BBC Panorama Adoption

Since The Narey Report early this year, adoption has been of high priority within politics and has received a great deal of media attention including BBC’s Panorama programme “The Truth about Adoption”.
The programme begins with some shocking statistics, 65,000 children a year are put into care, a 40% rise since the tragic death of Baby P. Even more shocking is that only 5% of those 65,000 children will be successfully adopted this year.
Panorama followed six children’s adoption progress that clearly demonstrated just how distressing the process can be for all parties involved. Overall the longwinded and sometimes unsuccessful process left the children anxious and remaining within long term foster care.
Examples of the kind of distress children in care go through are shown frequently throughout this programme. Six year old Katie talks about her sisters being separated “Our sister was separated and we might have to be separated. I want me and Sophie and Chloe to live together, because sisters live together” and within seconds asks for “the next question please” clearly an emotional subject for Katie. Also, ten year old Kieran who was reduced to tears when asked how many placements he has had in his life.

Fortunately, the government is hoping to dramatically alter the adoption process, reducing the time it takes to get a child adopted to 12 months, with a much smoother process and more responsibility to social workers.

Gavin Poole, executive director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has issued the following statement about Panorama: The Truth about Adoption.
“This powerful documentary underscores the realities of our failing adoption culture and the heartbreaking impact it has on young children.
We need a streamlined adoption system that is not unduly risk-averse or overly bureaucratised, and follows the changes called for by Professor Eileen Munro in regards to the wider child protection system.
Faster and more concurrent fostering and adoption would shift the balance of risk away from vulnerable children and to where it should belong - onto the adults.
Far too often children are held in limbo, ferried from one set of parents to another, harbouring deep-seated anxieties about rejection and loss.
A reformed adoption process would act with speed, sensitivity of support and put the welfare of children at its heart.
We welcome recent announcements from the prime minister to simplify and speed up the adoption process. An inability to get a grip on this problem will transfer a social and economic failure from one generation to another.”

Additionally, BBC news education and family reporter Hannah Richardson recently commented on plans to “shake-up” the child protection system. Whilst consistently referring to Professor Munro’s review, Richardson sheds light on the government’s plans to invest eighty million pounds into these important changes and to develop social worker’s expertise that will hopefully result in many more children across the country being successfully adopted.

Written By Abbie Andrew

The Narey Report on Adoptions

Psychologists working in Children in Care and Adoption services will be aware that the Narey Report (Martin Narey) has raised the profile of Adoption Services and how the working practice within statutory services for children who are unable to remain with their birth families could be improved. The Times have published the report, which was written exclusively for them. It is suggested that this will be the blueprint for a radical overhaul of adoption services.

Martin Narey has made 20 recommendations to improve services. The ones relevant to Psychologists working in these services include:

• "I recommend that the Children's Minister ensures that where the best interests of the child are clear and adoption seems to offer the best prospects of permenancy that it should not be delayed by the assessment of family and friend carers where there is clear evidence of unsuitability".


• "I recommend that the Children's Minister looks at how pre-court processes might be shortened, with particular reference to removing the duplication with the work of the courts".


• "I recommend that the Children's Minister ensures that the evidence of the success of adoption - particularly early adoption - (including low breakdown rates) can be communicated to local authorities, the voluntary sector, the press, the courts and the public".

I would encourage people to read the report as it is likely that this report will be influential in the decision making, the timeliness of services and the resource allocation where children need alternative care. Consider this report alongside the report by Eileen Munroe; we should anticipate changes that should mean improved services for the children.

Maxine Tostevin

Dan Hughes Training

As most of you know we were lucky enough to have Dan Hughes with us for the whole week. Feedback about his training was excellent and we are already looking at booking level two training next year. It is really exciting to think about developing DDP across the life span.
Sue Pennington will be asking people who attended level one if they want to join a DDP special interest group data base. It may be that people who are in the practice who have done DDP training previously would also like to join, if so please let Sue know. As well as finding out about DDP training this will allow us to be part of building the evidence base for this approach.

Kelly Camilleri.

The Munro Review of Child Protection, Interim Report: The Child's Journey. Professor Eileen Munro

The review of child protection is part of a national drive to improve the quality of child protection services. The aim of this report was to set out for discussion the struction of an effective child protection system, and the reforms that might help create this. To encourage the change, the review has been working with five authorities who have requested greater flexibility when assessing the needs of children and young people, with the aim of delivering improved outcomes and more fixed interventions. The Secretary of State for Education is considering using his powers to allow them to model the responsible improvement this review wants to encourage. These local authorities will be granted temporary suspension from certain requirements in statutory guidance for a six month period (subject to their agreement with Ministers to the conditions of the trial). The review highlights the crucuial role that inspection can play in improving services for children, and we will be working with Ofsted to develop an inspection process that drives child-centred practice, focuses on the effectiveness of help provided and assesses the quality of learning across local organisations, rather than compliance with process. Serious Case Reviews (SCR's) have failed to identify or explain the factors that have contributed to poor practice. The review is therefore considering adopting the systems approach used in the health sector, which explores these factors and therefore offers the potential for deeper lessons and improved learning. Early identification and provision of help is in the childs best interests and multiagency services which give support for families are important in promoting childrens well-being. The review looks at the efforts to improve family support services in the community such as Sure Start Childrens Centres. All who come into contact with families have a part to play in identifying those children whose needs are not being met. Some of these needs can be helped by early intervention services, while others may need more specialist services, including children's social care. Evidence submitted to the review shows strong support for the current policy where, with the family's agreement, an assessment is made, using a system common to all local agencies, that can be shared with other professionals. It is imporant to minimise dependency and empower families, giving them ownership of their own assessment. This review is taking place at a time of major reform in all of the relevant public services, where there are financial contraints being applied and with major workforce issues particularly in the field of social work. It is essential that the protection of children still remains the priority within these reforms. It is in this context that the review is seeking the help of each profession within the sector to develop the reforms proposed in this report and work with a range of groups to develop its thinking before producing a final report and recommendations to the Government in April. To see the full report please visit this link: http://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/Munrointerimreport.pdf

MP Graham Allen Highlights the Importance of Early Years Intervention

The government- commissioned report recommends regular assessments of pre-school children which focus on their social and emotional development. This type of early intervention will improve the lives of vulnerable children, which will help break the cycle of "dysfunction and under-achievement". It also calls for a national parenting programme in the UK. Previous interventions have been too late and major social problems have become worse not better. MP Graham Allen was asked to assess how children who are from disadvantaged backgrounds could be given the best start in life.

His report highlights that success or failure in early childhood has "profound economic consequences", and calls for more private money to be channelled into early intervention schemes to help set children on the right path in life.

Society is failing to equip young children with the social and emotional skills they need in life, he says. "If we continue to fail, we will only perpetuate the cycle of wasted potential, low achievement, drink and drug misuse, unintended teenage pregnancy, low work aspirations, anti-social behaviour and lifetimes on benefits, which now typifies millions of lives and is repeated through succeeding generations".

Mr Allen's report details the impact of poor parenting and says very few parents-to-be understand how to build the social and emotional capability of a baby or small child. All parents need to know how to "recognise and respond to a baby's cues, attune with infants and stimulate them from the very start, and how to foster empathy", it says. The report highlights American research that shows the early years are the greatest period of growth in the human brain. This is why Mr Allen is stressing the importance to intervene in the early years, rather than later when the basic architecture, or wiring, of the brain is formed for life.

To read the full article and listen to Mr Allen on Radio 4 view the link below

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12216967

An interesting development in a Criminal Law case.

I thought I'd like to share this interesting piece of Law I came across recently during a trial, in which I was instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service in a Murder case to do an assessment of personality. It may be of interest to psychologists who get involved in criminal work.

Here's the scenario: First an expert (psychiatrist) produced a report for the defense, suggesting that the defendant did not have a personality disorder but did have "abnormal personality traits," (histronic) which he claimed could have influenced the defendant's decision making during the week of the alleged murder of his wife. The psychiatrist did not use any psychometrics.

In my report, I also suggest that there's not a personality disorder but agree there are some personality traits (though not histronic) but say it is unclear what relevance they have, if any. I based my conclusions on my review of the evidence, clinical interviews, STAXI-2, MCMI-III, PAI, WTAR and WASI.

At trial, the question that was raised was: should the jury judge even hear and consider the experts' evidence re personality traits if there is no disorder? A Voir Dire was held to consider this question. It was decided that they should not. This judgement was based on the following pieces of Law: R V Turner (1975): "where no mental abnormality is involved, such matters are within the 'common knowledge and experience' and can be understood by a jury. An Expert's opinion is only admissible to furnish the court with scientific information which is likely outside the experience and knowledge of judge/jury." This decision was upheld in Weightman (1991) and Cole (1995). That is, unless there's an Abnormality of Mind (which translates into a Mental Disorder), the jury can be confused by hearing scientific jargon that seeks to explain a defendants behaviour. They were considered to be perfectly capable of understanding that people with different personality styles will act differently and there can be more than one explanation for someone's behaviour under duress, without resorting to experts.

The judge pronounced the defense psychiatrist's evidence in this case "superfluous, and it trespasses upon matters which are within the jury's normal experience." Consequently, therefore, none of the expert psychiatric or psychological evidence was admissible and the general feeling was the defense psychiatrist should have just concluded No PD, full stop.

The outcome was that the defendant was found Guilty and given a 19 year sentence.

The barrister became aware of this piece of Law only at the very last moment (the night before we were due to testify). It has been very interesting to think how things might have progressed if the experts' testimony had been allowed. The whole area is a fascinating one: for example, in future, will there be less distinction made in Criminal law between Abnormality of Mind (i.e., when a serious disorder is present) and less serious mental/emotional conditions? Is it really within the jury's experience to understand how personality features (though not personality disorder) can account for inappropriate behaviour? Should there be different standards in Criminal v other proceedings? Don't we talk about significant personality feature and their impact on behaviour all the time in child & family work?

Please let us hear your thoughts on this?

Posted on Behalf of Dr Susan Jones by Gareth Nightingale

Meditation Training Promotes Positive Psychology and Better Cellular Health

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, San Francisco have discovered links between the positive psychological changes that occur from meditation and greater Telomerase activity. Telemerase is an enzyme which is important for cellular health and helps rebuild and lengthen telomeres.

Participants in the study also had numerous psychological benefits from meditation training at the same time as decreasing negative emotionality. The effect is attributable to psychological changes that increase the ability for a person to deal with stress and maintain their feelings of well-being.
Clifford Saron an associate research scientist at the University of California, Davis centre for Mind and Brain said "We have found that meditation promotes positive psychological changes and that meditators showing the greatest improvement on various psychological measures had the highest levels of telemerase". The research findings are not suggesting that meditation directly increases telomerase activity and therefore a persons health. But rather that mediation improves a person's psychological well-being and that these changes are connected to telomerase activity in immune cells, which then has the potential to endorse longevity in those cells. Activities that increase a person's sense of well-being will have a huge effect on the most primary aspects of their physiology.

To read the article in full visit: http://clinicallypsyched.com/meditation-positive-psychology-improved-cellular-health-research/