Workshop/ CPD/ Parent Info

Workshop "Tantrums"

What are they, Why children have them, Telling the difference in tantrums, How to manage them.

Date: 7th May 2016
Time: 12 -6pm

Location: Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire UK

Cost: £20.00 per person Student or Family, Professionals £35.00 includes lunch and refreshments.
Limited spaces booking in advance is essential.

Who for: Parents, Family members, Carers, Professionals.

No crèche provided Sorry. Children are not able to attend.

Further details email
Challenging-Behaviour@hotmail.co.uk

Legislation, policy and guidance uk

Legislation, policy and guidance
This page outline the policy and guidance that specifically relates to children in care in the UK. National policies which aim to improve the life chances for all children, including looked after children.

Legislation
Children Act 1989
Sets out many of the duties, powers and responsibilities local authorities hold in respect of their looked after children and care leavers.
View the Children Act 1989.
Children (Leaving Care) 2000
Sets out duties local authorities have to support young people leaving care from 16 -21 years of age.
View the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000.
Adoption and Children Act 2002
Updated the legal framework for domestic and inter-country adoption, and places a duty on local authorities to maintain an adoption service and provide adoption support services.
View the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
Children and Adoption Act 2006
Gives courts more flexible powers to facilitate child contact and enforce contact orders when separated parents are in dispute.
View the Children and Adoption Act 2006
Children and Young Persons Act 2008
Legislates for the recommendations in the Department for Education and
Skill’s 2007 Care Matters white paper to provide high quality care and services for children in care.
View the Children and Young Persons Act 2008
Download the Care Matters white paper
Children and Families Act 2014
Encourages 'fostering for adoption' which allows approved adopters to foster children while they wait for court approval to adopt. Introduces a 26 week time limit for the courts to decide whether or not a child should be taken into care. In some cases, this limit may be extended by eight weeks. Introduces 'staying put' arrangements which allow children in care to stay with their foster families until the age of 21 years. This is provided that both the young person and the foster family are happy to do so.
View the Children and Families Act 2014
Policy and guidance
Recent government policy has focused on speeding up the adoption process and increasing the stability of placements for looked after children.
An action plan for adoption:tackling delay.
Sets out government proposals to change the system for prospective adopters and strengthen the performance regime for local authorities. Proposals include: scorecards to rate local authority performance on adoption targets; approval process for new adopters cut to six months; and a national gateway for adoption to provide a first point of contact.
(Department for Education, 2011)
Download An action plan for adoption: tackling delay.
Further action on adoption:
finding more loving homes.
Sets out plans for reforming the adoption system in England, with the main objective of speeding up adoption recruitment. Proposals include: new legislative action requiring local authorities to outsource adoption services if their recruitment process is taking too long; financial support for local authorities for greater investment in adoption in the form of a one-off £150 million Adoption Reform Grant; and a two-stage approval process, reducing the period from a formal application to approval being granted or refused to six months.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Visit the Gov.uk website for further information on government policy.
The NICE quality standard on the health and wellbeing of looked after children and young people.
This NICE quality standard, which is endorsed by NSPCC, sets out best practice in meeting the health and wellbeing needs of looked-after children and young people. NICE guidelines cover health and care in England. Decisions on how they apply in other UK countries are made by ministers in the Welsh Government, Scottish Government, and Northern Ireland Executive.
(National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013)
Download the NICE quality standard on the health and wellbeing of looked after children and young people.
Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care.
Outlines action that local authorities and their partners should take to stop children going missing from home or care and to protect those who do. Covers: agency roles and responsibilities; multi-agency working; access to support; risk assessment; safe and well checks; independent return interviews; emergency accommodation; children who repeatedly run away and go missing; and additional actions to protect looked after children.
(Department for Education, 2014)
Download Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care.
The Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations
volume 2 care planning, placement and case review.
Updates the 2010 edition of the guidance. Describes the key principles underpinning the 1989 Children Act. Also consolidates information previously contained in a series of updates and supplements, including: contact with siblings, contact with youth justice services, out of authority placements, long-term foster placements, ceasing to look after a child, fostering for adoption and the delegation of decision making about looked after children to their carers. Aimed at local authority workers with responsibilities for looked after children.
(Department for Education, 2015)
Download The Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations volume 2: care planning, placement and case review (PDF).
Promoting the educational achievement of looked after children:
statutory guidance for local authorities.
Updates the 2010 statutory guidance. Details the duty local authorities and Virtual School Heads have to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after, including those placed out-of-authority.
(Department for Education, 2015)
Download Promoting the educational achievement of looked after children: statutory guidance for local authorities (PDF).
Promoting the health and well-being of looked-after children:
statutory guidance for local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England
Updates the 2009 guidance. Looks at the profile of looked after children using evidence from research and practice. Considers the health needs of this particular group of people and how well their needs are met. Also discusses the roles and responsibilities of Local Authorities and the NHS.
(Department for Education and Department of Health, 2015)
Download Statutory guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked after children (PDF).
Framework and evaluation schedule for the inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers: 
reviews of Local Safeguarding Children Boards
Sets out the framework for the inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers under section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Areas covered include the experiences and progress of children in care, including adoption, fostering, the use of residential care, and children who return home. The framework also focuses on the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after and the experiences and progress of care leavers.
OFSTED (2015)
Download Framework and evaluation schedule for the inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers: reviews of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (PDF).
Inspection of children’s homes:
framework for inspection from 1 April 2015
Updates the 2013 framework for the inspection of children's homes. Takes into account the overall experiences and progress of children and young people living in the home, with particular focus upon how well children and young people are helped and protected and the impact and effectiveness of leaders and

References:
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-protection-system/children-in-care/legislation-policy-r

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Understanding the Mental Capacity Act

Jeanette Forsyth. Challenging-Behaviour CPD. October 2015.
Copyrighted please do not use in part or whole without permission of the writer.

Mental Capacity Act.

The Act was defined in 2005. Started to be used in 2007. It with the code of practice is 300 pages long. It is worth a read. So in brief...

Who does the Act apply to?
Anyone in England and Wales that is 18 years and over. There are clauses for Young Adults 16-18y and for Children, but we will not be looking at these today. There are clauses for people who are detained under the Mental Health Act, these will not be looked at today

What is Mental Capacity?
Being able to make your own decisions.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 will help people to make their own Decisions.

What is lacking Capacity?
Inability to make a decision or is unable to make a decision because of disturbance, functioning, impairment of the mind or brain. Has had a trauma of injury to the brain workings.

It does not have to be permanent, it maybe at that moment in time i.e. Medical condition like a stroke, temporary i.e. Injury to head, changes over time i.e. Dementia.

Who does it protect?
People who can not  make their own decisions about something. This is called lacking capacity.

What does the Act tell people?
What to do to help someone make their own decisions about something.
How to work out if someone can make their own decisions about something.
What to do if someone cannot make decisions about something sometimes.

When should Mental Capacity be assessed?
-persons behaviour
-inability to assess risk of harm
-a person being concerned about another
-previous history of impairment

Who assesses Mental Capacity?
-Health Professional
-Lawyer
-An Assessor
-Appointed person (Attorney)
-Multi disciplinary team (Counsellor maybe called to attend)

What does the Act cover?
-The ideas behind the Act.
-Code of Assessment
-Best Interests and Safegarding
-New Lasting Powers of Attorney and deputies.
-Court Protection
-Office of the Public guardian
-Criminal implementation
-An independent Mental Capacity Advocate Service
-A code of practice for people to follow

The Mental Capacity Act also covers
-acts in connection with care and treatment.
-advance decisions to refuse treatment
-research involving people who lack capacity

The 5 most important things people must do when using the Mental Capacity Act
1. Thinking each person can make their own decision. Unless decided otherwise.
2. Give the person all the support they can to help them make any decisions. Using every type of media possible to establish that support.
3. No one should be stopped from making a decision just because someone else thinks it's bad or wrong. Unwise decisions do not count.
4. Anytime someone does something or decides for someone who lacks capacity, it must be in the persons best interests -there is a check list for this.
5. When someone does something or decide something for another person, they must try as much as possible not to limit the freedom or the rights of the person.

How do we Assess Capacity?
-it's not on how old you are (over 16 years).
-it's not on how you look
-it's  not on how you act
-it's not about the condition you have

What can be taken into consideration?
-the religion or faith or beliefs
-cultural background
-political convictions
-past behaviour or habits

It can not be assumed that you can not make the decision yourself on the grounds of
- Disability
- Cognitive ability (complicated decisions)
- Past inability to make decisions

We have to make sure the person can not make that decision for themselves.

What is meant by ' best interests'?
-Listen to the wants of a person
-Talk to those who know the person
-Making no assumptions but understand the meanings for the person
-Involving the person in the process of the decision

Who can be involved in the best interests of the person?
-someone they want consulted
-involved in their care
-involved indirectly in their welfare
-attorney appointed
-deputy
-doctor

What happens to Confidentiality of the person?
It still stands and people must follow the guidelines, procedures and practises if the profession they are in.

What things are not covered under the Mental Capacity Act?
-whether a person can get married or have a civil partnership ceremony
-whether a person can have sex
-whether a person can place a child up for adoption
-whether they want to vote at an election

What is meant by inability to make a decision?
-understanding of what is being asked of them regarding the decision
-retain the information in their mind
-weigh up both sides to make a decision to be impulsive
-communicate their decision, coma, unconscious, locked in syndrome

What is in the Mental Capacity Act in connection with Care or Treatment of a person?
-If a person is in need care or treatment, they can get someone to help the person to get that care or treatment on their behalf.
-The person may need help in making decisions about that care or treatment, they may need an impartial person to help due to time limits or having capacity at that moment in time.
-The person caring or treating must follow the guidelines and checklists to decide what is in the best interests.

What other things can be put in place to help people with Mental Capacity problems:
-location
-timing
-friendly support with them
-offering scenarios

A Lasting Power of Attorney, an Advanced Decision or the Deputy would be used to take over making of these decisions if the person lacks Mental Capacity.

So what is a Lasting Power of Attorney?
It is a written document Legally drawn up where you can say in advance who you want to make decisions for you, if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. However you can only make this legal document if you understand what it means.

What is a EPA, Enduring Power of Attorney?
This is a legal document for property and money.

What is a LPA, Lasting Power of Attorney?
This is what is used under the Mental Capacity Act. The attorney must act in the best interests of the person lacking mental capacity.
-Health, i.e. Need of an operation
-Welfare, i.e. Need of housing
-Property i.e. Selling a house
-Money i.e. Looking after income or money

What is a Deputy?
This can be given under court protection. The court dictates what a person can do or can not do. They have to act on behalf of the court and act in the best interest of the person.
Occasionally there maybe a time that a one off occasion is needed; this is known as 'a single order of the court'. There is no Deputy assigned in a 'single order' the Judge may make the decision.

A pre existing LPA, Lasting Power of Attorney over rides the Deputy or the Single order.

The Deputy is overseen and monitored by the Public Guardian.

What is a Public Guardian?
They will be a person Employed by the Office of the Public Guardian which helps the courts look after the paperwork and applications for the Lasting Powers of Attorney and Deputies.
They are the people who check the job is being done properly.
They may work with Social Services or the Police or Health when they think someone may of been abused.
They have to make reports every year and submit them to the courts.
The Public Guardian board looks at how the Public Guardian does it's job.

Advanced Decision are made within Health and the Mental Capacity Act.
Sometimes people need medical intervention, a Doctor may have to ascertain if their patient has the Mental Capacity to know if they whether they want treatment of not.

'Advanced decision' is when someone who DOES have mental capacity decides they DO NOT want a particular treatment if they lack capacity in the future. A Doctor has to accept this decision.
An 'Advance Decision' must be about the treatment you want to refuse and why you want to refuse it!
It must be clearly signed by the person or be witnessed being signed by another person on behalf of the person in question.

People have to think carefully before making and signing an 'Advanced Decision'. It is a person's choice. They however must be fully aware and understand its meaning. This choice can be overturned by the person.

What is The Court of Protection?
It is a court with a Judge, people will go to or write to, to present their case, the Judge makes the decision. This service is open to everyone when you cannot say or decide what to do; when you do not have Mental Capacity.
Example:
1. Should you have an operation, when the Doctors and Family disagree for the operation. You cannot decide for yourself.
2. How your money should be spent/ handled if you can not decide yourself.
3. Anything else that has to be decided but you are unable to decide for your self.

So what happens for those who have no family or friends to help them?
There is a service called IMCA Independent Mental Capacity Advisor. An advocate is given to the person to assess what is in the persons best interest. They will be involved in all aspects of the person, they are regulated by the Government.

They will be involved when organisations like Social Care  or Health have to make decisions. This might be medical treatment r moving to a hospital of moving to a care home.

Research.
What does the Mental Capacity Act say about Research?

Research is needed and historically people lacking in Mental Capacity were used in research with no say.
The Government now have strict rules on Research studies and People doing the Research have to follow the Research Ethic Committee guidelines, made up of a panel of independent persons.
The rules have been clearly set out for those lacking in Mental Capacity to say if they do or don't want to be involved in research.
-research can only be done on the condition you have
-it's outcome must be to help those peoples condition and others like them
-the risk of harm must be minor
-the 'hassle' to you must be minor
-you must be 'happy' to take part
-research must stop if you no longer are 'happy'
-family, carers, or an independent appointed person must agree for the person to take part, saying no if they think you would have not agree personally if asked.

What else does the Mental Capacity Act Do for protecting people?
-Since 2007 it will be against the law to badly treat someone who may lack capacity that you care for or look after. It is now a criminal offence and a person can be prosecuted.
-The person is disqualified from Jury service

There is a Code of Practice that inform people how to follow the Act. Everyone with a duty of Care should be Aware of the Mental Capacity Act. You may find this on the Internet.


References
Mental Capacity Implementation Team
Disability Action
Mental Capacity Act and Code of Practice. www.guardianship.gsi.gov.uk

Note: (To down load the Act and Code is 300 pages)

Magic of Green...

I was sceptical at first when I came across this product from Xenca.. https://1254.xenca.com

The claim was it helped with Anxiety and conditions like ADHD, ASD, improved Concentration as well getting the 5 a day plus and keeping bugs at bay. I thought it was worth a try as my daughter is on the ASD spectrum and was at the time not doing so well...

We now call it Magic of Green in our home.
We noticed a big difference with my daughter's anxiety within a few weeks of taking this product, not only that; her cold sores which had been playing up for months disappeared!

We only took the minimum dose but if she got unwell we took a little more, we noticed the following winter that she kept very well..

As a parent with a SEN child life can be very busy and on the go go go, on those harder days when I need a little more I take my Magic of Green! I seem to get much more energy and focus. I felt better in myself..

It basically contains 18 differing super foods with essential minerals.
Ingredients: Listed alphabetically: Alfalfa, Apple Pectin Fibre, Barley Grass Juice, Beetroot Juice Powder, Chlorella, Coenzyme Q10, Dulse, Fucoxanthin, Ionic Trace Minerals, Jerusalem Artichoke Powder, Organic Kelp, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Bifidus, Raspberry Flavour, Rice Bran Powder, Soya Lecithin, Spirulina, Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), Maize Starch, Vanilla Flavour, Wheatgrass Juice.

It is not cheap, but you are not getting any junk or fillers, just pure product. I notice the difference when I take it - more energy and focus. My daughter notices the difference when She takes it -less anxiety and less fussing and fiddling and more ability to concentrate. My husband Says he does not feel so tired so boosts energy and no so brain foggy... So We think it's worth every penny.
I got my mother on it she suffers with ME and is doing very well managing her ME presently; the only change was the supplements.

It also suppose to boost immune functioning and being on it we definitely have many less bugs and germs than friends, bearing in mind two of us have auto immune issues... We should get sick more!
It also claims to helps to improve digestive disorders and cardio vascular health...

We talk of 5 a day but this is a minimum, ideally we should be eating 10-14 portions of fruit and vegetables... Mainly vegetables is best. Our 'Magic of Green' is brilliant as it provides us with approximately 7 portions so with 1 portion with our breakfast, 3 portions with our main meal, 2 portions at lunch time and a fruit snack we easily make our maximum! So now five a day plus takes the stress out of it as on a bad day we still have had 7 portions.

The taste is a little non discript, and the colour is very green! Remember for the kids it's not suppose to taste wonderful -it's a medicine! But a 'spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down': So I add the powder to individual jelly's, yummy fruit or ice cream smoothies for the children and for us we do the boring thing just adding into juice if using the powder or just take with water or milk if using the capsules.

We have found this to be such an all round family product it was too good to keep to myself!
Here are some links to the product...
https://1254.xenca.com/product/five-a-day--v-500-capsules--foil-bag 
https://1254.xenca.com/product/five-a-day--v--500g powder

http://1254.xenca.com/products

Part 2. Pain in the developing child: New born infant

After delivery baby and mother (Maternal care) is most important as the oxytocins is crucial for the balancing of the brain, physiology and emotional responses of the baby to subside. Interferences from external source can cause an imbalance (Levin et al). 

So how long should hospital staff leave the full term baby (third trimester) with its mother in circumstances of a 'normal' vaginal delivery so that the balancing of the brain with oxytocins can occur. Can we ascertain the degree of pain or discomfort the infant endures at this time? Research indicates several hours or until baby feeds. 

We know that it is important for a baby to gasp it's first air to the lungs and this is followed often by an infants first cry. However does this signify pain? Or just discomfort of the change of environment and the natural human response to needs being met.

A third trimester baby born by Caesarian section has much more external input not only for the infant but mother also: thus produces many questions. Does this unbalance the neonatal infant and the mothers natural chemicals that calm baby? Is the impact reduced if delivered and given to mother promptly? How much external input is too much? When does this affect the unbalancing of the infants brain or flood with cortisols? 

An infant in distress is known to be flooded with cortisols and hormones. We know calming down for baby can be done with the maternal voice and skin to skin (touch): this creating a chemical balance of opioids and oxytocins flooding and calming distress responses of cortisols and hormones.  

Unfortunately the more the medical intervention the more it makes it stressful for baby, some intervention is necessary to secure the survival of Infant and Mother; ventouse, electrodes monitoring, forcefully turned ie breach, forceps (cited in Walker 2012)

Often these causing injuries; bruising of the heads, dislocations this causing distress and pain to Infant. 

Leaving the security of a womb designed for comfort and needs of a Baby to that of bright light, loud noises, suction, wiped, handled can be a shock to the sensory system causing discomfort and disruption of those previously mentioned balancing chemicals. Does this bring pain to the delivered baby? Or just rupture in the sensory system which on return to the mother is repaired?  

Can this disruption be reduced or avoided by the medical intervention being done on Mother and weighed afterwards? This would need much further research. 

References:

N/B Where possible I have referenced, however the knowledge is over a long period of time, as references come to light I will add. 

Levin et al. 

Walker. P. 2012

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