2013-05-20T05:13:58-04:00 Chris Cuthbert http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=chris-cuthbert Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Chris Cuthbert Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2932552 2013-03-22T19:00:00-04:00 2013-03-22T14:59:48-04:00

Chris Cuthbert http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-cuthbert/
For the tabloids the child protection figures are shocking, not least because 95 children are on the register before they've even left the womb. For the Scottish Government they are an indicator of success. More children on the register at a younger age means the: "most at risk children are getting the help they need, when they need it." Two different child protection experts will read different things in to the fact that children are coming off the child protection register more quickly. While those children may be getting the safe, nurturing care they need to heal the scars of their early experiences, they could also be at a greater risk of returning to a further cycle of abuse or neglect.

A single set of statistics can only give us part of the child protection picture in Scotland or indeed in any of the UK's four nations. What we do know, more certainly than ever before, is that the attachment a baby makes to its closest carers - whether that's their birth parents, kinship carers or foster/adopted parents has a profound effect on their development. Where this bond is disrupted by ill treatment or neglect a baby can go on to experience behavioural, language and learning difficulties and physical and mental ill-health. This damage can stay with a child throughout their life.

The good news is that as we've learnt more about the impact of abuse on a child's development, we've also learnt more about how we can help a child recover and what can be done to prevent the recurrence of abuse. With the right support and most importantly with safe, stable and sensitive care children can recover from the effects of early abuse and enjoy the same chance of a happy and healthy future as any other child.

Most parents want to give their children the very best start in life they can. Many of the parents we work with at our NSPCC centre in Glasgow have had no experience of what it's like to be properly cared for, or are struggling with their own set of impossible circumstances. Our own NSPCC research shows that a much greater number of children are at risk of abuse than those known to statutory services. Our work with families is based on some of the best models of early intervention from around the world, and already we are beginning to see a difference for the children we support.

So early identification and early intervention - two principles the Scottish Government are clearly committed to - are crucial to the drive to protect children from harm. Put like this, perhaps we should see this week's increase in child protection registrations as a good start. The challenge now is how to embed early intervention into practice across universal and specialist services, to give every vulnerable child in Scotland a brighter future.

Chris Cuthbert will be speaking at NSPCC Scotland's Safer Childhood, Brighter Future - early intervention in practice Conference in Glasgow 24, 25 April]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1508795 2012-05-14T11:30:51-04:00 2012-07-14T05:12:04-04:00

Chris Cuthbert http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-cuthbert/
Raising a child is one of the most important jobs any of us will ever do, and yet we don't get any formal training. Obviously, I'm not suggesting that parents need a qualification to raise their children. But a little extra support would be nice, wouldn't it?

The NSPCC recently released new evidence showing as many as two in five new moms say they are struggling to cope with the demands of looking after their newborn baby. Over a half of new moms (57%) felt isolated with no one to turn to and a fifth said they were frequently "very upset" by their baby's crying in the first eight weeks after birth.

Pregnancy is the ideal time to prepare for parenthood. This is a great time to offer moms and dads advice and support, especially if they're anxious about what lies ahead. Our survey showed that almost three quarters (72%) of all new mothers would have liked more professional advice before their baby was born. They wanted more information on how to deal with anxiety, fear and depression, the effects of their own sleep deprivation and how to cope with their baby's crying and sleeplessness.

Sadly, it is an opportunity that is often missed. Many parents don't get the chance to attend antenatal education in the UK.

In 2010, a large scale Oxford University study of maternity services for the Department of Health found that 32% of new mothers weren't offered antenatal education -- and that there were substantial variations between different parts of the country in what was offered. Our own YouGov survey shows that there is a social profile to this too: whilst two thirds (65%) of new moms from advantaged backgrounds (Social classes ABC1) had attended antenatal education classes, only two fifths (39%) of less advantaged (C2DE) moms had done so.

And even when parents make it to antenatal classes they often don't learn much about how to be a parent and to nurture their baby. Studies repeatedly show that antenatal education focuses "on labour and birth and fails to address parent's need in relation to the reality of new parenthood." Thankfully, the Department of Health is now trying to address this.

We know that being a new parent can be tough, and that the way children are cared for is critically important; early interactions with parents lay the foundations for babies' future development. So we urgently need to get better at preparing parents to be the best they can. The positive impact that good parenting can have on babies' development is just as important as the practicalities of birth.

Assuming all parents will naturally be able to nurture their babies is misguided, and it means we aren't giving parents the support they want and need. This must change. It's clear that parenting can be difficult, and that leaving parents to struggle can be damaging for babies. We have to ensure that better support is available for all parents, to help them to get parenting right, from the start.

Find out more about how the NSPCC is helping to protect babies at: http://bit.ly/NSPCCbabies.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1399039 2012-04-10T19:00:00-04:00 2012-06-10T05:12:01-04:00

Chris Cuthbert http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-cuthbert/
Babies rely on adults to respond to their physical needs, to ensure they are warm, comfortable and fed. They also need us to respond to their emotions, to soothe them if they are upset or stressed. When we do this, we help the baby learn how to manage his or her own feelings. If we don't react appropriately, this can have long term effects on the child's emotional and social skills and mental health.

If a baby cries and cries and nobody comes, he or she will eventually stop crying. They won't stop feeling upset, but will keep this feeling locked up inside. As an adult, this person may be less able to cope with stress.

So, learning how to 'talk baby', to recognise and respond to a baby's cues, is a really important role for parents or caregivers. Many parents can do these things naturally, but not everyone. If a parent has emotional problems or experienced poor parenting themselves, or if they have problems such as substance misuse or domestic violence that preoccupy their thoughts and their feelings, then they may struggle to attend and respond to their baby.

Parents affected by problems like domestic violence seldom get adequate support to deal with their own problems, let alone help to respond to their babies' needs. Society spends huge sums of money treating children and young people with social and emotional problems, but hardly anything investing in their early development, and preventing things from going wrong in the first place.

It is possible to help parents to develop secure bonds with their babies, even in the most adverse circumstances, and there are a host of examples of good services that can make a difference. One example of such as service is 'Minding the Baby', a service developed in Yale, and which the NSPCC is now piloting in the UK. In this service skilled social workers and nurses work with vulnerable young mums to support them during pregnancy and the first years of their child's life. Alongside offering a host of practical support, the practitioners help the mums to observe their babies' behaviours and think about what this reveals about how they feel and what they need.

Caring for a baby isn't rocket science, nor is it easy and it doesn't come naturally to everyone. It's one of the most important things any of us ever does. That's why we believe it's critically important that new parents are given some help in 'talking baby', and we're calling on Governments and health services across the UK to take this issue seriously.

Find out more about the NSPCC's work with babies.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1395897 2012-04-02T19:00:00-04:00 2012-06-02T05:12:01-04:00

Chris Cuthbert http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-cuthbert/
My vision is of a 'Budget for Babies', a budget where the government commits, or redirects, more funding for services for the youngest children and their families. These services would help all families to care for their babies, and, in particular, would provide support for struggling families and where babies are at particular risk of neglect or abuse. David Cameron has said that making early intervention a theme for the next comprehensive spending review is "a very sensible suggestion", so I hope that this vision can one day become a reality. Not only is this a moral imperative but an economic one, too.

It is now beyond dispute that the care babies receive in the first few weeks of life is critical to their development and their later wellbeing. Sadly, many babies do not live in stable and supportive families, and do not develop healthy relationships with their parents. In the worst cases, these babies suffer abuse and neglect and are then more likely to experience a range of problems into their adult lives.

Despite the importance of early relationships, health services are often too stretched to spend time helping parents to interact with their babies, and very few specialist services exist for families who are really struggling. Effective services do exist - but they are patchy at best.

New NSPCC research has found that only one in six new mums said they got any information from a professional about the problems they might have in bonding with their babies. We also know very few mums and dads would be able to access support if they actually experienced these problems.

The cost of allowing babies to grow up without sufficient care and attention are high, not just for individuals, but also for society and for the economy. We know that babies who don't have healthy, early relationships with their parents are more likely to suffer behavioural problems, which can manifest in the classroom or in their communities. As adults they can develop a range of physical and mental health problems, all of which have clear costs for public services and society as a whole.

It is widely recognised that early intervention is a more efficient and effective way of delivering public services. Services to support parenting and reduce abuse and neglect will generate future returns for the state in two ways: First, they will reduce future burdens on public services, and second, they will increase the likelihood that children will reach their full potential and therefore contribute to the economy and the exchequer. Evidence shows us that intervening early to prevent abuse and neglect of babies could save the government as much as £4 for every £1 invested.

On average, 23 babies a year die from abuse and neglect, and thousands more grow up without the care they need to help them to thrive. I believe we have a moral duty to invest in services that can stop this from happening, but if that doesn't convince politicians, I hope the economic case will.

Find out more about the NSPCC's work to protect babies at http://bit.ly/NSPCCbabies]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1260014 2012-02-07T19:00:00-05:00 2012-04-08T05:12:01-04:00

Chris Cuthbert http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-cuthbert/
That single statistic shows just how vulnerable babies are. And in England, although only 7% of children are babies, a huge 45% of serious child protection case reviews relate to children under one.

And whilst most of us agree that babies should be loved, nurtured, and protected from harm, we don't always think about babies having a right to these things or that adults should be protecting those rights.

It's now 20 years since the UK government signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), agreeing to protect the rights of children and to be held accountable for doing so. This anniversary is a good moment to reflect on how we're currently protecting children's rights in the UK.

The convention gives all children the right to protection from violence. Abuse and neglect of babies is especially damaging because their brains are still developing and because they cannot seek help. This not only means they're more likely to suffer abuse, but that the damage can be profound and have lifelong consequences.

Because of this, babies are a priority for the NSPCC and our All Babies Count campaign is highlighting the vulnerability of babies, and calling for more support for them and their families. It makes sense, therefore, for us to think about the rights of babies - the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society.

Looking at babies' lives through the lens of the UNCRC shows a pretty poor picture. For nearly every right named in the convention, we can find evidence that babies are missing out.

The convention states that governments should help parents and guardians to bring up their children, and we know that the way that parents interact with babies is incredibly important for their development.

Good quality antenatal education is invaluable in helping mums and dads prepare for parenthood and learn about looking after their baby. Yet many parents get very little information, support and advice from public services about how to care for and bond with their baby. Maternity services are stretched, and despite the best of intentions, they often have to focus on the medical aspects of birth. This fails to help people understand the reality of becoming a parent and the ongoing care their baby needs.

It also fails to reach many parents. In 2010, 42% of new mums reported that they were not offered NHS antenatal education, or that classes were over-subscribed. And a recent survey by the Royal College of Midwives and Netmums found that nearly three quarters of mothers in low income households did not attend antenatal classes. This suggests that the most vulnerable women in society are even less likely to get the support they need.

And the list of rights that are not realised for babies goes on and on. Babies have a right to have their interests taken into account in cases of fostering or adoption. Yet decisions about taking children into care, and adoption processes, often take a long time, depriving children of a safe and secure environment at a critical time in their lives.

Babies have the right to benefit from social security, yet the benefits for families, especially those in pregnancy and early years, are being cut, and younger children (those under four) are more likely to be in poverty than older children.

Babies have the right to protection from illicit drugs, yet around 100,000 babies across the UK right now are living in households affected by drug and alcohol abuse, and there is insufficient support for these families to care for their children.

All of this paints a very negative picture, so we mustn't forget that great progress has been made since the government signed up to the Convention on Children's Rights 20 years ago. However, clearly there is much more to be done. All babies have the right to the best start in life, and it's time for us to ensure they get it.

The NSPCC is campaigning to protect babies from harm with its All Babies Count campaign. You can sign their pledge at www.nspcc.org.uk/allbabiescount ]]>