian experts visit New Zealand as Government calls for submissions on FASD action plan

Two Canadian experts are visiting New Zealand over the next fortnight to present a series of workshops on providing effective services to children affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and their families.

Non government organisations Alcohol Healthwatch, Fostering Kids New Zealand and FASD-CAN are working together to present these workshops across the country to give professionals, caregivers and families an opportunity to access the very latest information and experience around research, programmes and practical strategies for supporting children with FASD.

Alcohol Healthwatch FASD Project Coordinator Christine Rogan says the visit is very timely given the Ministry of Health is calling for public submissions on a discussion document entitled Taking Action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The submission process, which closes 26 February, will help in developing an action plan to reduce the harm that accompanies drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

The experts are Dr Jacqueline Pei, Associate Professor of Psychology and researcher from the University of Alberta and Ms Tracy Mastrangelo who leads a Canadian school-based programme supporting children with FASD to learn and achieve. They will share their knowledge and experience with more than 750 professionals and caregivers who have already registered to attend the four workshops.

FASD is a brain-based neurodisability caused by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy which disrupts normal development. Yet it is only recently that attention has turned to what works best to improve the learning and behaviour difficulties suffered by individuals with FASD across the lifespan.

“Once we know how to help these children learn more effectively, we can begin to reduce the stress they, their teachers, caregivers and their families experience, and guide them to a successful adulthood,” Ms Rogan says. “It’s important to understand that it’s the system approach that needs to change to achieve this because a child with alcohol-related brain damage cannot.

“The Ministry of Health estimates FASD affects one in every 100 children, and we are certain that what our experienced and skilled Canadian colleagues bring will benefit our affected kiwi families and those who work with them so they can move forward positively. We are very grateful for their generosity.”

Fostering Kids New Zealand Chief Executive Linda Surtees says caregivers need to be supported and equipped with the knowledge and strategies to be able to provide the best care for these very vulnerable children. This is an opportunity for everyone to be moving in the same direction and create a consistent response to issues associated with FASD.

The series of workshops – entitled Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Moving Forward – are being held in Whangarei (16 February), Rotorua (18 February), Nelson (23 February) and Christchurch (25 February). The workshops are possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of Alcohol Healthwatch (funded by the Ministry of Health), Fostering Kids New Zealand, FASD-Care Action Network (FASD-CAN) and a grant from the Health Promotion Agency.

Register to attend at http://fasdconference.org.nz/

15 February, 2016

Press Release: Alcohol Healthwatch

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1602/S00050/canadian-experts-on-fasd-visit-new-zealand.htm

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12 FEBRUARY

Deep poverty puts young children at risk for poor health and development

Young children in deep poverty, whose family income is below 50 percent of the federal poverty line, fare even worse on health and development indicators than children in poverty, according to a study released by the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The study compared the well-being of children in deep poverty to children who are poor, but not in deep poverty, and to non-poor children.

Compared to other poor children, a higher percentage of young children in deep poverty suffer from obesity and elevated blood lead levels—a serious concern given their association with learning and behavior problems. The percentage of young children in deep poverty who have elevated lead levels is three times higher than the portion seen in poor children, and over 17 times higher than in non-poor children.

Using four nationally representative datasets for the years 2011–2013, the researchers focused their analyses on children under age 9. In most cases, the data collected in the surveys were based on parent report; exceptions are obesity and lead blood levels, which were directly measured.

Researchers found a higher percentage of young children in deep poverty compared to children in poverty had parents in poor or fair health or mental health, experienced frequent parenting stress, and perceived a lack of social support and security in their neighborhood. For example, 21 percent of parents in deep poverty reported frequent parenting stress compared to 15 percent of parents in poverty. These family conditions have been shown to predict poor health and developmental outcomes, according to the authors.

Compared to other children in poverty, a lower percentage of children in deep poverty were judged by parents to be “flourishing,” a composite measure that reflects parents’ view of the child’s curiosity, resilience, affection, and positive mood. Less positive views of children’s wellness were especially common among parents of children who experienced frequent parenting stress. Only 22 percent of deeply poor, frequently stressed parents of children younger than age 5 reported their children were flourishing compared to 48 percent with low parenting stress.

“Deep poverty, which affects approximately 3.9 million young children, clearly makes large numbers of U.S. children vulnerable to health and developmental problems that limit their life opportunities,” said Sheila Smith, PhD, director, Early Childhood at NCCP. “To give young children a fair chance of life success, we need to strengthen basic safety net policies, including Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), expand Medicaid across all states so that parents will not be left in poor health without health coverage, and invest in programs that have proven effective in helping families overcome adversities so their children can thrive.”

12 January

http://www.nccp.org/media/releases/release_180.html

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10 FEBRUARY

WASHINGTON

President’s budget proposal aims to help youth get first job

The Obama administration wants to help young people land their first job, including those who have dropped out of high school

The White House announced last Thursday it will include a $5.5 billion plan to boost employment for young people in a budget proposal slated for release this week. The plan includes $3.5 billion to create new partnerships with companies and communities to get nearly 1 million youth into a first job during the summer. The investment also aims to help 150,000 young people who have been out of school and work into a job for as long as a year.

In addition, the plan includes $2 billion to help young people who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of doing so to get their diploma and enroll in postsecondary education or find a job. The grants would be administered jointly by the Labor and Education departments.

The president’s budget is often read as a statement of priorities, and the summer jobs proposal is one of several components of it that the administration has highlighted in the lead-up to the full release.

Alongside the proposal, the administration also announced that $20 million in existing funding will be awarded to about 10 communities that find innovative ways to connect opportunity youth to jobs. The Department of Labor grants will target communities with high rates of youth unemployment, poverty, crime and dropouts.

“Our economy and our nation are stronger when young people have meaningful opportunities to contribute,” Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez said in a news release. “Access to a job in the summer and beyond can make all the difference in the world to a young person who doesn’t have many other opportunities, or didn’t have the easiest start in life.”

Sarah Pitcock, chief executive officer of the National Summer Learning Association, said the administration’s focus on summer opportunities is encouraging. “I would say they’re putting their money where their mouth is. And hopefully it’s going to help a lot of kids,” she said.

Pitcock said the proposal’s emphasis on bringing together the education and labor communities is a plus because it recognizes there is a role for schools to play in promoting job readiness and for employers to play in encouraging school success.

A 2012 report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House Council for Community Solutions estimated there are 6.7 million “opportunity youth,” young adults ages 16 to 24 who are not connected to work or school. When those youth seek employment, they’re stymied by a lack of experience and references.

“When a young person struggles to get their first job, it can have a lasting negative impact on her lifetime income as well as her motivation, pride, and self-esteem,” the White House said in a news release. “It is also a missed opportunity for the economy as a whole.”

The White House also announced it will launch a summer opportunity project and hold a related workshop on Feb. 26. The workshop will include the release of a “Summer Opportunity Federal Resource Guide” designed for local governments and community organizations.

Sarah Barr

8 February

http://youthtoday.org/2016/02/presidents-budget-proposal-aims-to-help-youth-get-first-job/

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8 FEBRUARY

Anti-bullying program focused on bystanders helps the students who need it the most

Many programs to reduce bullying in primary and secondary schools have proven ineffective, but a new UCLA-led study finds one that works very well.

The study of more than 7,000 students in 77 elementary schools in Finland found that one program greatly benefited the mental health of sixth-graders who experienced the most bullying. It significantly improved their self-esteem and reduced their depression.

The research-based anti-bullying program, called KiVa, includes role-playing exercises to increase the empathy of bystanders and computer simulations that encourage students to think about how they would intervene to reduce bullying. ("Kiusaamista vastaan" means "against bullying," in Finnish, while the word "kiva" means "nice.")

KiVa is one of the world's most effective anti-bullying programs, said Jaana Juvonen, lead author of the study and professor of psychology at UCLA. "Our findings are the first to show that the most tormented children – those facing bullying several times a week – can be helped by teaching bystanders to be more supportive," Juvonen said.

Thirty-nine of the schools in the study used KiVa; in the other 38 schools, students were given some information about combating bullying, but these efforts were much less comprehensive.

Anti-bullying programs are typically evaluated based on whether they decrease the average rates of bullying. Until this study, no school-wide programs have been found to help those who most need help – children who are bullied repeatedly. KiVa significantly reduced the depression of the 4 percent of sixth graders who were bullied most frequently – on at least a weekly basis. The researchers also found improved self-esteem among the approximately 15 percent of sixth graders who had been bullied at least a few times per month.

A recent meta-analysis of 53 anti-bullying programs worldwide found the KiVa program to be one of the most effective. The odds that a given student experienced bullying were 1.5 to nearly 2 times higher in control schools than in KiVa schools nine months after KiVa's implementation.

"Our analysis shows that KiVa improves students' perceptions of the school environment, especially among those who are bullied. For sixth-graders, it also improves their mental health, which is a big issue," said Juvonen, who has conducted research on bullying for more than 20 years. "Typically we think individuals with mental health needs must be addressed individually. The beauty here is that this school-wide program is very effective for the children who most need support."

Students in all grade levels studied, fourth through sixth, benefited in terms of having significantly more favorable perceptions of the school environment. This was especially true for the students who were most frequently bullied before the intervention.

The study is published online in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Juvonen does not advocate zero-tolerance school policies, which she said punish students but do not teach them about bullying. KiVa is much more effective in leading students to be kinder to one another, she said.

KiVa is now Finland's national anti-bullying program. It is being tested and used in several other European countries, and it is being evaluated in the United States, Juvonen said. It is based on scholarly research about bullying, including Juvonen's, but she was not involved in developing the program.

The study's co-authors are Hannah Schacter, a UCLA graduate student in developmental psychology; Miia Sainio, a senior researcher at the University of Turku, in Finland; and Christina Salmivalli, a professor of psychology at the University of Turku and the developer of KiVa.

Previous studies on bullying by Juvonen and her colleagues have found that:

• People on social media are often unsupportive of cyberbullying victims who have shared highly personal feelings.
• Bullies are considered the "cool" kids in school.
• Nearly 3 in 4 teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a 12-month period.
• Nearly half of the sixth graders at two Los Angeles-area schools said they were bullied by classmates during a five-day period.

2 February

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160202110714.htm

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5 FEBRUARY

MPs and peers to probe children's services cuts

An inquiry into local authority children’s social care and the impact of major spending cuts in recent years is to be conducted by MPs and peers, it has been announced.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children (APPGC) said that as well as exploring how services are responding to reduced funding and increased demand, it will also assess what reforms are needed in order to improve support for vulnerable children.

In October it emerged that the number of children subject to child protection plans because they are deemed to be at risk of abuse is continuing to rise. At the end of March 2015 there were 49,700 children on a child protection plan – a 27.1 per cent increase since March 2010 when there were 39,100 children on child protection plans.

However spending in many areas is dropping as a result of central government cuts. Last July a joint investigation by CYP Now, the National Children's Bureau (NCB), and The Children's Society, found that local authorities were set to cut spending on early intervention by more than eight per cent in 2015/16 – on the back of cuts in grant funding of 55 per cent under the coalition government.

Conservative MP and former children's minister Tim Loughton, who is co-chair of the APPGC, said that due to the introduction of widespread reforms, a new inspection framework and changes to demand and resourcing, "there is an urgent need to establish how local services are adapting to the new climate".

"Of course local authority providers face barriers to delivering effective services for children, but they also innovate and we hope this inquiry will provide a means of sharing that learning, as well as showing where policy and legislation must change," he said.

Cross-bench peer Baroness Howarth of Breckland, who is also co-chair, said: "Over the next months, we will hear from local services about exactly how the needs of families, children and young people are changing and whether the resourcing is adequate to meet these challenges. With so many children who are facing difficulties depending on these services being effective and timely, these questions must be answered urgently."

Roy Perry, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said that high-profile crimes of abuse and neglect means that there are now thousands more children on the radar of social services now.

"Councils are currently supporting over 49,700 children on child protection plans, an increase of more than 20,000 since 2008," he said. "It is absolutely vital that they and partner agencies have the resources needed to deal with this huge increase in demand."

Last year the Department for Education commissioned its own study into the spending habits of local authority children’s services departments ahead of expected central government cuts being announced in November.

The research had been due to be completed in October so its findings could be considered prior to the Spending Review on 25 November. However, in December, responding to a Freedom of Information request by CYP Now, the DfE said it was "unable" to supply a copy of the report as it was "still being drafted".

4 February

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1155812/mps-and-peers-to-probe-childrens-services-cuts#sthash.E9ayjm94.dpuf

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3 FEBRUARY

Long-term help vital for children seeking safety in the UK

In response to the Government's announcement that it will take unaccompanied children from war-torn areas, Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children's Society, said:

'Unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable and it is right that the Government recognises this. But it is crucial that when resettling those from war-torn regions this does not make it more difficult for them to be reunited with their families.

'The Government needs to work closely with the UNHCR to make sure that when the children are resettled in the UK this does not risk permanently separating them from their families.

'It is crucial that, in addition to providing immediate safety, these children’s long-term needs are properly addressed once they arrive in the UK. The Government must make sure that children coming here on their own get the specialist support they need. This includes access to social workers, legal advice, mental health services, as well as suitable accommodation and independent legal guardians.

'Local authorities must also be given enough resources to make this possible. Children should be accommodated across the country to reduce the pressure on any single council. The Government must also look again at how to maximise the chance of children being reunited with their families, and there must be a particular focus on helping unaccompanied children to join relatives in the UK where possible.

'Unaccompanied children living on their own need more than emergency help now. They must be given the chance to develop and thrive.'

28 Jan 2016

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1 FEBRUARY

Cross-Over Youth Project – program launch

The Cross-Over Youth Project, a partnership formed at Ryerson University and of which OARTY was pleased to participate in, was developed to help prevent youth in the child welfare system from ‘crossing over’ into the youth justice system. The Cross-Over Youth Project looked at how to create and pilot an integrated model of Family/Youth Justice court. The idea being that the Ministry of the Attorney General could match youth across both systems through the use of records and documents and that the youth would then go before one judge.

As of the last week in October the project launched in four locations: Downtown Toronto, Thunder Bay, Belleville and Chatham. The official launch took place October 28th at Ryerson Universit. For details on the launch and the program, please see the Media Release and Backgrounder below.

Background to the Cross Over Youth Project
The Cross Over Youth Committee was formed in October 2013 with members seeking to understand what triggered the trajectoryof youth from the child welfare to the youth justice system and how the resultant consequences could be ameliorated. The Committee is co-chaired by Professor Judy Finlay, (Principal Investigator) Ryerson University and Justice Brian Scully, Ontario Court of Justice (Judicial Lead). The initial discussions included professionals from across all relevant service sectors. All sectors were committed to finding solutions to the issues facing cross over youth. To this end, under phase one of the Project, a series of forums took place across nine service sector groups: Judges, Justices of the Peace, the Legal service sector such as Defense Counsel and the Office of the Children’s Lawyer and Crown Attorneys; Child Welfare, Probation Services, Youth, Group Care and Police Services.

The report, Cross Over Youth: Care to Custody summarized the findings of these consultations and made recommendations regarding the ten themes consistentlyidentified bythe participants. The predominant theme was the need for more meaningful collaboration across service sectors.

Taking this into account and based on all key themes, the Committee recommended a pilot project in 4 geographic sites in Ontario that would aim to stop the trajectoryof youth in care to the justice system and identify the points of intersection in which intervention strategies could be developed. The Committee mapped the points of intersection between youth justice and child welfare systems that make up a youth’s journeythrough the youth justice system. However, each geographic community will have their own ideas about which intersection points warrant what type of intervention.

As it moves into service delivery, the components of the Cross Over Youth Project include: (a) Intersectoral Training and Partnership Development; Panel Presentations; Education Modules for Colleges and Universities; (b) Systemic Capacity Building and Case Conference Facilitation; (c) Youth Mentorship; and (d) Evaluation.

This Project is designed to develop local competencies and sustainabilityof a coordinated approach to serving cross over youth. The Project will rely on a small team of experts in the fields of youth justice and children’s services to coordinate the above components across all service sectors, with a focus on improving outcomes for youth involved in the child welfare and justice systems. An integral part of the Pilot Project is resource coordination at the systemic level and case co-ordination at the “macro” level.

The Cross Over Youth Project will work with the local youth justice and children’s services community to offer youth mentorship to cross -over youth. This will involve a case management approach including ensuring the youth is represented by a lawyer with experience in both systems where possible, explaining the Youth Court process and advocating on behalf of the youth regarding residential placement and other related issues. A youth advisory group, called "Project C" is already in place and will provide consultation and feedback on the Project. This will give cross-over youth an ongoing voice in the Project, which affects their lives.

Ryerson University
Department of Child and Youth Care Faculty of CommunityServices

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The International Child and Youth Care Network
THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK (CYC-Net)

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