Seasonal it was. Silly? Yes - pretty well bordering on crazy! It was a child and youth care worker's worst annual event.
Three weeks before the last day day of school at the end of the year, we came to expect it - the silly season.
There was always a group of boys who had reached the age of 18 and had finished schooling. In terms of the Children's Act, they were no longer legally a child and required to leave residential child care. At that time it was called 'discharge'; the same term used used in hospitals and in the prison systems. Professional child and youth care workers now talk of 'disengagement' or 'transitioning'. Its also called 'ageing out'.
My house was in a bit of a dip below the lawned strip in front of a large House we called 'Senior House' - a dormitory building for the oldest boys in residence.
It was the 'silly season'.
That night, my family and I were still awake when there was a heavy rain of very loud thuds on our roof. The cause was unmistakably a rain of stones - we say 'rocks' thrown from the rise; clearly by a group of senior boys.
I chose not to go out, but to stay inside with my family. This was a , 'sort it out in the morning' decision. I would, anyway, not have caught them when they ran in the dark. It also came to me that the rock throwing could have been aimed at me.
"You dumped him. You're just dumping him", his friends said.
The 'him' was a boy served with a discharge order.
It was not asif that was a surprise. He and 'they' always knew." At 18 you have to go !". It was that transitional preparation had not been adequately done. It wasn't properly, professionally done for any of the boys.
So, we had the Silly Season - an escalation in window - breaking, behavioural regression, acting out, direct insultive confrontation with child and youth care workers. Wherever and whenever the system could be bucked, it was bucked.
The message to child and youth care workers was, "I'm not ready to leave, You can't discharge me. You can see. How can you put me out there when I have behaviour problems?".
Underlying all this, was hightened anxiety, uncertainty, loss of friends, fear of the unknown and fear of not being provisioned as well as the Home provided.
" It's easy for you to say 'go home home. This is my home".
With professionalisation has come considerable knowledge, skill and practice for smooth seamless transitioning.
We 've learnt that exit planning and disengagement starts at engagement. At intake children and young people are lead to understand the purpose of their stay; the work that must and will be done by them and by the facility toward the normalisation of life in the community to which they belong. Starting with an initial care plan and then a detailed Individual Development Plan ( IDP ) and/ or a Family Development Plan (FDP). This, may or may not lead possibly, if not probably to independent living.
As the time for disengagement approaches, the best practice models seem to have, what they call a phased transitional programme.
Ageing out at 18 years of age was this blog 's opening story. So, lets start there as an example.
Most draw up three or four phased programmes, the basis of such phases is the shift from life - skills 'doing for', to life - skills 'doing with '. to life - skills 'doing yourself ': from dependence to co - dependence, to independence.
Much of this IS, or SHOULD BE embedded in the ongoing practice and programmes of a child and youth care facility, however, ageing out young people do need to gain specialised, specific mastery.
I don't intend setting out a phased transitioning programme as such, but rather to suggest broadly, some life - skills tasks which seem to be needed.
These young people have little to fall back on when they are out there, and floundering. It's been said that every young person needs to become 100% independent, but young people ageing out ageing out have to be 150% independent.
None of this is gender specific, so for example, food and food preparation is for all.
Stage one: Prepare and cook your own breakfast. Stage two: Prepare and cook your own breakfast and lunch. Prepare and cook your own breakfast, lunch and dinner all according to your own planned menu.
That's typical of the grading of tasks pattern in transitioning programme design.
The same type of grading task pattern is designed for laundry and clothing, money matters, budgeting and economic shopping, banking. A good idea is at age 16, to open a savings account and to deposit monthly. And so much more - Use of public transport, - bus train, taxi and Uber, job - seeking preparation, write a CV, Driving.
Really important is setting up - setting up cost and essentials for first time household setting up, typical rental costs, doing without.
Really, the list is more extensive.
Then come those final days before leaving. The farewells, the rituals the understanding of available follow up and safety nets.
I like the mentor system for follow up.
There is no more silly season. Now there is excitement, anticipation, hope and confidence
"I know you can do it. So, go out there and SHOW THEM".
In child and youth care work
This is what we do.
