Madam, – I am in total agreement with Mary Rose Waterman on the childcare system (Opinion, July 31st) as I too have worked with young people who have died while in care. Being a frontline social care worker is a challenging role.
When children are in crisis, their immediate need to be heard is evident. What they are crying out for is safety, care and understanding.
I too have heard these pleas from many young people, and like all other frontline workers have advocated on their behalf, passed on reports, recommendations, made the emergency calls.
You become a child’s voice and this becomes a challenge; so many times your voice is one of many, your recommendations are being looked at, you are waiting on behalf of the child for the yes or no on whether they fit the criteria for residential placement, high support or secure unit.
Like Ms Waterman, I have worked with young people who have died. It is with utter sadness that I recall each of these lives; they were individuals whose journey through care became their toughest challenge. A vital point I urge people to understand is that many of the young people who have come into care have never used drugs, been involved in criminal activity, prostitution, dealing, etc, prior to this time.
When they eventually become embroiled in street life, all changes. Many known to me have died or are now in prison; as they became adults, they became homeless, chronic heroin users, dependent on alcohol. Three have been murdered.
The system failed these individuals without a doubt. The emergency care system is by no means meeting the child’s needs. Child protection must be scrutinised seriously. Are there gatekeepers as a child’s file travels from the frontline to the desk of the person who makes the final decision on placement? What information is not getting through? When we see an urgent need for immediate response, there is silence, time passing, another call.
Time is of the essence in each child’s life; as the gap in communication regarding decisions gets wider and wider, the child will eventually slip through it.
I will never forget any of the children I have had the pleasure of working with. As many explained “I never thought I’d end up like this”.
As a social care worker boundaries are a must. However, emotions seep through eventually and it is such a tragedy to see the young life you have worked with so long and diligently eventually die. It is heartbreaking, as you think of all the opportunities missed, and the what ifs.
The most infuriating part of it all is the fact that many children are still at risk of slipping through this appalling gap. – Yours, etc,