Harrow is one of the smaller London boroughs and has comparatively few children in care. The highly multicultural area includes a large Asian and Somali community where the tradition of kinship care is particularly strong. With 136 - 150 children in Harrow's care, there's a tight care community. It also means that the council's been able to pioneer good practice.
It hasn't always been like that. Therese McAlorum has worked in the borough for many years - first as a social work manager and now in 'participation' supporting young people to be involved in how services are designed and delivered in Harrow, helping children and young people to get the skills to make good choices in their lives.
She attributes much of the borough's ambitious attitude to Director of Children's Services, Paul Clark and to staff commitment to making a difference. 'In the past there was a tendency to move young people towards independence at 18 when many were not ready. It was really upsetting for social workers and carers to see young people go, when they still needed support. When this was put to Paul, rather than it being a big battle, he just said "OK, that seems reasonable".
'I remember one young woman who was coping very well on the surface, but she had no foundations - when small things went wrong, she'd flounder. It was agreed that she should remain in care with the support needed for her to access education until she felt more confident to be more independent. She was able to receive counselling which was about what she wanted, not some outside agenda.'
One constant difficulty in many boroughs is the shortage of foster carers. Harrow's working with a private agency to encourage new blood into the system. 'The agency went out very proactively with Blackberries' says Therese 'when someone suitable expressed an interest, they'd take their details and follow it up'. The result is that Harrow can place children locally and avoid disrupting education and friendships.
This doesn't mean that things always work out - there are still some children who spiral through a series of broken placements. But there's more capacity and choice for dealing with difficult situations.
Harrow's participation work means that activities which are fun and also give life skills are woven into the fabric of care. Harrow's Young Voices Group brings together children in care to do everything from Kung Fu to cooking. It allows them to make friends with others in care, see siblings and talk through issues in their lives. 'And' says Therese 'the young people have ownership of the group which means that old members keep in touch, support new members and generally get involved were they can.' Two of the youth workers currently running the groups are themselves from care - one will soon be offering training as an independent consultant. It's an ideal process of ploughing knowledge and talent back into the system.
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