Looking ahead

It's a natural reciprocal process: our field moves towards more accountable practice at the same time as society increasingly holds us more accountable for our practice. The media (and the advocacy groups, the litigators, the responsible government departments, our administrators — everyone in this food chain of accountability) watches to make sure that we who work with troubled kids and families, dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T’ . And when something goes wrong, the fingers of blame come wagging.

We are tempted in such circumstances to adapt our practice in such a way that we will be able to exonerate ourselves when the fingers arrive. "We met all of the requirements,” we will say. “We went by the book.”  But when we find ourselves looking over our shoulders in order to satisfy potential critics, we are in danger of limiting our goals and doing no more than the minimum — just covering all the bases. And what results can be sterile, negative and defensive work.

Christopher Beedell reminded us that child and youth care workers should hope to be able to provide “not only good ordinary experience for their charges but also some good extraordinary experience.” He also worries about us merely “providing” care, as if care is a commodity to be delivered. Rather, he maintains that the child must truly experience what we do as caring.

In our practice today we recognise our responsibility for such secure knowledge of our subject and proficiency in our practice that we can trust ourselves to be acting in the best interests of children. That what we do with young people and families remains real, committed, creative — and extraordinary.
 

Reference

Beedell, C. (1970). Residential life with children. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. 20,26