FOR GOODNESS SAKE 1.. CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

In about 1995/6 young people in trouble with the law in South Africa were released from prisons. A rapid plan was implemented to accommodate them. One of the facilities was a building used as a substance rehabilitation centre for adults in the grounds of the Zonderwater Prison in Gauteng Province. The residents were moved into an adjacent building and the boys moved directly from the prison into this new "Detention Centre".

Many of the staff appointed were moved, having been prison wardens. I was allocated to train staff there in "Operation Upgrade".

I live with vivid memories.

It was from here that there was a mass escape of 65 boys despite dogs and helicopters. It was here that I first experienced "rampage" - the crisis damaging stage of escalated group anger behaviour.

But, what may seem a minor pattern, sticks with me. Arriving within the barbed- wire fenced precinct, any number of boys would urgently gather around like men in a labour queue. "Carry your bags, Sir!" . 
Once my training equipment was deposited in the training venue, out pop open hands palms up. "Money for BB!"  BB is Boxer Brand tobacco used for rolling cigarettes. It was sold at the only available in-house tuck shop. (An old, frequently used trick. Organisations give pocket - money, then take it away at a profit).

Need I say it?   It's a learned world view  - "doing good for someone is coupled with the expectation of gained personal physical reward, personal benefit, favour, or protection" Was it learnt in the prison system?  No doubt. Was it perpetuated in the structural system of the Detention Centre. No Doubt. Is this somehow linked to mass escape and group rampage? No doubt.

Two questions, around socialisation arise from this, I think.

What motivates a young person to achieve (do good at something)? What motivates a young person to do good for others (no matter what)? The two questions are somehow related. Each  has implications for development goals and practice as child and youth care workers. After all, we say proudly, that, as social service practitioners, we use a developmental approach. We say that we establish, through assessment, where the child is now developmentally, and then use our knowledge of development to establish where the child more appropriately should be. Then we work to bridge the gap or delay. Moral thinking seems to be a something of a forgotten domain in our child and youth care practice in South Africa. 

The developmental theory that approaches the two questions is that of Kholberg's developmental theory of Moral Thinking. It could prove useful in our developmental practice.

Because Kohlberg makes the point that the Moral Thinking theory is not essentially linked to action, I like using a "seatbelt" analogy based somewhat on Kohlberg. 

Pre-moral thinking: " I don't or cannot grasp the good of wearing my seatbelt,I wear it because my auntie gives me chocolate if I put it on". (doing good things for physical reward) A very early way of moral thinking. If you get stuck here, hands pop out for BB.

Stage two, I wear my seat belt . My auntie doesn't give me chocolate any more but she tells me that I am a very good boy  when I do and I want to please her. She ALWAYS wears hers and I want to be like her. (praise and acceptance in a significant relationship)

My Auntie is no more. I wear my seat belt now because I don't want to be caught by the police and fined. (avoidance of  punishment)

I wear my seat belt to protect me from harm in a crash.(avoidance of pain)

I encourage/insist that my passengers wear their seat belts so that they do not get hurt in a crash (The beginnings of thinking in terms of the good of others through my behaviour).

I wear my seat belt because I think that EVERYONE should do so. It provides better safety on the roads for all road-users and so for all society. ( It makes me feel good to advocate for greater safety for all society) Wearing a seat belt contributes to the well being of everyone and to social order. 

I am prepared to chain myself to pole outside the Minister of Transport offices to get an undertaking that better controls of transport safety are implemented.  ( prepared now to suffer pain for the cause of human good. -  a better life for all).

The concept of Generosity creeps in here. The idea of doing good for the sake of doing good.,without expectation or receiving anything in return. And receiving good without feeling obligated,  indebted to some kind of repayment.(It is a move in general terms from external to intrinsic reward. Both for achieving well and for doing good...... good for goodness sake).

Now for the reality. In my experience, in looking at quality assurance and in general, many of our facilities still use organisational systems that could well, through modelling,and application, re-enforce the earlier stages of moral thinking in young people's behaviour. 

It's  may be of value now to give names to practice systems that are to be found, or have been used, in our child and youth care practice.
Here we go.... and those I forget you will surely pardon :
Reward and Punishment, Behaviour Modification( BM), Set rules and Sanctions,. Points Systems, Level Systems Token Economy, Peer Courts, Peer Management, Relational and Activity-based System, Consequential Learning ,Activity-based System, Life-space Counselling (LSC) Positive Peer Culture (PPC),  Restorative Justice.

In South Africa, the Norms and Standards set out what is DISALLOWED in our moral development, therefor our behaviour management systems...... the two hang together..

Most are obvious. but here is the standard that probably creates the most organisational and practice dilemmas. 

Excluded in practice then, IS:

"15. Behaviour Modification (such as punishment/reward systems, or privilege systems) - other than as a treatment / development technique within a documented individual treatment/developmental programme (IDP)  (my brackets), which is developed by a team ( including the young person)(sic) and monitored by an appropriately trained multi-disciplinary team." (Inter-ministerial Committee on Young People at Risk. Minimum Standards South African child and youth care system. 1998.) These Norms and Standards STILL HOLD GOOD FOR ENFORCEMENT>

WOW !!! So, now. What do we DO in practice to develop the moral thinking of children and young people through the use of developmental practice,  modelling and systems approaches to grow those in our care from extrinsic reward to intrinsic reward thinking and experience? 

Part two..... next week will interrogate the practice implications further. Watch out for next weeks blog !