UK

Children’s group forced to close after losing funding
from Liverpool City Council

A SOCIAL group for children with disabilities has been forced to close after losing funding from Liverpool City Council and the Lottery.

The Short Breaks and Friendship Groups scheme, run by the Merseyside Youth Association (MYA), held a party last night so the children who have formed bonds through the service could say goodbye to one another.

For 15 years until 2010 the scheme took more than 3000 children and their families on short breaks.

Funding for the overnight breaks was the first to go last year but MYA was determined to continue to run the friendship groups.

They were able to sustain the reduced service through the funding that remained but the last of it ran out in November.

Staff have been told it will not be reinstated due to widespread cuts and efforts to maintain the project through in-house fundraising have failed to generate enough money.

Some staff have been made redundant as a result.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “For many this service has provided children with a time and space in order to create friendships with other young people, an area that for some can be a struggle due to their disability.

“Overnight breaks were the mould that kept the family unit from breaking down due to the sheer stress, anxiety and exhaustion that comes with caring for a disabled child. This is truly a sad time for our children and young people as some of them will not access any other service but we want to celebrate our work with disabled children and young people.

“We are really grateful for all the funding we have received in the past to enable us to continue to work with disabled children.”

They added that the charity will continue to seek funding in the hope that they might resume their services to Merseyside’s disabled children.

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “We’re disappointed this project has had to end. However we’re committed to providing support and assistance in other ways and are working on other initiatives to help this group of young people.”

Laura Cox
21 December 2011

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2011/12/21/children-s-group-forced-to-close-after-losing-funding-from-liverpool-city-council-100252-29987347/

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Making sure kids aren't forgotten while their moms are in prison
...
Inspired by an ex-inmate's story, Roosevelt University students buy Christmas gifts in the names of mothers who are doing time

Samantha Roque rummaged through a pile of boxes Thursday until she located the frothy lime-green outfit she had bought.

"I had so much fun picking this one out," she said, displaying the merchandise. "Every little girl should have a tutu."

The Roosevelt University senior may have done the shopping, but all Roque knows about the recipient is that she is 3 years old, lives on the South Side and her mother is at Dwight Correctional Center, a prison about 80 miles away.

Celebrating the holiday while a parent is incarcerated is a reality for more American families this year than ever. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the number of female prisoners in the U.S. has doubled since 1990. Three-quarters of those are mothers, with most having children under 18.

But moms aren't the only ones who do time. The children they leave behind are at risk for a long list of troubles, from school failure to depression to winding up behind bars themselves.

The tutu-and-leggings ensemble is just part of the bounty being wrapped up by Roosevelt students and faculty. The inaugural project aims to make Christmas just a little brighter for a small group of these kids by buying gifts and delivering them in the name of their mothers.

While it may not be the stuff of sugarplums and winter wonderlands, even a small gesture can make a big difference in children's lives, said Gail T. Smith of Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers, a nonprofit that helps female offenders maintain ties with their offspring.

"It's so easy for children to feel that their mother is gone," Smith said. "To know that Mom is thinking of them and loves them is vitally important to their well-being."

Nationwide, the number of women in prisons has steadily increased over the last two decades, mostly due to stiffer drug sentencing, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Illinois, there are about 2,900 female prisoners, according to the Illinois Department of Correction's 2010 annual report.

The consequences of a mother's absence can affect even the youngest children, Smith said. "The separation trauma can be so great for toddlers that they will just stop eating. It's like, 'I won't take a bottle from anyone else, so now you have to give her back to me.'"

The Roosevelt project started last month after a former inmate spoke to the school's Criminal Justice Society. The mother of five related the challenges of keeping her family together while she was in prison, especially after the children's guardians — first, a maternal grandmother, then a maternal grandfather — died in 2001. The state threatened to split up the children, sending them to foster care homes throughout the state. Eventually, an aunt stepped forward to care for the children.

"I really thought I was going to literally die from heartache … the pain was unbearable," said the 45-year-old woman, who served a seven-year sentence for cocaine possession and is now doing her court supervision in a local recovery home. She has been clean for almost three years — her longest stretch of sobriety since she was a freshman in high school.

"I had an addiction … but I never stopped loving my kids," said the mother, who asked that her name not be used because it might affect her employment prospects and to spare her children any potential embarrassment.

Tana McCoy and LaDonna Long, two Roosevelt criminal justice professors, worked with Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers to identify 15 Chicago-area children whose mothers are incarcerated. They solicited Christmas lists from caregivers and collected donations — about $120 per child — from students, staff and others.

"These kids are victims too," McCoy said. "They just get forgotten … and many will receive nothing."

The lists tell their own story. Although cutting-edge sneakers and jeans make a showing, they are not as popular as more practical items, such as coats, gloves and scarves. One preteen displayed the conflicting emotions of puberty with her appeal for both a Justin Bieber CD and a Barbie doll.

The most extravagant wish? A game system. The most heartbreaking? It's a tossup between the 15-year-old who requested deodorant and the grandmother who asked for disposable diapers.

Amid the wrapping paper, tape and bows, Roque's little girl has amassed several boxes, which includes not just clothes, but a lifelike baby doll.

"I really got into it," Roque said. "I just ran to all the sales."

Ana Fleming, too, knew how to stretch her budget. She was shopping for a newborn — which might be perplexing for some college students, but not for the sophomore, who is the mother of a toddler. "I had a pretty good idea of what to buy."

All agreed that such personal giving infused the season with more meaning than merely writing out a check.

"I found myself regularly tearing up," McCoy said. "I even put up a tree."

Bonnie Miller Rubin
20 December 2011

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-prison-moms-20111220,0,1508495.story

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Couple who fled Scotland to escape social workers celebrate birth
of second child

SHE was once dismissed by social workers as not bright enough to get married, let alone become a mum.

But Kerry McDougall is celebrating the birth of her second baby - after fleeing to Ireland from Fife to stop social workers taking her first child into care.

Kerry, 19, husband Mark, 28, Ben, nearly two, and new baby Lochlan are now looking forward to a perfect family Christmas.

"Having another baby is a dream come true," said Kerry.

"Lochlan is beautiful and Ben adores him. We both feel so lucky to have two gorgeous boys."

The arrival of the tot marks the end of a dramatic two-year battle to stay together as a family.

In September 2009, Fife Council social services halted their wedding just 48 hours before the big day.

Kerry has mild learning difficulties and her upbringing had been overseen by social workers.

As the wedding appoached, two of them knocked on the door of the Dunfermline home she shared with Mark.

They made the shattering announcement that Kerry did not possess the mental capacity to make the decision to get married.

Mark, an artist, says: "Everything was booked - the dress, the reception, food and flowers but we had to cancel the lot and call all the guests. It was devastating."

Worse was to come when, according to the couple, social workers said they believed pregnant Kerry wasn't bright enough to be a mum and warned their baby could be taken into care at birth.

So they fled to Ireland in the middle of the night. Kerry, who was eight months pregnant when they went on the run, said: "Leaving my friends and family was terrible but I was desperate to keep my baby."

Friends put them up and in January last year, Kerry gave birth to Ben. Then the Irish authorities discovered through her medical records that social workers had concerns.

They were legally bound to follow them up and, as Kerry breastfed three-day-old Ben, officials turned up and took him into care.

Mark said: "We begged them not to take him. I was on my knees." Kerry added: "Coming home without Ben was the worst thing that ever happened."

After a nine-month investigation the couple, who had been allowed to visit Ben in foster care, were able to bring him home.

After discovering the wedding ban did not cover Ireland, they got married there. Kerry is delighted with how things have turned out.

Speaking from their home in Tramore, near Waterford, she said: "With a lively toddler and a new baby, life is busy. But I love being a mum and couldn't be happier."

Although happy in Ireland, they miss Scotland but can't risk coming back. Mark said: "If we did, both our sons could be taken into care.

"Here, the authorities have helped keep our family together and we are allowed to bring up our sons without having to look over our shoulders."

Fife Council social work director Stephen Moore said yesterday: "We wish the family all the very best.

"If they need our assistance in the future, they shouldn't hesitate to seek it out. We'll be there for them."

Fiona Young
18 December 2011

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/12/18/couple-who-fled-scotland-to-escape-social-workers-celebrate-birth-of-second-child-86908-23644422/

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UK

Primary schools fail 1 in 4 pupils

One London child in four is starting secondary school without a basic grasp of English and maths.

Shock statistics today reveal major problems in literacy and numeracy across the capital, with thousands of pupils unable to cope with grammar, understand the meaning of basic texts, or multiply and divide in their heads.

The worrying figures also reveal a dramatic drop in the number of high-flying children achieving top grades in reading.

The results, which are based on tests taken by all 11-year-olds, come after the Evening Standard launched its Get London Reading campaign to boost literacy levels across the capital.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "Today's figures show the extent of the reading problem in London and the reason why the Standard's literacy campaign is so important. At dozens of primary schools in the capital more than one in five pupils leaves unable to read to the standard expected.

"The ability to read forms the bedrock of a child's education. All children should read for pleasure too - every child should have a book on the go at home, and parents should read with their child as well."

Today's figures show almost 12,000 children left primary school without passing their reading test.

This means they started secondary school unable to understand the nuances of a text, write extended sentences, use commas or choose words for effect.

The results reveal:

•  25 per cent of children leaving London primary schools are failing to reach level 4 - the grade expected of them - in both English and maths. Nationally the figure is 26 per cent.

• 15 per cent of 11-year-olds failed to reach the expected reading grade.

• 20 per cent of London's 11-year-olds failed their maths exams.

• Across the country the percentage of pupils scoring level 5 - better than expected - in reading has dropped by eight percentage points, from 50 per cent to 43 per cent.

• 145 London schools could be labelled failing because results are so bad.

The Government today vowed to tackle "chronic" under-performance in primary education as results showed 1,310 primary schools failed to reach the expected standard in English and maths.

But they also highlight pockets of excellence across the capital. At 48 London schools, 100 per cent of children passed both English and maths exams.

Hammersmith & Fulham and Havering were among the best performing local authorities because no schools there are classed as falling below government targets.

High expectation key to success

The headteacher of a top-rated school in one of the most deprived parts of west London today described the "high expectations" of its pupils as the key to its success.

Miles Coverdale primary school in Shepherd's Bush, where pupils come from 30 different countries and speak as many different languages, was placed in the top 10 of today's school league tables.

Headteacher Tara Baig said she was "proud and delighted" with its second successive year in the top 10, despite having one of the highest numbers of pupils receiving free school meals in the country. She said: "Our motivation is getting the best out of every single child. Every child has potential, regardless of their circumstances.
"I believe our success is related to high expectations from the children and the community as well. We involve the local community and outside agencies in their learning."

Mrs Baig said the school, which has 250 pupils, uses data to track every child's progress and offers trips to the theatre and work with charities such as Jeans for Genes to help pupils develop. She said: "The range of activities we provide is amazing, we offer a range of sporting and cultural learning all the time."

'Older pupils teach young ones'

At St John Fisher Catholic primary school in Bexley every pupil passed English and maths exams.
The school concentrates on boosting children's literacy skills by setting aside time every week for children to read to each other.

Sarah Griffin, assistant head, said encouraging pupils to enjoy books and reading is key to improving results. She said: "We have paired older children with younger ones and they read together for 25 minutes every Friday. It doesn't matter what they read as long as they are reading something. Sometimes children think reading is boring and something you have to do, but we are changing that. We do the reading as part of the school day. The whole school does it at the same time."

Headteacher Mary Ryan said: "We believe every child has one chance in life with basic education. My staff are very committed. The children come to school smiling and leave smiling - they are happy children."

A school where the majority of pupils do not speak English as their first language today took the crown as the top primary school in England. Every pupil at Newton Farm Nursery, Infant and Junior School in Harrow, passed both English and maths exams.

Anna Davis
15 December 2011

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24021768-primary-schools-fail-1-in-4-pupils.do

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Waterloo native is foster care all-star, helping others

Tracye Redd won't come home to Waterloo for Christmas. The 20-year-old will stay in Washington and pull in a few extra hours of work on Christmas Eve.

The holidays don't inspire warm memories of family and friends for Redd. They're a hard reminder of the absence of a permanent family growing up as a foster child.

When Redd was about 15, he remembers writing a holiday wish list to give to the director of his youth shelter. It was his second time staying at the shelter, and he was excited to spend Christmas with familiar faces.

"He was really nice," Redd said of the program director. "If you told him you wanted a CD player, which was cool back then, he'd get you a CD player and a CD or two that you wanted."

Two weeks before Christmas, though, Redd received a call from his social worker: It was time to move again. He ended up in a treatment center where many of the boys had been in juvenile detention.

Redd was upset and confused. He had battled isolation, homelessness and thoughts of suicide since he entered the foster care system when he was 12 --- but he didn't have a juvenile record.

Some of the boys were able to go home to their biological families for the holidays, but because he was new, Redd stayed behind at the facility with strangers.

"Ever since then, the holidays have never been the same," Redd said.

There were almost 6,600 children in Iowa foster care in 2009, the most recent year in which statistics were available in a report released by the Children's Defense Fund.

Teens 14 to 17 make up 37 percent of kids in foster care, dwarfing any other age group in Iowa. It is a trend mirrored in the national statistics for the estimated 408,000 children in the foster care system, the number in 2010.

But there are groups trying to change that.

Redd is a member of Foster Club, a national program based in Oregon that builds a peer network for foster kids. He was the 2011 Iowa All-Star, learning advocacy and public speaking as he participated in conferences to influence change in the system.

He spent the internship telling his story to foster kids, parents, judges and senators, promoting the idea of permanency, or lifelong relationships through adoption.

Adoption option

A lot of kids turn down adoption because they feel they are betraying their biological family, Redd said. "When you're first in foster care, you want your parents to do better so you can go back home," he said. They think: "I have a family, why would I want another one?"

Redd isn't alone. An estimated 107,000 children are waiting to be adopted. Others don't understand adoption and don't want to know more about it when asked. Redd was asked about adoption once in passing, but he can't remember any of the details. It didn't seem important, and he was never asked again.

Redd "aged out," meaning he was released from foster care when he was 18.

"Adoption means a lot to me," said 14-year-old adoptee Alexis Looney from southern Colorado. "For foster kids, at least for me, it's a day when all the pain of losing people and never fitting in and never feeling loved and trouble spots all just go away because you know you belong somewhere now."

"Every kid deserves a chance. When you say someone is unadoptable you're taking their hope away, and it's just not fair," Looney said. "Look at me, I'm 14 and I'm adopted. Every child is adoptable."

Congress is looking for new solutions at the grassroots level through the Senate Foster Youth Caucus, formed in 2009 and co-chaired by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

At a caucus in late November, Wendy's Wonderful Kids, administered by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, featured techniques that improve the adoption rate of teens by three times over those not served by the organization.

"A major goal of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth is to help draw out and spread innovative strategies and best practices in the foster care community," Grassley said.

What inspires Redd? "I tell myself to beat the statistic," he said. Redd graduated from high school and wants to attend college in Washington. "If you look at the statistics for black males in America and throw on top of that the foster care system, I should be in jail right now."

Iowa's foster youth are 64 percent white, 15 percent black and 8 percent Hispanic.

Black children in foster care are still overrepresented, according to the Children's Defense Fund.

Two of every seven black children living in Iowa are in foster care. "Thirty percent of the children in foster care are Black, double the percent of the child population who are Black," the fund said in a May 2011 release.

"I also do it for the people I call my brothers and sisters who are still in the foster care system," Redd said, "all half-million of them who need someone to look up to, to show them it does get better."

Chelsea Wallis
12 December 23011

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/waterloo-native-is-foster-care-all-star-helping-others/article_ba17e46a-ea66-5ea6-a891-79789c2b2457.html

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UK

Social workers 'sex up abuse claims to snatch children for adoption'

SOCIAL workers are regularly “sexing up” dossiers on problem parents to remove children into care and even to farm them out for adoption, a whistleblower reveals today.

The experienced social worker told a Sunday Express investigation that council managers are frequently putting pressure on him and colleagues to rewrite reports considered “too positive”.

They are demanding “more dirt” on mothers and fathers to increase the chances of securing court orders that place their children into care and which boost councils’ Ofsted ratings.

The whistleblower said the worry of having another Baby P on an authority’s hands had created a climate of fear that was destroying innocent families.

The findings were last night described as a “national scandal” by one MP who is now demanding a full Parliamentary inquiry into Britain’s child protection system.

Lib Dem John Hemming will raise the issue when he appears at the Education Select Committee on Tuesday.

The committee’s chairman, Graham Stuart, has indicated he would talk to our whistleblower in confidence.

The whistlebower said the behaviour of social workers has been dramatically and “needlessly” changed since the full details over the 2007 death of Baby Peter Connelly in Haringey, north London, emerged three years ago.

He said there is now a new culture of fear in which the buck of responsibility is continuously passed up the managerial chain.

He said people in desperate need of help with their parenting skills are instead having their lives ruined by bureaucrats who fear being blamed for a highly unlikely case of extreme abuse.

Courts sitting away from the public glare are then increasingly being asked to make life-changing decisions based on “biased” evidence, he claimed.

Latest figures show that social workers, already overstretched due to Government cuts, are dealing with rapidly rising caseloads with 42,700 children now on child protection plans.

Social workers say this is largely due to political pressure after the Baby P case.

David Cameron has said there are too many children in care and that the adoption process needs streamlining, but critics say the real issue is about why so many youngsters are taken into care in the first place.

The whistleblower, a father who works for a large authority in the south of England, said: “We’re being pressured to go against what we think is right for families.

“Personally, I’ve written reports and been told, ‘You are too positive with this family, we’ll never get it to court unless you make it more negative’.

“I’ve actually been told that.

“Although it goes against what you feel is right, you feel under an obligation.

“Children need to be in their families and we need to support them as much as possible and only if there are great risks do you take a child out of a family.”

When asked for an example, he said: “In order to get a child through to a child protection conference, we’re told to make the situation look bad and worse than it actually is.

“We don’t necessarily make things up, but we can change the emphasis.

“It’s subtle. I had one child aged about eight. I’d prepared a report with the emphasis saying that the parents were prepared to make changes and that their attitude was willing.

“But then I was told this was too positive, we’d never get it through.

“I was told to bring out more of the negative points, so I had to concentrate on the lack of cleanliness of the house. That put the parents in a bad light.”

He said these reports were used to take children out of a family home and in many cases then placed for adoption.

He added: “It destroys families. But the newer, younger social workers see this as the norm, they just want to toe the line with their bosses and that’s worrying.”

The whistleblower also raised serious concerns about council-appointed psychologists who he believes are biased in favour of their paymasters.

In particular, he said he had doubts over what he said were nebulous concepts of emotional abuse and “attachment theories”.

He said: “These psychologists create such a high standard of for parenting that most of us would fail.”

MP John Hemming said: “I congratulate the Sunday Express in unearthing this national scandal.

“A number of whilstleblowers have come to me to explain how expert evidence is at times sexed up and at other times plainly wrong in the Family Courts.

“Taking the wrong children into care on the basis of sexed up dossiers and meaningless psychobabble results in other children being left to die such as Baby P.

“Parliament must act to sort out the child protection system.”

Nishra Mansuri, of the British Association of Social Workers, recognised the whistleblower’s comments and said: “It’s a major concern. The cuts are creating so much pressure for social workers that the right decisions are not being taken.

“We’re storing up so many problems, but the odds are against us.”

Ted Jeory
11 December 2011

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/289232

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CANADA

Online agency helping prevent youth suicide

must be done to make youth aware of resources available to deal with depression and mental anguish, says a member with a local mental health advocacy committee.

Youth suicides have "rocked the community to its core," Pat Haasen said, but many children and teenagers in need still don't know where to turn for help.

That's where Rory Butler and Your Life Counts (YLC) come in.

The Welland, Ont.-based volunteer-driven agency offers web-based one-on-one support services for suicidal youth and those in need.

It also connects youngsters with local agencies that can provide counselling and programs.

Butler, YLC's CEO, spoke to a group of community agencies and members of the Children's Mental Health Advocacy Committee Sarnia-Lambton on Tuesday about working together to help youth.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth, and the majority with suicidal thoughts will not use a telephone to seek help, he said.

"Online is easier, more accessible. It works ... we're saving lives and that's what we're all about."

The agency provides coping information on its website, www.yourlifecounts.org, and offers a one-on-one email correspondence option.

When a user writes in, an automatic email is sent out letting the youth know a response is coming, he said. A volunteer responds within two hours.

After talking — sometimes exchanging up to 100 emails — the youngster is given directions about local agencies that can provide followup help, Butler said.

"We're triaging on the front line."

The agency saves an average three lives from suicide each month, he said. In 2010 it received the PREVNet Award for excellence and the President's National Award from the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.

It also offers school-based programs, including Dream your Dreams with ex-NHLer Jim Thomson, designed to help reach young males, Butler said.

"Girls will attempt suicide six times more than guys," he said. "Guys very often will succeed."

Other YLC ambassadors include actor Peter Youngblood-Hills and Hollywood stuntman Bill Oliver.

The agency has saved 360 lives from suicide since 2000, Butler said.

He's currently working with MPs from all parties to pass federal legislation for a national suicide prevention strategy. Private Member bills C-300 and C-297 are before the legislature.

"Meantime lives are being lost," Butler said, noting Canada is one of two G8 countries without a national strategy.

Next steps in Sarnia-Lambton include compiling data about local organizations and getting the message out.

"I think it's as easy as taking our web address into schools," Butler said.

A Sarnia-Lambton specific section on the website may be created, he said.

Suicide is still prevalent in Sarnia-Lambton Haasen said, noting 16-year-old St. Christopher school student who killed himself last month.

Nearly if not all youth use the Internet, said Rick Shields, executive director with the St. Clair Child and Youth Services.

"Some of the youth (who died) didn't reach out to have that individual interview or talk to someone," he said. "But if this was available, they might have."

Tyler Kula
7 December 2011

http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3395656

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COLORADO

Could Child Labor Rules Take the Family out of Family Farms?

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is concerned about a proposal by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to change child labor laws. While CCA fully supports the efforts of the DOL to protect children in the workplace, this particular regulation will adversely affect family farms and ranches. These proposed regulations will also hamper youth activities such as 4-H and the Future Farmers of America (FFA). At a time when the agriculture industry needs workers, the DOL will be creating a barrier to young people entering agricultural careers.

In our review, we find the rules to be detrimental to agriculture career development, mentorship and our country’s ability to meet future food industry production demands. While we realize this isn’t the intent of the rule, it will assuredly be the outcome due to agriculture business’ fear of hiring young people or inviting them to learn about agriculture production on family ranches and farms.

While we all support protecting children in the workplace, these proposed regulations could completely prohibit some children from working on farms and ranches altogether, while placing severe restrictions on the type of work that any young person could do. Let’s take a closer look at what the proposed rule states and how it would affect your family ranch.
One of the new rules would allow kids under the age of 15 to work only on their parents’ farm. This means they would not be able to help out family members who own property…even if it’s grandma and grandpa across the road. This would eliminate summer jobs for a number of youth who mow lawns for their neighbors, help feed cattle, bale hay, etc.

To better illustrate this issue, consider the following example. Four siblings form a limited liability company to manage land passed to them by their parents. Two of the siblings invested in the operation and hold majority ownership interests. A third sibling, a minor shareholder in the LLC, has a 15-year old child who chooses to work on the farm. The child will commute to and from the farm daily. The third sibling does not exclusively operate the farming operation. Because the child is able to travel to and from the business, the parental duties are not transferred to the managers of the farm; therefore the family farm cannot employ the young niece or nephew in this circumstance.

Another rule would keep children under age 16, with limitations for student learners, from operating most power equipment, including power-driven equipment such as riding lawn mowers. It also includes operation and assisting in the operation of tractors, which would include tending, setting up, adjusting, moving, cleaning, oiling, repairing, riding as a passenger or helper, and connecting or disconnecting implements to an agricultural tractor. Children on farms and ranches are raised to be cautious around such equipment from an early age. We believe with adult supervision and monitoring, young people under the age of 16 should be able to operate tractors and farm machinery in the execution of agricultural tasks. These proposed regulations have such broad applications that no employer would consider hiring young workers…even to mow their yard for the summer.

The rules also include prohibiting young people under the age of 15 to work near “sexually mature” livestock, including bulls or nursing cows. This would make it virtually impossible for youth to raise animals as part of a 4-H project or learning the newest techniques in animal husbandry through FFA. We also believe that on-the-job training is vital to teaching youth about appropriate animal care. This proposed regulation is overly broad and does not provide any opportunity for on-the-job training of young workers.

We firmly believe that a robust student learner program is vital to curbing on-farm injury and death, as this type of education instills a lifelong ethic toward safety that is unparalleled by other educational efforts. The USDA Extension Service already has this program in existence; however, the proposed rule looks to move this program to public and private schools. Unfortunately, these schools do not have the proper knowledge, training or facilities to carry out these programs. We believe the standardized safety education training should remain with the Extension Service.

Have your kids or neighbors’ kids helped demolish or clean up, salvage or dismantle any buildings? How about painting, maintenance or cleaning windows – anything involving a ladder? The DOL’s proposed rule would prohibit persons under the age of 16 from work involving construction and work on roofs, scaffolds, and at elevations greater than six feet. CCA encourages the DOL to reconsider these prohibitions, specifically to allow youth with adult supervision to use ladders not to exceed the old height limitation of 20 feet.

Under this proposed rule, the DOL would prohibit youth under the age of 16 from handling pesticides. We are asking the DOL to reexamine this prohibition to allow persons with valid drivers’ licenses in their states to “transport” small amounts of pesticides wherein the product is not opened. This would allow for youth to “run errands” to pick up pesticides for use around the farming operation.

The list of prohibitions of work activities applicable to persons under the age of 16 outlined in this proposed regulation is long. Many of the prohibitions are very broad. The safety of our members and workers, regardless of age, is critical to CCA and the beef industry. Over-burdensome regulations, however, often do more damage than they fix. Therefore, CCA has submitted comments to the DOL asking them to reconsider the prohibitions outlined above; and, at a minimum, allow for expanded student learner programs. To see the comments submitted, please visit www.coloradocattle.org/news.aspx.

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association would also like to thank the members and other interested parties who submitted comments by the deadline of Dec. 1, 2011.

Ag Journal
5 December 2011

http://www.agjournalonline.com/news/x300720986/Could-Child-Labor-Rules-Take-the-Family-out-of-Family-Farms

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CONNECTICUTT

The Power of Youth
...
Founder of Free the Children urges nonprofits to court youth

When Craig Kielburger speaks about youth empowerment, he speaks as much from experience as he does from the heart. In part, it’s because over the past 16 years, he has seen his organization — Free the Children — grow to become one of the largest networks of children helping children in the world.

In part, it’s because Kielburger knows firsthand the difference that one child can make, having founded Free the Children at age 12 to help free children from poverty, exploitation and abuse after reading an article about the life and death of a child slave.

Founding a non-profit organization was Kielburger’s last resort, after encountering countless rejections as a child from human rights organizations that saw no use for child volunteers. “One organization’s response,” Keilburger recalled, “was ‘do you know where your parents’ credit card is’?”

Today, Free the Children is a testament to Kielburger’s resolve and the power of children and adolescents, a demographic of donors and volunteers often overlooked by many nonprofits. Free the Children boasts a network of more than 1 million youth across 45 countries.

“We challenge the notion that young people are powerless to affect positive change,” Kielburger says. It’s a message he shares frequently with nonprofits, including his keynote address at the Connecticut Association of Non-Profits annual conference in November.

“Students across North America are looking for a way to make a difference,” he explains, “and they have a hard time finding nonprofits seeking young volunteers.”

While many nonprofits don’t actively recruit student volunteers, Kielburger has made it a primary focus of his organization. In fact, Free the Children has an entire department dedicated entirely to mentoring and empowering youth. And that focus is paying tangible dividends: children across the globe have volunteered more than 1 million hours for the organization and raised more than $5.4 million, which, in part, has helped build more than 650 schools in developing countries.

One key to nonprofits attracting youth and building a sustainable organization, Kielburger says, is innovation. He points to Free the Children’s social enterprise model, Me to We, that sells products — including clothes, books and music — created by artisans from developing countries. Half the proceeds benefit Free the Children and half is reinvested.

Kielburger thinks an enterprise model would serve many Connecticut nonprofits well by raising awareness of community issues, while offsetting administrative costs and engaging youth, who are increasingly socially conscious consumers.

Kielburger also sees social media as critically important in outreaching to young people. “It helps us share exciting news from overseas projects and raising awareness of local opportunities to get engaged,” he noted. Kielburger, for instance, frequently tweets and shares organizational information and videos on YouTube and Facebook, where his organization has amassed nearly 800,000 “likes,” mostly from young people.

“Our organization showcases the ability of young people to change the world,” Kielburger says. For more than 16 years, Kielburger has tried to harness that power to create a better world through education, clean water and sanitation projects and health care programs.

He’s seen the impact in towns and villages in developing nations his organization serves, where more than one million people are living healthier lives because a 12-year-old boy decided to make a difference and inspired other children to play a role. Kielburger, himself a prime example, leaves nonprofits in Connecticut and nationwide with the biggest lesson he’s learned: never underestimate the power of young people.

Matthew Broderick
4 December 2011

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news21708.html

 

UK PUBLIC SERVICE

We all want the best for 'our' children

Receiving a rating of 'outstanding' in a Fostering Service Ofsted report is no mean feat. Susan Noonan, children's placement service unit manager in the London Borough of Bexley, looks at the task of improving the prospects of every young person they care for

In common with all local authorities Bexley's service is a partnership made up of social workers, health, education, carers and – most importantly – our children, young people and their families. Our Ofsted success is very much a joint effort.

Ofsted's rating came about because of hard work, dedication and above all teamwork. We aim for continual improvement in our service. Our goal is to provide safe placements and improve the future of every single young person we care for. By working across agencies we ensure that all our looked-after children have access to all the services they need.

I have managed the service for two years. During that time we have built an established team of staff, resulting in greater consistency when providing support to looked-after children and their carers. We talk about Bexley's looked-after children as "our" children and that attitude follows through in all we do. We have tried to provide an individual service for each child with the highest aspirations for their future and wellbeing

We include the children and young people as part of our team. Considering their views is crucial to our role. There are a number of ways our children can make themselves heard and suggest changes to the service, including the Children in Care Council, looked after children's youth club and homework clubs.

One of our children sat on the interview panels for management posts and the recent position of corporate parenting manager was filled following a significant contribution from a looked-after young person. Our senior managers, including deputy directors, regularly conduct face-to-face quality assurance audits with young people in placements.

Bexley's corporate parenting agenda is now being taken forward in consultation with the Children in Care Council.

Education links are of course key to the service. Since the 2008 inspection – that found the service to be "good" overall – Bexley has appointed a head of virtual school for looked–after children. By supporting children and their schools the virtual school has made a significant impact on educational outcomes.

This, in turn, will have a positive impact on young people's eventual employment prospects.

This year, one of Bexley's previous looked-after children gained a place at Cambridge to study maths after having been in foster care with the same carer since 2000. We are all immensely proud of his success.

Looked-after children who are not in education, employment or training each have a targeted Connexions worker based in the leaving care team, who work alongside social workers and personal advisers.

As part of the inspection, fostering services are also measured on how children are able to access health care and information. Along with statutory registration with GPs, Bexley has devised a number of creative methods to engage with young people, including text sessions, increased clinic times, self-assessment forms and drop-in clinics.

Bexley's service was successful in a recent joint bid with the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service to run the new NHS KEEP programme. KEEP provides additional training and support to carers looking after children with complex challenging behaviours.

Other creative ideas from the team include a new policy that saves £5 per week for all looked-after children from the weekly foster care allowance. These savings are paid, with interest, to young people following their discharge from care.

Keeping "our" children safe is our core business. There are a number of ways that children can express concerns over safety. Thresholds for dealing with allegations against foster carers and other staff are robust and actively enforced. Carers and staff regularly receive safeguarding training.

We are also fortunate enough to have a raft of experienced, dedicated foster carers to call on. Among them are Bob and Brenda Walkington, who have two youngsters in their care – almost 37 years after welcoming the first Bexley child into their home. Brenda's contribution to so many young people's lives was recognised in 2000 when she received an MBE. Dee Boaten first became a foster carer in Bexley in 1983. She recently told us that one of the biggest things for her has been helping children to connect to education.

Brenda, Bob and Dee have all helped us with our recent successful recruitment campaign that has seen 11 new foster carers start the assessment process.

Above all, our positive rating from Ofsted reflects the fact that the whole team has a firm belief in the service we offer. We know we are not perfect and that there is always room for improvement, but we plan for the challenges we face and we face them together.

UK Public Service Feature
1 December 2011

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=18201