WORDS WE USE...CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Years back I wrote a piece called "What's in a "Name?" The thinking behind it was that the names by which child and youth care workers are called as employees and the words used in the workplace speak volumes. They speak about the character/nature of the child and youth care work they are expected to perform. I'm going to call it the 'model'.

In my very first appointment the child and youth care workers were called "sister". There was a child and youth care worker in a more senior position known as 'Matron". I was the "Superintendent", as in "Hospital Superintendent". I called it the "hospital model". The underlying thought was that the children were sick. They needed healing as in a hospital setting. And that's exactly how it worked. Children's behaviour was explained by the thought that they were unwell. They were ill. They were sent to specialists including psychologists, various medics, educationalists, socialworkers..... The 'sisters' were nurses in the ward . 

Not far, across the way, another smaller residential facility called the child and youth care workers "housemothers" and "housefathers". Heard often was "We love them good" ( It was Bruno Betlelheim in 1950's who wrote the classic "Love is not Enough" No real need to say. The expectation was that they would be 'substitute parents' and act as such. In fact the facility was called an "orphanage". But the children had blood parents.

A Facebook post this fortnight made reference to management saying to  the child and youth care workers in a Child and Youth Care Centre for young people in trouble with the law, "Don't keep on acting like social workers. These young people have been sentenced for criminal  activity. This is not a holiday camp. They are supposed to know they have done wrong". Coupled with that was a further comment. "Where I am the facility is commonly called the "Stout school". It means a school for very naughty children and young people. In the community stoat school is used as a  threat to children. This I suppose could be called the "punishment model". Child and youth care workers were expected to  be hard and controlling.

Which brings to mind, what I call the "prison model". Child and youth care workers, I experienced, were called "care officers. The expectation is that they practiced mostly like prison wardens. At night, when the young people were locked into the 4 -6 bed, cell like dormitories, the child and youth care workers were required to carry out what was called, a "night patrol". They can take a security guard with them on these patrols. The expectation, further is that the child  and youth care workers "monitor" with high levels of regimentation. Line-ups, role calls, set diningroom places. All stand and then sit when given the command,  Strict set times for everything.  In some facilities, a siren sounds to mark the routines.

St Goodenough was established by an ex-army chaplain for  boys orphaned by the first world war and then by the South African Big Flu epidemic in 1923.Employed as child and  youth care workers were returning ex-service men. Until 1986 and beyond, they were called "Housemasters". Only men were employed. Later, housemasters brought there wives into the  staff residential facilities. At that time, Women were not employed and referred to by the title 'Mam". Housemasters were called "Sir".  "Sir". "Mam" "Housemaster", speaks of the child and youth care practice expectation. A middle class boarding school hostel model. 'Sir' was the discipline figure with the use of the hostel master's (standard issue) cane. Together with hangovers from the army model, it was regarded as most appropriate for boys, who were in any case, being prepared for the then compulsory conscription into the South African Army at age 18. This strange mix determined the expected child and youth care practice.

 A faith-based facility I encountered, and this is not a generalisation, seemed also to have its own expectations of child and youth care practice. In one I heard said, "We pray them good". Not just that. Heard was, "If you are not "Born Again" you will never come right and you may never leave this place". Also heard was talk of demons and Satan in the children, 'Spoil the rod etc..." In one instance I experienced a  child and youth care worker who held the view and practiced "Beating out the Devil" Young people were required to attend long scripture studies and readings every evening and compulsorily required to attend religious services. Practice in the facility I encountered, expected child and youth care workers to make disciples (proselytise) as an essential  practice element. In 1998 Minimum Standards for South African Child and Youth Care ( IMC for Youth at Risk.) prohibited this as child and youth care practice. "Prohibited.....undue influence by service providers regarding their religious or personal beliefs....."(pg 4). I will call this the "faith community" model.

With the move away from child and youth care workers being just "well-intentioned do-gooders" to being professional child and youth care workers, came the the word "development"  At first, child and youth care facilities used the word               " treatment". This sounded like the medical and the pathological models until it was redefined to mean the way we treat children and young people intentionally therapeutically and developmentally. These words speak of our practice and we hope, the expectations of  the child and youth care worker by management and the employer.

My concern is that developmental child and youth care workers may still find their expected practice to be in a sort of uneasy, parallel, or even a merge, within some of these historical organisational and management mindsets.  

When child and youth care workers in South Africa are called anything other than child and youth care workers... the name by which we are registered...and when words are used within an organisation that are entirely divorced from our practice  as professionals, my buttons are pushed and caution lights flash.