Multi Agency Benefits For Children And Families

Multi Agency Benefits For Children And Families †¦ there appears to be a dearth of evidence to support the notion that multi-agency working in practice brings about actual benefits for children and families The local authority and government agencies have been working together for a long time and not entirely new practice. Jones and Leverett quote However, the drive towards integrated working which includes the entire childrens workforce (that is, every individual who works, on an employed or voluntary basis, with children and their families across sectors such as health, education, early years and childcare, play work, social care, police, youth support and leisure services) under the interagency umbrella is a more recent and ambitious innovation (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 123) Multi-agency working can be analysed using three primary policy contexts. First, the context of influence, where policy discourses are constructed and key policy concepts for example, partnership or multi-agency working are established. Second, the context of policy text production, or the documents that represent policy (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 125). These are usually expressed in language which claims to be reasonable and for the general public good (Bowe et al., 1992). They include texts such as the SEN Code of Practice (DfES, 2001) or the new Working Together to Safeguard Children guidelines (HM Government, 2010). Such texts are then responded to within the context of practice, or what actually happens on the ground for example, schools, childcare or health settings as a result of a particular policy. (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 125) Jones (2000) added a sixth context, the context of hidden values. This means positive effect outcomes on policy; such as, legislation that promotes interagency cooperation in childrens services. They aim to protect childrens welfare and improve wellbeing. However, Jones suggests that there may be a range of hidden meanings and outcomes. At a central level, policy can be cleverly constructed to disguise a particular set of intentions, values and beliefs. Intentionally or otherwise, policy may be a wolf in sheeps clothing (Jones, 2000) There is also evidence that practitioners construct their own meanings related to policy, whether these are intended or not. Commenting on the tendency of policy makers to centrally design forms, e-templates and assessment tools. (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 126) Both, Garrett (2006) and Axford et al. (2006) note how these are sometimes resisted by practitioners because they are perceived as exerting central control over hitherto fairly autonomous areas and suspected of being a cost-cutting device (Axford et al., 2006, p. 172). Consequently, policy could actually sustain or create circumstances that maintain or exacerbate problems. Rather than being a solution to the perceived problem, the interaction between policy and practice may cause a new set of problems. (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 126) The key point is that policy is at three levels local, front line and central. At central level the ideas are made concrete and then articulated nationally and locally. At the time the policy enters the workforce such as schools, practitioners perceptions can consequently be affected. The question is: to what extent is the vision enshrined in central policy on multi-agency working likely to change as it travels on its journey from central government to individual practitioner? (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 126) Governments have a tendency to construct their vision for policy as a statement of aims or intended outcomes. Sometimes the vision is embedded within a wider framework; for example, governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Jones and Leverett, 2008 pg 126) In England, childrens wellbeing was defined as the five mutually reinforcing outcomes originally presented in the Every Child Matters Green Paper (DfES, 2003, p. 6): SHEEP is an acronym that stands for: S Stay safe H Healthy E Enjoy and achieve E Economic wellbeing P Positive contribution The next steps is to translate these visions into learning which can be implemented into practice by people working in such sectors. The five outcomes were integrated into the development of the common core skills and knowledge for the childrens workforce (DfES, 2005) consisting of: Effective communication and engagement with children, young people and families Child and young person development Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child Supporting transitions Multi-agency working Sharing information. (DfES, 2005) Despite variations, the UK government agreed that all children will benefit from closer working between practitioners and agencies. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a key part of delivering frontline services that are integrated and focused around the needs of children and young people. The CAF will promote more effective, earlier identification of additional needs, particularly in universal services. It is intended to provide a simple process for a holistic assessment of a childs needs and strengths, taking account of the role of parents, carers and environmental factors on their development (ECM, 2008). The CAF form is designed to record and, where appropriate, share with others, assessments, plans and recommendations for support. Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a statutory duty on key people and bodies to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. (HM Government, 2004) The ECM states all agencies are required to have: Senior management commitment to the importance of safeguarding and promoting childrens welfare A clear statement of the agencys responsibilities towards children, available for al staff Safe recruitment procedures in place Effective inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children Effective information sharing (ECM, 2008) The rationale for the CAF is to help practitioners develop a shared understanding of children, which avoids families repeating themselves to all other agencies. The CAF helps to develop a common understandings of what needs to be done and how. Do not reassess when the information is already there (Parents in consultation about assessment, in Scottish Executive, 2005b, p. 23) The argument is simple and on the surface persuasive, the impetus based on helping individual children. But the relationship between assessment procedures, their purpose and their outcomes is rarely straightforward (Jones, 2004). Assessment is a lifelong process with social consequences and may be influenced by contextual factors and professional value positions. It is literally a point at which certain children are judged to be different (Tomlinson, 1982, p. 82). Some parents and childrens views of their services have highlighted their wanting a coordinated service that is delivered through a single point of contact, a key worker, named person or link worker (Sloper, 2004, p. 572). Within the CAF, a similar role was produced, the lead professional (LP) who takes responsibility for coordinating the action identified as a result of the CAF process and will support the child and their family as necessary. One of the daunting aspects of the CAF is the number of professionals that practitioners will engage with, such as health, education, social services and voluntary agencies. It can be also quite daunting in finding out who the support services are and their contact details. However, with the CAF process it can be away of overcoming tension previously encountered around multi agency working and sharing information. Just as children and their families have a contribution to make to shape the services they receive through the various forms of partnership discussed in previous chapters, so they can contribute to the development of practice and practitioners. This can happen at many levels through evaluation, feedback, consultation and research, as well as direct involvement in training. Practitioners and the organisations they work for need to recognise that children and their families have specific knowledge that cannot be learnt from anywhere else. (Rixon, 2008) Children are party to the subculture of childhood which gives them a unique insider perspective that is critical to our understanding of childrens worlds. (Kellett, 2005, p. 4) Like many who regularly consult children and young people, we find that their views are always serious, concise, thoughtful and highly relevant and cut through the pre-existing agendas and diplomatic avoidances that beset many consultations with professional adults. We find that even very young children are more than able to analyse and give clear views on many issues within their experience. (Morgan, 2005, pp. 181-182) How is the success of more integrated ways of working to be judged? One element of evaluation might be to consider to what extent integrated teams or new initiatives or structures have overcome obstacles and enabled more positive ways of working. (Stone and Rixon, 2008) As we have discussed, government policy and the literature on childrens services all emphasise the importance of agencies working together and the value of partnership structures, yet: Despite such exhortations, there appears to be a dearth of evidence to support the notion that multi-agency working in practice brings about actual benefits for children and families. (Townsley et al., 2004, p. 6) However, Michelle Warren quotes According to Consultancy 4Children (Policy into practice, 4Children, 2009) consistent evidence indicates that parents and children are best served if the support on offer is joined up and well coordinated. It would be appropriate to recognise that although services may be provided in one setting, there is still a risk of services not being joined up, because of different agencies (and competing interests/perspectives) involved. (Warren, 2010) However, Howell states Previously we actually made it incredibly difficult by making children and parents and carers make their own way through the services all being assessed quite separately and getting very mixed messages. So multi-agency working is essential where a child needs it. We mustnt get confused and think multi-agency working has got to be the only way of working. In some cases its actually the school that will make the difference and thats the agency where the vast majority of children will achieve the best outcomes. (Howell, 2008) However, Townsley highlights the actual benefits for families and children. Howell states There are tensions between agencies, some of them driven by the different starting point that different agencies have. So the nature of the targets that agencies are measured by are actually quite different. The health targets that health services are measured by are significantly different from the kind of targets that schools work to and particularly are quite distant from the outcomes of Every Child Matters. (Howell, 2008) As with any Multi agency working, it is crucial to assess whether any new projects or initiatives have been set targets against criteria that can be measured. This is particularly a reflection for evidence based interventions which have been associated with issues, such as value for money. In relation to this, many have targets which have been set and inevitably raise questions whether it is the correct one to be assigned with a particular target. Practitioners recognise that targets can enable clarity and equity, and focus attention on important areas of practice (Banks, 2004). However, Townsley et al. (2004) states review a number of studies that reveal little evidence of improved outcomes of multi-agency working across a range of services and settings. Their review also makes clear that the task of evaluation itself is a complex one. Inherent problems include: difficulties in generalising from individual case studies; diverse views of different stakeholders as to what counts as success; the length of time needed to evaluate change; and causality and attribution. (Glendinning, 2002, cited in Townsley, 2004, p. 6) Consequently, Howell states Childrens participation and engagement is fundamental to the redesign of services particularly with a multi-agency perspective. Its part of the learning about what makes a difference the whole issue around personalisation puts the client, the person receiving the services, as the co-designer of their solutions. (Howell, 2008) To conclude, A formative approach to evaluation that encourages dialogue and ongoing improvements to both policy and practice would appear to offer a positive way forward. However, this is not without its challenges and there are still issues to be addressed, not least training and clarification of roles and responsibilities. It is up to individual practitioners to promote an inclusive approach to professional difference and to develop a range of different models enabling collaboration, respect, reciprocity, realism and risk-taking. (Leverett and Jones, 2008)

The Impact of Smallpox on the New World Essay -- American America Hist

The Impact of Smallpox on the New World    Transportation and migration has been important to Homo sapiens since the time of the hunter-gatherer. Humans have used the different methods of transportation since this time for a number of reasons (i.e. survival in the case of the hunter-gatherer, to spread religion, or in order to search for precious minerals and spices). What few of these human travelers failed to realize is that often diseases were migrating with them. This essay will look at the spread of the disease smallpox. In the following I hope to reveal the history of smallpox as well as why it devastated the New World. In order to understand the history of smallpox one first has to understand how diseases like it evolve. Much like other species, diseases that survive in the long run are the microbes that most effectively reproduce and are able to find suitable places to live. For a microbe to effectively reproduce, it must "be defined mathematically as the number of new infected per each original patient." This number will largely depend on how long each victim is able to spread the virus to other victims (Diamond, 198). Besides reproduction, a microbe needs a suitable environment to survive. In most cases this environment is a large animal population. With this type of environment a microbe is able to survive by, ironically, not killing everyone off. If a population is small and dense, the microbe will spread to all the animals in the immediate area and, if lethal, kill the entire species off. This not only ends the existence of the animal in this immediate population, but the existence of the microbe since it has no carrier to leach itself to. Therefore, the ideal population for a deadly microbe is a population t... ...nt of the Western Hemisphere. Today, for example, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and Puerto Rico all have substantial or predominantly black populations in place of indigenous Indians lost to smallpox." (Thomson, 122) This, in turn, lead to the triangle slave trade, which produced the largest level and wide spread practice of slavery ever seen. Many historians agree that these turn of events could not have happened without smallpox. This single microbe not only changed the population makeup of the New World, but forever changed the New World culture and economy. Sources 1) Diamond, Jared, "Ch. 11: Lethal gift of livestock," in "Guns, Germs, and Steel" W.W. Norton & Co, 1997, ISBN 0-393-03891-2, pp. 195-214 2) Thomson, Mark. "Junior Division Winner: The Migration of Smallpox and Its Indelible Footprint on Latin American History". The History Teacher. 1998.

Hidden Themes from Homer’s Odyssey Essay

Homer uses the idea of spiritual growth as one of his underlying themes in the Odyssey. He relates this message through various characters and their adventures or actions. Spiritual growth is brought on by rough times, temptations, long travels, and even good times. Homer does a good job of hitting on all of these factors. Odysseus’ adventures and growth are much more prevalent in the Odyssey than those of any other character. He begins on Calypso’s island, where he has everything, except happiness. His spirit is low as he longs for his homeland. Homer introduces Odysseus at a low point to emphasize the growth of Odysseus’ spirit from beginning to end. If Homer had shown Odysseus in a good spirit first, then the growth would not have seemed as prevalent. Odysseus seems to see the light when he finds out that he will be sailing home. He is tested first when Poseidon nearly kills him off the coast of Scheria, the first island he reaches. The Odyssey says, â€Å"an d trapped within that backwash of the brine, Odysseus would have died before his time had not gray-eyed Athena counseled him† (Odyssey by Mandelbaum, 109). Athena allows Odysseus to experience the storm, but not die. She knows that it will make him stronger for it. There is an old saying, which goes along with this situation, â€Å"what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.† Odysseus is also tempted when he and his crew pass the Sirens. He is the only one to hear their song and must be tied to a post in order to keep himself restrained. Odysseus’ spirit is still weak as he is engrossed with the Sirens ability to foretell the future. He says, â€Å"So did they chant with their entrancing voice. My heart longed so to listen, and I asked my men to set me free† (Odyssey by Mandelbaum, 243). The restraints allow him to struggle with the challenge and become stronger without being entangled with the evil. The suitors entice Odysseus when he returns home disguised as the beggar. But now, he has the strength and will power to reject those spoken words. Homer expresses his ideas about pride and spirit when Odysseus encounters the Cyclopes. After out-smarting Polyphemus, Odysseus shouts out his own name in search for â€Å"kleos.† These were his words to Polyphemus, â€Å"if any mortal man should ask about the shameful blinding of your eye, then tell him that the man who gouged you was Odysseus, ravager of cities† (Odyssey by Mandelbaum, 185). Instead of being humbled by the experience, Odysseus tries to brag about what he has done. In reality, it was the gods who blessed him with the ability to escape his situation. Odysseus pays for this action as Poseidon makes his journey back more difficult than it should have been. We see later in the Odyssey how Odysseus grows from this experience when he returns home. He is angered by the suitors and has the composure to keep his name secret until the right time. His spirit is more humble now with the idea of pride than it was on his journey home. Telemachus also experiences spiritual growth, but Homer displays it in a different manner. Whereas Odysseus’ growth is concerned with situations, Telemachus’ is dependent upon a journey. He is sent away from home in search of his father. It seems as though the prince was so dependent on his father that he never really got away from home on his own. It took his father’s disappearance to force Telemachus into a leadersh ip role. He visits friends of his father’s and experiences â€Å"xenia† as the normal head of households do. Through his journey, he learns to depend on the gods and returns home a more spiritually inclined man. Telemachus learns how to make decisions and trust the instinct that the gods give to him. Many can â€Å"talk the talk,† but Telemachus had to â€Å"walk the walk† in order to grow spiritually. And his maturity is displayed toward the end of the Odyssey. Homer shows many different types of spiritual growth throughout the Odyssey. But, he has one main idea: the spirit with the most growth and strength is the one that is tested and weakened through the process. Telemachus’ spirit grows, but cannot compare to that of Odysseus because he was not weakened and tested as much as Odysseus. The weakening allows a person to grow stronger, not just grow. There are many layers of meaning in the fantastic world of Odysseus’s tale. Loyalty has to be seen as a major theme in The Odyssey and can be seen as having a significant meaning to Odysseus’s story. This section will discuss the idea of how Odysseus’s loyal supporters still remain devoted to him even after he has been away for nearly two decades as well as pose a question pertaining to Odysseus’s own actions of infidelity. When reading The Odyssey three main characters stand out that show their trustworthiness to Odysseus while he is away fighting in the Trojan War and trying to make his way back to Ithaca. It seems to me that the most loyal of all these characters could, somehow, easily be overlooked, but it would definitely have to be Odysseus’s wife Penelope. Even after nearly twenty years apart from her husband, she still remains faithful to Odysseus and refuses to marry one of the awaiting suitors that hassle her day in and day out. There even came a time when Penelope told the suitors that she would wed once she finished Laertes’ shroud, but stated, ‘I would weave that mighty web by day; but then by night, by torchlight, I undid what I had done (Odyssey 384). This only proves her complete and utter devotion to Odysseus. Along with Penelope, Telemachus and Odysseus’s loyal swineherd Eumaeus were committed to the King of Ithaca. Telemachus, in one regard, shows his loyalty to Odyssues by going on a voyage to learn more about his father,Odysseus, and Eumaeus speaks highly of his king when Odysseus questions him upon returning to Ithaca saying, ‘I call him my lord, although he is not here† (Odyssey 278). But the main way in which I see the two of these characters remaining loyal to Odysseus is when they stand by him and take on the feisty suitors to win back Odysseus’s palace. It would have been extremely difficult for Odysseus to do it on his own and either one of them could have not participated in the bout, but instead decided to stand by their king and put him back in the position that he once held. Through each of these three character’s commitment and devotion to Odysseus, it can be expressed that loyalty has a major meaning in the world of Odysseus’s tale, but I would like to end this section by posing a question to be thought about. Penelope is shown as the most loyal of all by staying faithful and true to her husband even though they are not together. She resists time and time again the attempts of the suitors for her hand in marriage. So, why is it that Odysseus is so unfaithful to his wife? He is unfaithful with at least two characters Circe, whom he stays with for a year and Calypso, where he is held captive for seven years but sleeps in her bed. Of all the characters that are so loyal to Odysseus, why is he so unloyal in return? Perseverance By Jeremy Fine The topic of our group is layers of meaning in the fantastic world of Odysseus’s tale. There are a lot of different layers of meaning for each tale and the Odyssey itself, and there is more than one interpretation. In this perspective, the theme of the Odyssey is perseverance. Perseverance is an important theme and is one that is seen throughout the whole play and by more than one character. First, there is Odysseus. Odysseus was greeted with perseverance at the very beginning of the epic. He was being held captive by Calypso on an island, and after being visited by Athena, he had the notion and the strong desire to get home. Despite Calypso’s insistence, he decided to leave. He also had an encounter with Circe, and was presented with temptation of all kinds. Odysseus with his wife and son still in mind took the sea once more and proceeded home. Also, Odysseus and his men came in contact with the lotus-eaters. The lotus plants provided an excellent, relaxing feeling for all of the crew, and no one wanted to leave except for Odysseus who stayed his course. Perseverance is also displayed in his way of thinking, his desire to survive and at times conquer, are qualities that promote his perseverance. For instance, when Odysseus finally returns home, he plans to kill all of the suitors that have been courting his wife and he did so. He also earns his place as the basileus of his home again. Odysseus however isn’t the only person to present this theme throughout the story. Penelope is another example of this theme. Penelope lived for years without Odysseus and everyone told her that he was most likely dead and then she should move on. Penelope however never lost hope. She often cried and was sad thinking of the notion that he was dead, but she never moved on. Penelope was visited by many suitors and often housed the suitors. She would feed them and the suitors would take full advantage of her hospitality and her kindness. She persevered over all the years that Odysseus was gone, and when he returned to her, she had no reason to feel guilty and was still fully his. Finally, Telemacus also displayed perseverance. He was in very much the same situation that Penelope was, except that he wasn’t a believer until after Athena visited. He could have ignored what Athena said and just given up right there, but he created his course and stayed, going on voyages and discovering the truth about his father and also grew as a person at this time. Perseverance appears to be one of the strong themes of this story and also a strong characteristic of Odysseus and his family. The fact that they all have this characteristic and that they all display it at different times and apart from each other shows that they each mean a lot to one another. It also displays the importance of the family in ancient Greek history. Hospitality By John Kelley Odysseus’s journey takes place in a world very different than ours. Civilizations are separated by vast uninhabited land where both natural and unnatural obstacles are always present. Hospitality is what makes travel even possible in a world like this. It allows people to rest from their far journeys and escape from looming troubles. Because of the extreme importance of hospitality, those who break this code of conduct are severely punished by the gods. When people follow the code of hospitality they are generally rewarded. There have been many situations throughout the Odyssey where both Odysseus and Telemachus were shown great hospitality. Early in the story when Telemachus sets off on his journey to find out about his father he is shown great hospitality by Nestor and Menelaus even before they know his identity. Meanwhile, back at home, the suitors at his house plot their host’s death upon his return. Here, the Odyssey shows the great contrast between good and evil, using hospitality as the comparison. Odysseus is also shown great hospitality when he arrives at the shores of Scheria and is welcomed by the Phaeacians. After his visit, the Phaeacians load up a boat for Odysseus to travel on, and send him off. Soon Poseidon learns of this and turns the boat into a stone, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean. This is an example where hospitality is not rewarded. This shows that Zeus will reward hospitality as long as it does not interfere with the other gods. Zeus did not want a confrontation with his brother Poseidon, therefore allowing Poseidon to punish the Phaeacians. There have also been situations where hospitality was not shown and punishments were provided. One example was when Odysseus and his men went to Ismarus and met Polyphemus. He, at first, showed signs of hospitality but soon turned hostile and killed several of Odysseus’s men. The rest of the men were locked away, but the gods gave Odysseus the cunning ability to escape and blind Polyphemus. Telemachus was also protected by the gods from the evils of the suitors, who had plotted his murder. When both Telemachus and Odysseus had returned home disguised, Arnaeus, another beggar, challenged Odysseus to a fight but Athena gave Odysseus extra strength and stature to win the fight. The gods then help Odysseus and Telemachus kill the suitors and once again take charge of their home. In the Odyssey, it is the gods that rule over the mortal. This caused a fear that drives mortals to behave in a way that they feel will be rewarded by the gods. Perhaps the mortals in the Odyssey are not great gentlemen that love their fellow men, but show hospitality in fear of punishment.

Article Review of Retaining Nurses and Other Hospital...

Article Review: Nurse Retention Introduction: Nursing is a field in which personnel must contend with a wide variance of daily challenges, both specific to the job itself and more generally as a result of labor conditions within the field. The latter issue in particular implicates a nation-wide nursing shortage, where matters such poor nurse-to-patient ratios, long working hours and low morale have contributed to a generally high turnover within this field. The result is that any given medical facility may find itself in the difficult position of having to sustain positive morale within while simultaneously weathering the kinds of labor shortages that can be deleterious to the experience of those working there. This is the required balance which is delineated in the research article by Lavoie-Tremblay et al (2010). According to the scholarly research article, entitled Retaining Nurses and Other Hospital Workers: An Intergenerational Perspective of the Work Climate and published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Relation to Area of Nursing: This issue of worker turnover is pertinent to every area of nursing and healthcare maintenance in general. Indeed, according to the article by Lavoie-Tremblay et al, the crisis implicated by high nurse turnover is contributing to myriad shortcomings in the capability and quality of a given healthcare system. The present article also considers that there may be generational factors implicated in the rate of turnover, with theShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesChristian Holdener, S4Carlisle Publishing Services Composition: S4Carlisle Publishing Services Printer/Binder: Courier/Kendallville Cover Printer: Courier/Kendalville Text Font: 10.5/12 ITC New Baskerville Std Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the UnitedRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pageshave been chosen (or speciï ¬ cally written) to provide readers with a core of cases which, together, cover most of the main issues in the text. As such, they should provide a useful backbone to a programme of study but could sensibly be supplemented by other material. We have provided a mixture of longer and shorter cases to increase the ï ¬â€šexibility for teachers. Combined with the illustrations and the short case examples at the end of each chapter (in both versions of the book) this increases the reader’s