Despite the gaps in childcare in Ireland, a new report says positive work is being made. Fiona Tyrrell reports
The most effective and successful childcare services are those provided in partnership with children and families, according to the findings of a report that is due to be released today.
Greater consultation with the recipients, be they young children, teenagers or parents of children at risk, is crucial to good practice, says the study, which was prompted by negative perceptions of services for children up to, and including, the age of 18.
The research was carried out by the Western Health Board, the National University of Ireland and Galway's Child and Family Research and Policy Unit.
"Working in partnership is the only way forward. Family problems don't occur in isolation and they will not be solved in isolation," explains Dr Pat Dolan, one of the researchers who worked on the report. "Needs-led" services rather than a "service-led" approach are always more successful, he argues.
The report, entitled Working with Children and Families: Exploring Good Practice, will be launched in Galway by Brian Lenihan, Minister for State at the Department of Health and Children (with special responsibility for children).
The document identifies and discusses a set of management and intervention principles of good practice in child and family services and provides a snapshot of some of the models and approaches currently being implemented in child and family services throughout the State.
Each health board was asked to give examples of good practice of service provision in their area and it is now hoped that the 26 profiles that have been presented and discussed in the report will enable policymakers and practitioners to understand what constitute examples of good work and learn from the experience of others.
The research was undertaken because of negative perceptions of general childcare services in the general community, Dr Dolan explains.
"At present, there is the feeling out there that interventions were not working, that they were failing. The media has focused on cases where mistakes were made by professionals. We were keen to try and find out if this was true, to find out what was working and why it was working.
"We are not saying that it is perfect out there, it is far from it, but a lot of good work is being done. We have profiled the good work that is being done in Ireland, where good theories are being put into practice."
The report also acknowledges that, while there are still many gaps in service provision, there is a considerable amount of very positive work being undertaken in child and family services.
The best childcare services are accessible, attractive, integrated, effective, responsive and whole-child focused, according to the report's findings.
Best practice management principles for the childcare services recommended by the report include: having clear objectives and a management and organisational culture that will facilitate their achievement; adequate resources to meet its objectives; value for money; the existence of a culture of learning and development; and the measurement of service.
Many of the services are staffed by highly skilled and committed staff, professionals that show a great deal of interest in the users of the service and who work in a collaborative and family-strengthening way with children and families, according to the researchers.
In many cases, services are implementing proven work practice models and reflecting and adapting them to suit local need, the report noted.
"This is not to say that the work is not challenging and difficult. Services are facing big challenges, as the level of presenting and unidentified need remains great. The job of meeting children's needs is never 'done'," the report notes.
Working with Children and Families highlights the need for more evaluation and review of services in the sector, stressing that evaluation requires resources.
Further training and strategies to ensure services are culturally competent and include people with disabilities are also recommended.