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You are about to read 3 descriptions of different images of family life.
For each we ask you to record your initial reactions to them:
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You will now see the responses to each of the images from 3 child care professionals, Rachel, Gloria and Nimo. Leaving aside your own personal feelings which of the three is closest to your own view of how a professional should repond?
A mother helping her child read whilst smoking over them.
Gloria: 'She really shouldn't be smoking. I couldn't make her stop but I would go through her budget and help her understand that cigarettes really need to go.
Rachel: 'I think smoking is completely unacceptable. Besides the health risks to this woman's children, Mum should bot be wasting money on cigarettes. I would be making it very clear in no uncertain terms that she should stop... and very soon!'
Nimo: 'Smoking is a serious public health problem but we need to understand why people smoke. Most smokers want to stop but it is a way of dealing with stress and you can't simply order someone to stop. If a parent did want to stop smoking I would refer them to a smoking cessation class that is run in my area and that some families I work with have found really helpful.'
A mother surrounded by lots of children.
Gloria: 'I'm really worried about how she is managing all these kids. I can't stop her having children but I think I might have a quiet word and say she should think about contraception.'
Rachel: 'I despair of some mothers. She is clearly not in a position to care for all of these children... I think she keeps having children to compensate for her personal inadequacy and low self esteem. I would be sitting down with her and advising her that she should be putting the children she has first and that as a professional my advice would be to strongly suggest she should not have any more.'
Nimo: 'I don't think it is any of my business how many children this woman chooses to have. My job is to offer support and help to families regardless of the size. However if the Mother was to indicate she wanted family planning advice I could put her in touch with this brilliant nurse who runs a family planning clinic at the local health centre on Thursdays.'
A child being fed fast-food.
Gloria: 'Junk food is a serious problem and I would make it clear that it's not a good idea. I think I would sit down and help write out some recipes for the week which are more healthy.
Rachel: 'I think some junk food is tantamount to child abuse. It ruins these children's long term health and is not even that cheap. I know it can be convenient for parents but at the end of the day the children's health should come first. I would try and make Mum attend cooking classes so she can learn to cook wholesome food and make it very clear that if I do give her money, I do not expect it to be spent on rubbish like burgers and chicken nuggets.'
Nimo: 'Healthy food can be very expensive and anyway children are bombarded by 'junk food' marketing and so it is not surprising that all they want to eat are the burgers and snacks they have seen on TV. So I can understand also why parents under pressure cook meals that are quick and convenient or let their children sometimes eat junk food. I think 'telling off' the mother of this child would be completely counterproductive. Advice on diet should be in the context of support that addresses the other pressures in her life.'
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Now decide which of the following statements applies to which social worker. Click on Previous to read the statements again.
XXXX should perhaps reflect upon whether this career is best for her. She is making a lot of very judgmental comments about the mothers in the pictures. She does not understand that she has no right to impose her personal beliefs on families. She also fails to understand that parental behaviour is usually a response to pressures and stresses in their lives. Her role is to offer support and advice, not to make ultimatums and threats.
It is clear that XXXX does care about the children and parents she works with. She is not as blaming and judgemental as one of the other professionals and she does not impose her own values. However, she needs to understand the context of the choices that parents make around issues like diet and smoking and that a vital part of her role is to facilitate support for families even in the context of safeguarding work.
XXXX understands that living in poverty causes stresses in parentsÂ’ lives which has an impact on their behaviour. She understands that whatever her personal beliefs are around family size and smoking, she has no right to impose these on families. She recognises her supportive role and also recognises that where parents do express wishes to change behaviour she should offer support and access to expert advice.
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Here are the statements with the names filled in. Did you get it right?
Rachel should perhaps reflect upon whether this career is best for her. She is making a lot of very judgmental comments about the mothers in the pictures. She does not understand that she has no right to impose her personal beliefs on families. She also fails to understand that parental behaviour is usually a response to pressures and stresses in their lives. Her role is to offer support and advice, not to make ultimatums and threats.
It is clear that Gloria does care about the children and parents she works with. She is not as blaming and judgemental as one of the other professionals and she does not impose her own values. However, she needs to understand the context of the choices that parents make around issues like diet and smoking and that a vital part of her role is to facilitate support for families even in the context of safeguarding work.
Nimo understands that living in poverty causes stresses in parents' lives which has an impact on their behaviour. She understands that whatever her personal beliefs are around family size and smoking, she has no right to impose these on families. She recognises her supportive role and also recognises that where parents do express wishes to change behaviour she should offer support and access to expert advice.
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- Personal and professional values