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News from the field of Child and Youth Care

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31 AUGUST

UNICEF: Collecting water is often a colossal waste of time for women and girls

UNICEF said the 200 million hours women and girls spend every day collecting water is a colossal waste of their valuable time.

As World Water Week gets underway in Stockholm and experts gather to try to improve the world’s access to water, the UN children’s agency stressed that the opportunity cost of lack of access to water disproportionately falls on women.

“Just imagine: 200 million hours is 8.3 million days, or over 22,800 years,” said UNICEF’s global head of water, sanitation and hygiene Sanjay Wijesekera. “It would be as if a woman started with her empty bucket in the Stone Age and didn’t arrive home with water until 2016. Think how much the world has advanced in that time. Think how much women could have achieved in that time.”

“When water is not on premises and needs to be collected, it’s our women and girls who are mostly paying with their time and lost opportunities,” he added.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation, Goal 6, calls for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. The first step is providing everyone with a basic service within a 30-minute round trip, and the long term goal is to ensure everyone has safe water available at home. However, UN estimates are that in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, for 29 per cent of the population (37 per cent in rural areas and 14 per cent in urban areas), improved drinking water sources are 30 minutes or more away.

In sub-Saharan Africa, one roundtrip to collect water is 33 minutes on average in rural areas and 25 minutes in urban areas. In Asia, the numbers are 21 minutes and 19 minutes respectively. However for particular countries the figures may be higher. A single trip takes longer than an hour in Mauritania, Somalia, Tunisia and Yemen.

When water is not piped to the home the burden of fetching it falls disproportionately on women and children, especially girls. A study of 24 sub-Saharan countries revealed that when the collection time is more than 30 minutes, an estimated 3.36 million children and 13.54 million adult females were responsible for water collection. In Malawi, the UN estimates that women who collected water spent 54 minutes on average, while men spent only 6 minutes. In Guinea and the United Republic of Tanzania average collection times for women were 20 minutes, double that of men.

For women, the opportunity costs of collecting water are high, with far reaching effects. It considerably shortens the time they have available to spend with their families, on child care, other household tasks, or even in leisure activities. For both boys and girls, water collection can take time away from their education and sometimes even prevent their attending school altogether.

Collection of water can affect the health of the whole family, and particularly of children. When water is not available at home, even if it is collected from a safe source, the fact that it has to be transported and stored increases the risk that it is faecally contaminated by the time it is drunk.

This in turn increases the risk of diarrhoeal disease, which is the fourth leading cause of death among children under 5, and a leading cause of chronic malnutrition, or stunting, which affects 159 million children worldwide. More than 300,000 children under 5 die annually from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water – over 800 per day.

“No matter where you look, access to clean drinking water makes a difference in the lives of people,” said Wijesekera. “The needs are clear; the goals are clear. Women and children should not have to spend so much of their time for this basic human right.”

29 August 2016

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_92690.html

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29 AUGUST

New Zealand: Experts to debate outdoor recreation in a digital age

The impact of technology on how we interact with the great outdoors will be a hot topic at this year’s Outdoors Forum, hosted by the New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA).

Recreation professionals and experts will share insights on the different ways in which digital technology is changing the way in which we interact with the outdoors, particularly in non-urban settings. This year’s forum will be held on 1-2 September at the James Cook Hotel in Wellington, with the theme of Getting the Next Generation Outdoors.

“As with any change, there are challenges and opportunities associated with the increasing use of technology in the great outdoors,” says NZRA Chief Executive Andrew Leslie.

“People venturing into the outdoors these days, particularly younger people, are often doing so with the aid of mobile devices and other technology. This upcoming forum will allow sector professionals to share their views and brainstorm their ideas on the subject.”

Dr Roslyn Kerr, Head of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Society at Lincoln University, will be speaking at the forum about the differences and similarities in the way people use digital devices in urban, peri-urban and back country settings.

“What we know is that the further away we move from urban settings, the more tension there is around the question of using phones, music players and other technology in the outdoors,” Ms Kerr says.

“In urban settings, the use of technology is more or less unquestioned. In the back country, there is less tolerance for such devices. At the same time, the research suggests that people don’t want rules imposed on them. For example, some outdoor sector managers have suggested banning technology use in tramping huts, but people appear not to want that level of interference.”

There is no simple answer to whether technology has had a positive or negative impact on how we interact with the outdoors. On the one hand, digital apps and GPS make people feel more secure about exploring the great outdoors. But such devices can also produce a false sense of security, Ms Kerr says.

“Experienced back country users are saying that people shouldn’t venture to places they have no experience with, because without skills, their devices won’t be much use to them if something goes wrong,” she says.

Ms Kerr points to a study she supervised, by PhD student Caroline Dépatie, which looks at the use of digital devices in the Port Hills area, in Canterbury. Two-thirds of the recreationists surveyed said they carried a smart phone, with 80 percent citing safety as their primary reason for having it. But the phones were mostly used to check the time (50 percent), followed by calling, texting and taking photos, while accessing information like trail conditions and weather represented only 15 percent of usage.

Still, technology is here to stay, and it’s important to talk about how best to use it, and to be creative in our thinking, Ms Kerr says. “It would be good to carry out more experience-based research, to better understand for example what skills people might need in the back country, and where technology can play a positive part in their outdoor experiences.”

The forum will feature a range of keynote speakers and provide opportunities to share ideas, debate hot topics and discuss common challenges. Other topics this year include access to our outdoors, New Zealand’s changing demographics, and the importance of understanding student needs and planning to ensure curriculum needs are met. There will also be a presentation on sport and cultural diversity, with a particular focus on an Auckland-based project aimed at addressing the needs of the rapidly growing Asian community on the North Shore of Auckland.

29 August 2016

Press Release: New Zealand Recreation Association

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1608/S00295/experts-to-debate-outdoor-recreation-in-a-digital-age.htm

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26 AUGUST

Ontario creating job opportunities for Indigenous youth

Ontario is continuing its support for natural resources management training and skills development programs that provide Indigenous youth with opportunities for summer jobs and rewarding careers.

The First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program (FNNRYEP) and the Mink Lake First Nations Youth Employment Program (MLFNYEP) are offered through partnerships among the province, Confederation College and Lakehead University. Both two-year summer employment programs give Indigenous youth, aged 16-19, natural resource management experience through work projects in the forestry, mining and energy industries.

Nearly 50 Indigenous youth from 25 First Nations communities across the province have graduated from the programs this year. Past graduates of these programs have gone on to rewarding careers as foresters, underground miners, heavy equipment operators and Assistant Band Managers, and have also pursued further education in fields such as political science, engineering and Indigenous law.

Programs like the FNNRYEP and the MLFNYEP enable experiential learning and help build on Ontario's world-class skills, education and training systems to prepare the current and future workforce for the technology- and knowledge-based jobs of today and into the future.

Helping young people develop their careers is part of the government's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario's history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

Quick facts

• Each program participant can obtain two high school co-op credits while working during the summer.
• 93 per cent of first year participants successfully completed their first year in the programs.
• 929 summer job placements have been created to date within the programs.
• Since the inception of FNNRYEP in 2000 and MLFNYEP in 2015, more than 389 youth from 52 First Nations across Ontario have graduated.
• In 2016, Ontario contributed $200,000 and in-kind support to both programs.
• The FNNRYEP and MLFNYEP are offered in partnership with Confederation College and Lakehead University.

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

25 August 2016

https://news.ontario.ca/mnr/en/2016/08/ontario-creating-job-opportunities-for-indigenous-youth.html

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24 AUGUST

Welsh assembly members launch youth work inquiry

An inquiry into youth work in Wales has been launched by a group of Welsh assembly members

The children, young people and education committee said that the overall aim of the “snapshot inquiry” is to “review the effectiveness of the Welsh government’s strategy and policy in respect of youth work”.

In a consultation letter, committee chair Lynne Neagle, said the committee is looking for views on four key areas.

The first is “young people’s access to youth work services” with a view to understanding what levels of provision and regional variations there are, and any issues relating to access for specific groups of young people.

The committee has also called for views on “how effective the government’s strategy and policy on youth work is”, and views on local authority, Welsh government, European and third sector funding for youth work.

Evidence on “any other issues” considered relevant to the inquiry are also being welcomed such as workforce-related issues; buildings and infrastructure; youth work in schools; the Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales; and the Welsh government’s consultation on proposals to register and inspect some out-of-school education settings. The deadline for submissions is 9 September.

“This inquiry is not seeking evidence on local and national youth participation structures, which the committee regards as an important issue and which will require further consideration within its work programme,” Neagle said in a letter.

A separate consultation aimed at gathering the views of young people in Wales has also been launched.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1158656/welsh-assembly-members-launch-youth-work-inquiry

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22 AUGUST

Newfoundland and Labrador: Enhanced service delivery focus of new department of children, seniors and social development

The Provincial Government recognizes the importance of providing enhanced service delivery to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians through all stages of life. The new Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development made up of the former Departments of Child, Youth and Family Services, and Seniors, Wellness and Social Development will be responsive to the needs of all residents and place a strong focus on the well-being of individuals.

"Over the past eight months I have become quite familiar with the work of both departments and I have seen clearly how there are synergies and areas where there are service overlaps. By creating the new Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development residents will benefit from access to a wide range of services from a department which is family-focused with a concentration towards nurturing strong, healthy communities. This will allow our staff to closely follow individuals and families throughout their lives to ensure that the Provincial Government is remaining responsive to their needs."
- The Honourable Sherry Gambin-Walsh, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development

Key areas of the new departmental mandate include:

• Support for seniors;
• Child protection services;
• Youth corrections;
• Management of adoption programs;
• Development of healthy living programs;
• Oversight of provincial recreation and sport programs;
• Oversight of the Disability Policy Office; and
• Initiatives to foster poverty reduction.

"The mandate of this new department is broad, but includes some of the most important functions undertaken by government for the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. I look forward to the coming together of both teams, as we continue to support key wellness and protection initiatives, and collaborate closely with stakeholders to build upon the work being carried out in our communities."
- Minister Gambin-Walsh

Websites as well as documentation for both departments will be changed to reflect the new department name.

http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2016/cssd/0817n03.aspx

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19 AUGUST

Ireland: National Review Panel reports identify key learnings

The National Review Panel reports published today identify keys learnings following a review of the deaths of young people known to child protection services, some of whom were in State Care. The reports identify gaps in services in particular the lack of co-ordination between service providers. One of the reports published highlights the lack of suitable accommodation for young people experiencing mental health issues, lack of access to mental health services and the limited treatment options available to young people. Speaking following the publication of these reports, Director of EPIC, Jennifer Gargan made the following statement: “One of the key findings from these reports highlights the need for co-ordination and co-operation of services, in particular, between Tusla, mental health and disability services. There needs to be clarity around the key responsibility of each organisation identifying which organisation is the lead organisation particularly when a young person at the age of 18 is transitioning out of care. Some of these cases again highlight the need for every young person in care to have an allocated Social Worker at all times and have regular Statutory Child in Care Reviews. Furthermore all agencies should be trained in order to carry out a proper risk assessment for a young person upon referral to their service. These reports clearly highlight the need for more specialised foster carers for young people with disabilities in which training and supports should be provided for regularly. EPIC welcomes the learnings from these reports and reiterates the importance of these learnings to be implemented into practice in order to protect and provide.

16 August 2016

http://www.epiconline.ie/topics/media/press-releases/

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17 AUGUST 2016

Australia: Listen and learn on International Youth Day

National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell marked International Youth Day on 12 August 2016 by urging decision-makers to listen to, and take account of the views of children and young people.

“We cannot blindly hope that vulnerable children and young people will somehow find their way through a confusing and often scary world,” Commissioner Mitchell said.

In the past month alone, revelations about the treatment of children in Australian youth justice centres, offshore immigration detention facilities and child protection systems have highlighted ongoing abuse of children’s human rights.

“We need to ensure the rights we promise to children and young people under the Convention on the Rights of the Child are upheld. We need to pay particular attention to children and young people who are detained and put an end to any abuse and trauma these children are experiencing.”

Commissioner Mitchell said Australia’s children and young people continue to face significant barriers to health and well-being.

“It is now 25 years since Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and still we have one in six children in Australia living below the poverty line. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, LGBTI children, children from rural areas, children with disabilities and children from migrant backgrounds are more likely to experience poverty, discrimination, self-harm and social exclusion.

“Without laws that adequately support child rights, without a Federal Minister with responsibility for children, and without a national plan or budget focusing on children and their healthy development, it is left to the community at large to do the heavy lifting for Australian kids,” Commissioner Mitchell said.

“But a recent survey from the Valuing Children Initiative showed that the interests of children and young people are not high on the list of priorities for everyday Australians. This needs to change.”

In a statement issued for International Youth Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged young people to engage with the UN’s global agenda for sustainable development.

“The world’s young people – who make up the largest generation of youth in history – can lead a global drive to break the patterns of the past and set the world on course to a more sustainable future,” Mr Ban Ki-moon said.

“We count on the active engagement of the world’s young people to transform the production and consumption of goods and services so they meet the basic needs and aspirations of the world’s poorest people without overburdening already strained ecosystems.”

12 August 2016

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/stories/listen-and-learn-international-youth-day

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15 AUGUST

Two-thirds of young people in more than 18 countries say they have been victims of bullying

On International Youth Day, a new poll highlights prevalence of bullying and its devastating impact on young people

More than nine out of 10 young people believe bullying is a pervasive problem in their communities, and two-thirds say they have experienced bullying first hand – a new poll conducted by UNICEF and their partners shows.

The poll was conducted through U-Report, a rapidly growing youth engagement tool that provides a platform for over 2 million young ‘U-Reporters’ from more than 20 countries. Through the poll young people were asked via SMS, Facebook and Twitter, a series of questions relating to the impact of bullying in their community, their own personal experiences of bullying and what they think can be done to end this type of violence. More than 100,000 U-Reporters, recruited by partners such as the Scouts and Girl Guides, with an estimated age of 13-30, participated in the poll including young people from Senegal, Mexico, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mozambique, Ukraine, Chile, Malaysia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Pakistan, Ireland, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Indonesia, Zambia and through the Global U-Report channel.

“Bullying, including online bullying, remains a largely misunderstood risk to the wellbeing of children and young people,” said UNICEF’s Senior Adviser on Child Protection, Theresa Kilbane.

“To end this type of violence, we must improve public awareness of the harmful impact of bullying, equip teachers, parents and peers with the skills to identify risks and report incidents, and provide care and protection for victims.”

Other findings from the U-Report poll include:

• One-third of respondents thought being bullied was normal so they did not tell anyone.
• The majority of respondents who reported being victims of bullying said they were bullied because of their
physical appearance.
• Bullying was also attributed to gender or sexual orientation and ethnicity.
• One quarter of victims said they did not know who to tell.
• Over eight in 10 respondents believe that raising awareness including through teacher training around helping
children to feel comfortable reporting bullying is one way to address the issue in schools.

UNICEF works to engage children and adolescents on the impact of bullying as part of its global End Violence Against Children initiative including through the U-Report platform and through global social media campaigns (#ENDViolence.) UNICEF, together with its partners, also works to strengthen education systems in schools and establish strong referral systems for child welfare.

12 August 2016

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_92086.html

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12 AUGUST

Program aims to keep children, families together

An initiative by Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services of Southeastern Vermont (HCRS), funded through a state grant, aims to help reverse a rising trend of children separated from their families due to abuse and neglect in Springfield and throughout the state of Vermont.

“We’re kind of the last chance to make it work. We’re very practical. We ask, ‘What do you need?’” said Will Shakespeare, HCRS Director of Children, Youth, and Family Services. The answer from families may be rent subsidy, removing trash from a home, getting a car repaired, or behavioral issues such as help with getting children prepared for school or using an alarm clock – all short term and focused solutions, he said.

A pair of autistic twins whose behavior, school attendance, and hygiene problems “nearly exhausted” efforts by educators and their own parents; a boy whose constant school absence and untreated ringworm were symptoms of his mother’s hoarding and health issues; and a quiet 14-year-old girl who suffered physical and mental abuse from her alcoholic mother are three cases of southern Vermont families in crisis that might have concluded with the youths removed from their homes and placed into state custody.

Instead, all three cases – and hundreds like them in Brattleboro and Springfield – have ended “far happier” due to the efforts of HCRS, funding from the Vermont Department of Children and Families (DCF), and a program called Intensive Family Based Services (IFBS), according to an August 11 press release from HCRS. With the help of the DCF grant, HCRS is extending its IFBS model to Brattleboro and Springfield, keeping children in their homes and helping avoid state custody, according to the press release.

The IFBS is a national model for child protection, used in Vermont and New England, Shakespeare said. It uses 13- to 18-week, intensive, in-the-home family support services with a clinical focus to help keep children safe in their homes while also preventing unnecessary separations from their families. IFBS clinicians are trained to work with families victimized by rapidly increasing addiction and substance abuse challenges.

“It’s short term, and very practical,” Shakespeare said on Thursday. “It’s basically saying, ‘You’ve got three months to turn this around … If you agree to this, then let’s get to it.”

The services begin with an assessment of each family’s needs, capacities and willingness to engage in the process, and current levels of risk to children. Based on the assessment, HCRS constructs a plan of care, which includes setting measurable goals for improving parenting skills, helping parents to manage their children’s behavior, promoting safe and effective family meetings, and providing referrals to other community resources. All families are provided HCRS’ round-the-clock crisis intervention and behavioral support services.

By Tory Jones Bonenfant

11 August 2016

See more: http://www.eagletimes.com/news/2016-08-11/Front_Page/Program_aims_to_keep_children_families_together.html

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10 AUGUST

U.S. Department of Education releases guidance on homeless children and youth

The U.S. Department of Education today released guidance to states and school districts on the new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for supporting homeless youth. The new provisions address the needs of homeless individuals, and ensure educational rights and protections for homeless children and youth. The guidance released today will assist state and local partners in understanding and implementing the new law in order to better protect and serve homeless students and help schools in providing these students with much needed stability, safety, and support. The guidance was informed by the input of a diverse group of stakeholders to best address the needs of homeless youth.

“Homeless children and youth face a number of barriers to getting the education they deserve and the services they need to succeed in school and beyond,” said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. “As a kid, home was a scary and unpredictable place for me and I moved around a lot after my parents passed away. I know from my own experience and from my conversations with homeless students that school can save lives. It is our hope that the guidance we are releasing today will serve as a tool to help states and districts better serve homeless children and youth – we can and we must do better.”

During the 2013-14 school year, more than 1.3 million homeless children and youth were enrolled in public schools. Research shows that these students experience significant academic, social, and socio-emotional challenges, and that being homeless is associated with lower school achievement and increased risk of dropping out of school. In addition, students who experience high mobility and attend many different schools over the course of their education often slip academically with each move. Recognizing these challenges, this guidance offers technical assistance on promising practices for helping homeless youth through the implementation of homeless education requirements at the State and local levels, focusing particular attention on changes under ESSA.

“The Department of Education’s guidance will provide schools and school districts in Washington state and across the country with critical tools and resources to increase the educational success of homeless children and youths from preschool to higher education,” said Senator Patty Murray, ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee. “I was proud to fight for these improvements in our new education law and I thank the Department for working with me to prioritize and serve these students so they can achieve at the highest levels and secure a pathway to the middle class.”

“NAEHCY members include the school district liaisons who are on the front lines in the struggle against family and youth homelessness,” said Barbara Duffield, director of policy and programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. “In many communities, liaisons are the only adults focused on helping homeless students meet their basic needs, and access the education and early care that is their best path to a better life. Today’s guidance will help ensure that liaisons are able to carry out their duties, per the ESSA amendments, so they have the time and the training to identify and support these all-too-often invisible students.”

In December 2015, ESSA reauthorized the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youths program, which protects and serves homeless students. The amended McKinney-Vento Act provides new protections for homeless youth, and equips local partners with an essential tool for implementing new provisions in ESSA. The guidance released today helps states, districts, and local partners understand the new provisions, which take effect October 1, 2016. Among other changes, the amended McKinney-Vento Act includes new requirements focused on:

• Identification of homeless children and youths;
• Making sure that preschool-aged homeless children have access to and receive supportive services;
• Ensuring coordination with other service providers, including public and private child welfare and social service agencies; law enforcement agencies; juvenile and family courts; agencies providing mental health services; domestic violence agencies; child care providers; runaway and homeless youth centers; providers of services and programs funded under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act; and providers of emergency, transitional, and permanent housing, including public housing agencies, shelter operators, and operators of transitional housing facilities;
• Providing professional development and technical assistance at both the State and local levels;
• Removing enrollment barriers;
• Providing school stability, including the expansion of school of origin to include preschools and receiving schools and the provision of transportation until the end of the school year, even if a student becomes permanently housed;
• Protecting privacy of student records, including information about a homeless child or youth’s living situation;
• Improving the dispute resolution process for decisions relating to the educational placement of homeless children and youths;
• Increasing the emphasis on college and career readiness; and
• Establishing a new authority for local liaisons to verify the eligibility of homeless children, youths, and families for HUD homeless assistance programs.

To accompany the guidance released today, the Department will also release a fact sheet for teachers, principals, counselors and other school staff to provide an overview of the unique needs of homeless students, a summary of the protections for homeless children and youths under the McKinney-Vento Act, and recommendations for how educators can help.

The Department of Education also recently announced changes to streamline the way homeless students gain access to financial aid for college. Included in the changes, all students who indicate on the FAFSA that they're homeless will automatically have the option to select that they've already received an unaccompanied homeless youth determination which means they will be considered “independent” for the purposes of financial aid eligibility, and won’t need to provide their parent’s financial information. The Department also released a fact sheet to help homeless students navigate the FAFSA. In response to the growing number of homeless students enrolled in public schools, President Obama’s fiscal year 2017 budget also calls for a 21 percent increase to the Education for Homeless Children and Youths program, which helps reduce and eliminate educational barriers for homeless children.

The new guidance in its entirety can be found here. This guidance is part of a series of guidance documents that will be released on the new provisions in ESSA.

27 July 2016

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8 AUGUST

IRELAND

Child focus in National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness

Extra support workers and new accommodation for vulnerable teenagers will be some of the child focussed measures to be introduced as part of the National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, according to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone.

The Minister outlined the measures in an address to the AGM of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC). Minister Zappone said the measures would deliver for children caught up in the homeless crisis in the short and long term.

The Minister said:

“I was delighted when the ISPCC and other frontline agencies accepted my invitation to attend a summit on the needs of homeless children just two weeks ago. During those discussions we identified a number of practical measures to be included in the National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness to make life easier for children caught up in the crisis. The submissions and contributions from the agencies were practical and focussed to deliver improvements in the lives of children in the short-term.

As Minister I can confirm today that most of the suggestions have been accepted and are now a matter of policy. All of the frontline organisations who worked with us on this can take credit for the measures in the Housing and Homelessness Action plan which will allow children to lead less chaotic lives because of their family's circumstances. It was genuinely a team effort, and I hope we will continue to work as a team to end the need to use hotels as emergency accommodation. The government's ambition is to end this in the next year and I will work with my colleagues and with the ISPCC and other frontline agencies to achieve this.

I know that the ISPCC is keen to ensure that children in emergency accommodation are kept safe. You have been generous in your offer to provide training to hotel staff. The Action Plan has committed to putting in place a voluntary safety guidance code and we look forward to working with you and others on implementing this.

I know the society in particular had identified how children were being cut off from schools, their friends and in some cases family members when placed in far-away emergency accommodation. Too often the distances to be covered can be measured in miles. As well as dealing with the hurt and trauma of losing their homes, living in an unfamiliar environment, they are also being cut off from family and friends because of the cost of travel.

During one of my first meetings with the ISPCC, your CEO told us about a scheme that had been introduced in Scotland. It was simple yet I believe will have a very positive impact on the daily lives of homeless children and their families. By working together – we have successfully secured a free Leap Card scheme which when introduced will remove transport costs as a burden for families.

Today I can also confirm that in a joint initiative with the Department of Health we are appointing additional Child Support Workers to develop support plans for children and families. One quarter of children who are living in emergency accommodation need this additional support and I am determined that they will get it.

One immediate need is to look at the food being provided for children in emergency accommodation – it is unacceptable that children are malnourished. We need to support parents and children to look after their physical and mental health. My department , in partnership with others have undertaken to find solutions for families that do not have access to cooking facilities. I am particularly pleased that "Healthy Ireland" has come on board as a partner.

We know from our consultations that access to childcare is difficult for families in emergency accommodation. Homeless families are faced with uncertainty about where they will be living and therefore it is almost impossible for them to pre-book a creche or preschool service. We are arranging assistance for them to identify places and we will design a specific scheme to ensure that they can access places.

As Minister for Children I have asked that the Department of the Environment for ring-fenced funding to allow housing agencies to find suitable accommodation for between 30 and 40 vulnerable young people per year who are leaving State Care.

I really believe that this will give young people a better chance at leading happy and healthy lives. I was particularly struck by two young men that attended our homeless summit. Although still young, they had both been homeless for a number of years. They wanted very little – just a chance to have what they described as a "normal" life. We need a plan for young people who are coming out of care and who don't have options about living arrangements. The fact that they have been in care indicates that they have had troubled early lives. They really deserve a chance to have better lives.

One way of doing this is to help them with a place to live. It is easier then to build relationships, do some training, participate in education or get a job. We will listen to the experts like yourselves about the best way to do this but the listening exercise will be short. I want a programme in place next year.

I have a commitment that funding will be made available so I want it spent next year, so that I can go back and get more for 2018 and hopefully 2019.
These are practical measures which will make a difference in both the short-term and the long term.”

21 July 2016

http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?Docid=3862&CatID=11&StartDate=1+January+2016

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4 AUGUST

Ending grave human rights violations of children demands ending conflicts, establishing peace, Secretary-General tells Security Council

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the Security Council open debate on children and armed conflict, in New York today:

The global security landscape continues to change dramatically – but one grim reality does not: children still pay the highest price in wartime. Young boys and girls are directly targeted – and conscripted. They are tortured, maimed, imprisoned, starved, sexually abused and killed. Their homes and schools are destroyed.

In places such as Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, children suffer through a living hell. And in many cases, it is getting even worse. Thousands of Syrian children have been killed since the start of the conflict. Millions more are traumatized. Last year, Afghanistan recorded its highest rate of child casualties since 2009. In Somalia, recorded violations increased by 50 per cent from 2014 to 2015. In South Sudan, children continue to pay the heaviest price for leaders’ failure to commit to peace. In Yemen, six times as many children were killed and maimed in 2015 compared to just one year before – and five times as many were recruited into fighting. Violence continues to take a toll on Palestinian and Israeli children. My last report called on Israel to ensure accountability. This remains critical.

More than half of the world’s refugees are frightened children. We must urgently address the root causes of displacement. At the same time, we have to confront this massive crisis. On 19 September, we will hold a United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants. I urge all Governments to bring ideas and commitments – with a special focus on protecting children.

Violent extremism is forcing people from their homes and communities.

Extremists are torturing, detaining and killing children… sending them on suicide missions… and selling them as sex slaves. An effective response must place respect for human rights and humanitarian law at the centre. That includes protecting children during and after military operations – regardless of their affiliation. I am deeply concerned that more and more children are being arrested, detained or even killed in counterterrorism operations. I am also alarmed by violations of international humanitarian law caused by aerial bombardments.

Even wars have rules. Hospitals and schools should be protected. Civilians should be spared. Children should not be used to fight.

Peacekeeping also has rules. We must end the outrage of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers, staff and non-UN forces.

I thank the Council for endorsing my decision to repatriate units when we have credible evidence against them. But we all must do more to secure accountability, enforce standards, provide training, assist victims and achieve justice.

Once again this year, objections to the annual report forced me to make a difficult decision. After very careful consideration, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition was removed from the annexes, pending the conclusions of a review.

I have held talks with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the highest level possible, including meetings in New York with the Deputy Crown Prince and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to express my serious concerns about the situation on the ground and the devastating impact on children. My senior advisers were also intensely engaged.

I have since received information on measures taken by the coalition to prevent and end grave violations against children. I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children. They must always come first.

The forward-looking review continues – and the situation on the ground will be closely monitored. We will continue our engagement to ensure that concrete measures to protect children are implemented. But I want to repeat: the content of the report stands. Let me be clear: the report and its annexes may cause discomfort, but that is not a goal in itself. Our aim is to protect children in danger by ensuring concrete change. Today I renew my appeal to every Member State and every party to conflict: If you want to protect your image, protect children.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the office of the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict. My Representative and her predecessors have made a meaningful difference for the youngest victims of war. Courageous and hard-working staff in the field have collected and verified information, sometimes at great personal risk. I fully support them. This work – and my Special Representative – deserves the full political backing of all Member States. We need resources – but much more than that, we need political will.

Commitment yields results. In 2015, more than 8,000 child soldiers were released. They are getting help to rebuild their lives. Many countries have also passed laws to add new safeguards for children against recruitment – with enforcement mechanisms.

The ultimate goal is to end these grave violations of the human rights of children. That demands ending conflicts and establishing peace.

I call on this Council and all countries to do everything possible to back their words with actions that protect children from the scourge of armed conflict now – and spare others in the future.

http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sgsm17954.doc.htm

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2 AUGUST

Creativity, intermedial languages as bridge to communicate with autistic children

Researchers at the University of Kent are arguing that creativity and intermedial languages can be used as a bridge to communicate with autistic children.

In a joint article, "Material voices: intermediality and autism" in the journal Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, Dr Melissa Trimingham and Professor Nicola Shaughnessy of the University's School of Arts say autism continues to be regarded as a community that is difficult to access due to 'perceived disruptions of interpersonal connectedness'. Researchers engage the children in an all-surrounding drama experience using lights, sound, puppets and masked characters, where children are free to play and respond, drawing out eye contact, speech and shared play.

Their pioneering research using drama with autistic children started with an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project 'Imagining Autism: Drama, Performance and Intermediality as Interventions for Autistic Spectrum Conditions' (2011-2014) working in special schools and has now extended to working with families. The project aims to help the whole family through teaching them new play skills using drama and puppetry, multi-sensory materials and even comedy to help with challenging behaviour. The family programme developed from workshops with teachers and carers in NAS (National Autistic Society) schools and was funded by the University of Kent.

The writers are parents of autistic children themselves and have personal experience of family life with autism. Through detailed observations of two children, they demonstrate how 'intermediality' unlocked some of the many and various languages autistic children use, facilitating their self-awareness.

They argue for wider use of creative 'material' languages such as puppetry, costumes, projection, microphones, lights and sound in play as a bridge between the lived experience of autism and practices of education and care.

28 July 2016

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160728105347.htm

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