Wellbeing is a term which can be
used to describe positive emotional
and physical health. For
young-people this means; their basic
needs are met, they feel their life
has a purpose, they feel included in
society and they have a good quality
of life (Hamilton 2011)
Good practice needs to be built on solid foundations of
well-thought-through approaches to practice, drawing on tried and
tested knowledge and skills while remaining open to new ideas
and ways of working.
Example of three young people in foster care - These three young
people have a lot to say about the deep and long-lasting effects of
being in care. Their relationships with their foster carers, social
workers and residential care workers are, of course, very mixed and
they have strong points to make about their relationships with these
workers around trust, respect, dealing with anger, honesty, and
listening and thinking before decisions are made.
The Government's
Green paper “Every
Child Matters” focuses
on five key areas
which are essential for
young-people's
wellbeing
Healthy - Good
lifestyle Good mental
health Good physical
health
Safe - Ability to look
after themselves, Safe
from harm, Protected
from neglect
Achieving and
Enjoying - Obtaining
life skills for
adulthood, Enjoying
life and achieving
their goals
Positive
contribution - Being
included in society,
Not participating in
anti-social
behaviour ,Not
getting involved in
crime
In-order for young-people to achieve
these outcomes the whole of society has
a role to play in promoting and protecting
them to ensure their wellbeing, opinions
and interests are valued and protected
Economic well-being -Achieving their
full potential despite any economical
challenges/disadvantages
The web of relationships surrounding a
young-person can also be crucial to promoting
their resilience and protecting their wellbeing
LG 3 discusses how
-Practitioners can use the
social-ecological model to
critically assess the different layers
of the relationships, focusing on
how they interact and affect the
young-person's life
Hamilton's chapter
explains -
Young-people's wider
world such as their
family, communities,
Government and public
or voluntary
organisations can also
have a big influence on
their wellbeing (web of
relationships)
The social-ecological model helps practitioners
identify where a young-person has support and
which areas need more attention
As seen in the case of “Dee”, resilience can be
affected by factors surrounding the individual, family,
community and society
The Children's Workforce Development Council states -
Multi-agency working is a practice approach which involves
the collaboration of all practitioners working with a particular
young-person. The family and all other services come
together to work in an integrated manner that puts the
young-person's wellbeing in the centre of all priority
LG 10 mentions - Multi-agency working promotes collaborative
practice by integrating the “team around the child” so everyone
involved in the child's life can work together efficiently and
effectively through sharing information and communicating
regularly with the same clear goals and priorities
Lesley a heath worker in LG 9 mentions the following
skills are needed for sucessful integrated working -
Common operational language, good
communication skills, the ability to trust and respesct
each other practices. People must be commitited to
partnership working, not working with top down
structures
Assessment frameworks emphasise the
importance of good communication and
relationships with children, young people
and families, the improvement of
services, integrated working,
coordination of input, shared
responsibility for outcomes and clear
leadership
Holly - my world traingle The ‘My World Triangle’ is
only one part of the ‘Getting it right for every child’
approach. The ‘My World Triangle’ is a framework for
gathering information – analysing it and making an
assessment prior to making a plan is an essential part
of an ASPIRE approach
It is also helpful in emphasising that
assessment is a process which is dynamic
and changes over time. The subsequent
plan which might be made to support Holly
would be based on the assessment – so it is
important to have as accurate a picture as
possible and keep both the assessment and
subsequent plan under review