Have Those Of You In Kent Seen This Article?

[Cait]

A proposed reorganisation at Kent Council will see the separation of children's services and education, in a move that appears to reverse the integration achieved under Every Child Matters

 

Kent split

[sunnyday]

Thanks Cait - and no I had no idea about these planned changes..........

[Guest]

I'm not in Kent but I have to say I kind of welcome this notion.

 

I've been alarmed in recent years at the way teachers and childcare professionals are increasingly being asked to become social workers. Whilst we would all obviously want to do our bit to promote child protection, I think this role really is or should be seen as a separate aspect from our role as educators. Not that we wouldn't highlight concerns, but that our main job is seen as learning and development rather than welfare.

 

I know in the early years the two often go hand in hand, but I do believe that we want to be careful how much of the 'whole child' job we take on - teachers are not specialists in child protection, I don't think we can be everything to everyone.

 

Ducks back below parapet

[Fredbear]

Go girl i definetly agree, ducking too.

[Panders]

Well, it says proposed, it says its out for consultation at the moment - Kent like nothing more than shuffling everyone about all the time and the recent way some of their staff have been treated during a re-think has been rather 'nasty'. As a practitioner it is difficult to keep on top of their changes so I dread to think what it must be like to work for them.

 

In the latest round of changes we no longer have Area Senco's, although there a a few Senco's to cover the whole county, but those Sencos do not solely do that job, they are expected to be Setting Improvement Partners as well for their designated area. Practitioners, therefore, are expected to take on more of the load of identifying and referring children in their settings, frankly it feels as if we have been left adrift at sea - and as far as I am concerned I had little idea that this was what Kent were planning to do.

 

We are going to try to form some kind of support group of Sencos in the immediate area so that we can call upon each other for some advice which is now so sadly lacking from Kent.

[Guest Spiral]

That support network is definitely required at a Senco level. A colleage of mine asked her SIP for some advice and has waited three weeks for half a side of A4 in advice! This is reflective of the new big hat that is worn by the SIP's.

 

It is hard to consider that if you have a child with needs, you would contact someone who has so much on their plate already that you expect them to take sick leave before the end of July!

 

Communication between county LEA's must be forged so we are able to openly access advice and bounce ideas around -why do we seem to behave like different countries under the same roof?

 

And yes, there does seem to be much more of an emphasis on us meeting the child and families needs on all levels and being accountable if they aren't met. The gap between the classes is widening and there is concern that we will end up being slandered by the press the same way that social workers are when things go wrong.

 

You can see the headline now 'the nursery knew the child was subject to ....., they said they reported it, but didn't follow it up.'

 

hmmmm.

Spiral.

[Guest LornaW]

A proposed reorganisation at Kent Council will see the separation of children's services and education, in a move that appears to reverse the integration achieved under Every Child Matters

 

Kent split

 

 

Just seen this post Cait and have had a read and then a browse for further information- there will definately be changes afoot. I found this document Bold Steps for Kent and interesting read!

 

http://www.kent.gov.uk/your_council/priori...s_for_kent.aspx

 

Thanks for drawing it to our atttention!

 

Lorna