[senco-forum] Every Child Matters critique

That has certainly given me something tothink about.
Angela 

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of
Mmilesep at aol.com
Sent: 15 May 2008 20:58
To: senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: [senco-forum] Every Child Matters critique

This was posted on another forum and I am still reflecting on it. I
share it 
with you without comment

Martin

--------------------------------------
If you have any time spare from your mutli agency meetings and CAF
panels,  
you
might be interested as I was in a recent book by John Seddon (Occ.
Psych. 
and 'Systems Thinker') 
in which he argues that the government's  targets and standards agendas 
have had negative effects
on a range of  public services. The book has some interesting (alarming)

examples  of
ludicrous behaviour as public agencies try to hit their  targets.

For most of us in the public sector there's nothing radical in  that, of

course. What is different
is a critique of Every Child Matters-  the first that I've seen in
print.

He says of ECM that:

"The fear  engendered by the regime (government) .means that everyone 
dealing with  children worries about ensuring that they have 'ticks in 
boxes' when their  inspectors come knocking" (p.190) 

He goes on to say:

"The 'Every  child matters' framework will lead to a spectrum of
responses 
among those  who woprk wih children, from unthinking compliance to
trying 
to do the right  thing in spite if the reporting requirements, and
fitting 
descriptions of  doing the right things in reports as best they can. The

perverse consequence  of  'Every child matters' is that we will be less 
likely to do the  right things........"

"........The framework is driving activity to  satisfy the regime and
not 
the needs of children; it undermines the very  thing it sets out to 
achieve." (pp 191-2)

Given that we are all  committed to ECM he must be wrong of course.

It's all in Seddon, J  (2008)  "Systems Thinking in the Public Sector:
the 
failure of the  reform regime...and a manifesto for a better way" 
Axminster: Triarchy  Press