Review of 2011 - Part Two

This second video covers our work with nine new clients during the course of 2011.

Themes included - communication, training, risk assessment, employee engagement, development of policies and procedures.

Assignments covered work with a funder and a social enterprise, with a start-up business and a corporate client. As well as with organisations in the charitable sector.

What might you need in 2012? Contact karen@flourishing.me.uk to arrange a chat.

Review of 2011 - Part One

2011 was a very busy year for Flourishing Consulting Ltd. This video footage describes some of the work we did for four existing clients during the year.

We also had nine new clients during the year. See Review of 2011 - Part Two for details of our work with these organisations.

As well as work for charitable organisations we attracted a small business, a funder and a corporate client during the year. A satisfying development, which shows that many of our skills are transferable across different sectors.

Contact karen@flourishing.me.uk for more information - and to discuss your needs.

Faith and cultural perspectives on disability

This is a longer version of an article written by Karen Walkden, submitted for publication in the SEN Magazine. It was written as part of Flourishing Consulting's work with ASEND.

Nobody can argue that a truly holistic assessment of a disabled child needs to take into account the family circumstances. But how well is the impact of faith and cultural background understood?

This article sets out some of the issues, and also responses available to health, social care and education professionals working with disabled children, young people and their families from different faiths and cultures. There is also a checklist to use in identifying gaps and developing local action plans.

A complex issue

The first thing to say is that this is a complex area. There are variations within faiths, as well as between them – and it is simplistic to speak in terms of eg the Muslim community or Christian community. In addition to specific sub-groups or denominations, there will be degrees of adherence to the principles that define a set of beliefs. Within families there could well be generational variations – often with younger members of the family taking a more liberal or westernized stance.

Variations also arise in times of crisis – such as the diagnosis of a child’s disability. Parents may tend to the extremes of their beliefs – from rejection of the faith to fervently embracing it. There can be a reversion to the core culture, so that practices perceived as tried and tested, or handed down through the generations, are given greater credence – particularly where the disability causes the parent to question their own skills. Clashes between cultural norms and UK norms (enshrined in legislation) may arise. This may be evident in areas such as physical chastisement and forced feeding, for example, putting the child at risk of harm.

At the root is a simple concept – that beliefs drive behavior. To understand why a person behaves as they do, is to understand the complexity of their belief structure. As professionals, we need to take the time to explore this area with families and to understand the influence of faith leaders and the community as a whole.

Cultural competence

Why do we shy away from these conversations? Fear of offending or stereotyping families, of being branded as racist or insensitive? A feeling that we should know more than we really do?

As part of this quest for understanding, professionals are advised to explore their own cultural competence – to identify experiences that have shaped their personal knowledge and understanding of different faiths and cultures. Your cultural competence is the lens through which you look at the world, and interpret information in front of you. A greater awareness of your own influences will enable you to work more objectively with those who have a different background to your own. Cultural competence increasingly features in the training of front-line health and social care professionals, and is a good INSET topic to explore.

Perceptions of disability

Compassion, love and support for the vulnerable are common themes across all faiths. Having a faith, and belonging to a community, can provide social capital for a disabled person. Professionals working with local community groups have the opportunity to contribute to the building of a strong and enduring support framework for the family.

However, religions offer differing, and sometimes confusing, views of disability; for example, a manifestation of “the sins of the Father”, and a form or punishment – or each person is created equal, and in God’s image.

Families may believe that the disabled child is a special gift that they have been entrusted to care for, that there is an innocence about the child that gives them a more direct relationship with God, or that the parent’s faith is being tested. Both of these stances can pose a risk to the child, if taken to extremes.

The family of a disabled child in a church with a strong belief in the healing power of prayer, could feel isolated and embarrassed when they are not “cured”, potentially leading to a risk of physical or emotional abuse as the child’s differentness separates them from the community.

Where there is a belief in malign influences, actions may be taken to expel spirits possessing the child, and believed to cause the disability. These can become physical and extreme – as seen in recent high profile cases. The emotional and psychological consequences of being labelled in this way compound the family’s difficulties within the community.

Cultural stigmas may result in denial or concealment of the child’s condition and so limit access to services, treatment, therapies and medication. Where provision is limited then professionals might well inadvertently collude with families who express a wish to keep their child away from public services. The challenge for professionals is to work with the family to overcome and change the views of the wider community.

Responses

Some very practical issues may sit alongside a belief system. For example medication containing preservatives based on porcine, bovine or opioid products will not be acceptable in some faiths. Similarly blood products and transplants may not be accepted. Suffering may be seen as part of life’s process, with a resultant view on the use of pain relief. Creativity on the part of health professionals is needed to find alternative responses and in some instances the medical view may prevail.

Where English is not the first language then the issues may be less around beliefs and more about support to describe the child’s needs, to interpret information provided and perhaps to implement complex instructions or therapies. This is another area where working with community groups, through interpreters and building up the skills of advocates, can be beneficial.

I’ve worked with one London borough which has invested in disability awareness training for supplementary schools, with the twin aims of enabling the schools to include disabled children effectively in their own group lessons, and to increase parental awareness and confidence in engaging with mainstream schools.

We secured lottery funding for a local group supporting BME families with disabled children to set up school based parent support groups, facilitated by trained volunteers from the BME community. The outcomes include an increase in the uptake of local services by BME families, who can find navigating their way through the various forms and processes intimidating. Increased confidence on the part of parents will result in better advocacy for their disabled children.

Creative local commissioning can provide culturally appropriate and cost effective disability services. A good example is Ronak, an Asian project run by Barnet Mencap, and Salaam, an inclusive scout group providing Islamically sensitive short breaks for Muslim families.

Culturally specific provision is one way to go – but the other is to ensure that services are sensitive and accessible across a range of belief systems. This requires some knowledge of the barriers that could exist. One real example is the reluctance of a Hindu father to allow his daughter to attend a siblings group set up to provide a break for brothers and sisters of disabled children. The concern he had was around the presence of boys, and group leaders of different faiths.

Checklist

The following questions will help you to evaluate the extent to which you are responding to the needs of families whose faith and culture differ from the host nation.

1. Do you gather information on the faith and culture of the disabled children and young people you work with?
2. Does the faith and cultural profile of the families you work with reflect that of the local area?
3. Would you expect particular faiths and cultures to be better represented in your figures?
4. How do you engage and work with the voluntary and community groups that support families of different faiths and cultures in your area?
5. Is there scope for co-production of services – through partnership arrangements between faith groups and the public sector?
6. Aiming High for Disabled Children has provided funding to establish forums for parents of disabled children – how are these groups reaching and representing families from different communities?
7. Do you undertake equality impact assessments in the development of new services or the decommissioning of existing services?
8. How accessible are your services to people from different backgrounds?
9. Is there a need for more inclusive services – and some culturally specific provision as well?
10. Have you examined your own cultural competence – and that of your team

Karen Walkden is a chartered psychologist, working part-time as Business Manager for ASEND – providers of SEND advice, assessment and support services to schools.

If you have any comments on the ideas expressed in this article - or have an interest in engaging faith and cultural groups in your services then please contact karen@flourishing.me.uk to explore this.

Testimonial - IT Healthcheck

In the winter of 2011, Flourishing Consulting had the opportunity to work with CommUNITY Barnet to test out a new service, initially on a pro bono basis.

Through the IT Healthcheck service organisations are enabled to examine the ways in which technology enhances the services they offer, reduces costs and increases regulatory compliance.

Working with Genevieve Grimshaw and Ruth Mulandi we were able to identify areas where significant savings can be made, and develop a straightforward costed action plan to achieve these. We are very pleased with the outcome, and are now ready to roll this service out to other organisations.

"Simon’s approach in understanding our needs and how we work was great; he was able to explain IT in easy to understand terms, did not push things on us, gave us back up in anwering our questions and concerns and provided us with the right plan for us to improve our IT."

Ruth Mulandi,

CEO CommUNITY Barnet

If you are interested in an IT Healthcheck for your organisation - then please contact us at simon@flourishing.me.uk for details.

Testimonial - Small Business Support - ASEND

"As we come to the end of 2011 and the first 6 months of ASEND, I'd just like to thank you again for your huge contribution to getting the company going and moving forward. 2012 should see some big changes as we develop and grow, but the seeds have most definitely been planted, nurtured with care by you."

Barbara Ball, Director of ASEND

If you need help getting your business off the ground - especially around marketing, staffing and putting efficient processes in place - then contact karen@flourishing.me.uk for support.

Developing an Employee Promise

LinkedIn does actually work!

I commented on a discussion thread that resulted in a brief to develop an employee promise for a large corporate client.

The organisation in question has four divisions, and has been absorbing new companies into its structure over the last few years. The aim is to preserve and reinforce the organisational culture through this period of change.

The brief is to provide the company with a range of employee engagement tools - to capture the views of different groups (from talent pool to long servers, graduates to front line) and consolidate them in a three part employee promise to all who work for them.

The starting point is investigation into psychological contract research to ensure that we are tapping into different elements of the relationship between employee and employer. These are then addressed in the design of accessible focus groups, on-line surveys and structured telephone interviews to be delivered locally.

Important to remember that the workforce are largely blue collar - and so some hygiene factors may be important, as well as aspirational and self-actualising factors. Also, command of the English language and cultural issues may come to bear on the views expressed.

A challenging piece of work - but ultimately satisfying in its potential impact.

Supporting new business - ASEND

Six months in, and I realise that it has been a while since I recorded exactly what I have been doing to support a new organisation to get up and running.

The organisation in question is ASEND - www.asend.co.uk - set up in the summer of 2010 to provide special educational needs and disability professionals into educational settings - primarily schools. ASEND will provide individual assessments and support programmes for SEN children and young people - but will major on whole school approaches to SEN support and inclusion.

There is a strong emphasis on multi-agency support, and the provision of a team with impeccable expertise and professionalism, and with the vision to draw in support across different disciplines.

Flourishing Consulting are providing business support on a one day a week basis - covering operational issues around the recruitment and assessment of potential ASEND Advisers - partnership development - and marketing ASEND through social media and events.

So far so good - we have a steady influx of new Advisers, and strong relationships developing with schools keen to involve ASEND in their SEN provision.

My personal angle is very much around inclusion and safeguarding - particularly where there may cultural barriers. With this in mind, I am writing an article for the Spring Edition of the SEN magazine drawing all these themes together.

Report Back from FGM meeting in Barnet

26 Professionals across a range of disciplines came together in the London Borough of Barnet to find out more about Female Genital Mutilation, and the actions that can be taken to eradicate it.

The meeting was scheduled as part of Barnet Council’s annual Safeguarding Month. Each year Barnet develop a range of safeguarding briefing, training and action planning opportunities for front line staff, voluntary and community groups and anyone locally who is keen to improve their understanding and skills.

Barnet Safeguarding Children Board has a Faith and Culture sub-group, who have been keen to address FGM issues in the borough. 28TooMany offered to run a workshop on Council premises, and this was facilitated by Flourishing Consulting Ltd.

Ann Marie Wilson from 28TooMany set out her aims – to bring together organisations working in the FGM area, and create some opportunities to join up information, support and programmes of action. The meeting started with an explanation of FGM – in its four forms – and the prevalence of FGM across different countries. 28TooMany gets its name from the number of African countries where FGM is common practice.

Illustrated by personal stories Ann Marie explained the cultural reasons why FGM is practiced and the stigma associated with non-compliance. She expanded on the global situation, UK legislation and emphasized that FGM is practiced in London Boroughs including Barnet. This was confirmed by health professionals in the group.

FGM has been illegal in the UK since 2003. However there have been no prosecutions, and it is very difficult to prevent. Anti-FGM guidelines are available on the Home Office website. Details of resources are provided in a separate document prepared for distribution to those attending the meeting – and the 20 or more people who expressed interest, but were unable to come along.

It is worth stressing that FGM is not supported by the scriptures or holy books of any faith.

In Barnet FGM has been found in girls and women presenting themselves for maternity services – and referrals are primarily from the health service, rather than through social care. FGM can be seasonal, with young girls travelling abroad at the beginning of the long summer school holidays – so that they are recovered in time to return to school. Cutting parties are evident in the UK.

Rita from Forward spoke of the support and actions underway in the UK. The organization works with communities to empower women to take control of the situation. An NHS funding project in Bristol has made significant progress. Forward services include clinics, counseling and leadership training skills so that groups of women are able to achieve change for their communities. Peer to peer support is crucial within communities – as is the training of young advisers to catch a generation.

Dorrett from Imkaan talked in detail about an integrated response across different agencies – highlighting best practice – and agreeing to adopt consistent standards.

The actions in Barnet include the following:

- Providing those attending the meeting with materials with which to brief their peers – including copies of the slides presented

- Including FGM in the Barnet violence against women strategy

- Sharing information about support available

- Developing a detailed plan through the Faith and Culture sub-group of the Safeguarding Board

- Reporting back progress during the 2012 Safeguarding Month.

Karen Walkden

Flourishing Consulting Ltd

www.flourishing.me.uk

IT Health Check

Flourishing is pleased to offer a new service for voluntary and community organisations, businesses and statutory organisations of all sizes. We can save you money by reviewing your use of information technology and identifying efficiencies to be achieved.

The IT Healthcheck service starts with a review of your current systems - from information management, customer service management systems, office systems, data storage etc. We then talk through your business plans to determine ways in which technology could assist you to meet your organisational goals.

The next step involves researching alternative approaches, reviewing your current contracts and identifying simple, reliable and efficient processes that will support your work. These are then presented succinctly as costed proposals for your senior management to consider. If you choose to proceed then we can manage the implementation and change over for you - drawing on our team of information technology experts.

If you want to reduce your IT bills, simplify your processes and move towards a greener business model, then get in touch - and we can arrange your IT Healthcheck.

FGM meeting in Barnet - 11am 28.11.11

Great meeting on 28th November 2011.

In fact we chose the date and time to be memorable - 11am, 28.11.11.

It was great to work with 28TooMany founder Ann-Marie Wilson and to host a meeting for front line professionals in Barnet exploring ways to eradicate FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

Barnet Council offered us a meeting space and refreshments as part of their Safeguarding Month. We weren't sure how many would come, but in the end we had to go and get more chairs three times to accommodate the number of people who came. We had another 20 people who couldn't make the time - but wanted to be kept in touch.

Ann- Marie talked through her own journey, working in different countries, encountering women and girls who have suffered FGM. She also explained actions that are being taken in the UK and abroad. The numbers of women and girls impacted in the UK are difficult to quantify - but it most certainly does happen in Barnet and elsewhere locally.

Rita from Forward and Dorrett from Imkaan also spoke of their work - particularly in gaining commitment from local community groups, empowering women to lead on stamping out FGM. There is a great example in Bristol - and we explored parallels and lessons for elsewhere.

If you would like Ann-Marie to speak with your group then please get in touch and we will see what can be arranged.