Thank you to Stella Barnes and A New Direction for bringing together this Ethical Practice Resource. In a world which is so intent on measurable outcomes and proof of success by data, this tract is most apposite. The impact that ethical cultural practices have on outcomes for vulnerable children and young people will never be measured in algorithms, because there is no measure for the healing that takes place inside.
As an enrichment coordinator who works in partnership with many diverse creative organisations, this resource will be a very strong spur to ensure that every activity will do justice to our young people. Stella Barnes had chosen perhaps the 14 most important words as her section headings … Love … Agency … Trust … Advocacy … Rights … . They should become a mantra for practitioners.
When I first had the privilege to work with A New Direction in bringing a group of Care Leavers together to co-create We Belong, they wrote a manifesto which is as vital then as it is now; they wanted to be “Loved not just Looked After”. They wrote, “Create Space for us to Heal/ Encourage us to have Confidence/Give us the room to Reach our full Potential/ Celebrate our Individuality/ Have High expectations of us”
But how do we, who provide enrichment for vulnerable children, do this? By following the advice in this easy-to-read, to-the-point resource is how. It needs to become our guide; it needs to be disseminated, not only to practitioners and cultural organisations, but to all who work with Children Looked After and Care Leavers, schools, clubs, carers, and the corporate parent.
Stella Barnes and A New Direction have created a powerful resource for practitioners that places ethics where they belong, right at the centre of good practice. It is both very welcome and truly needed.
Bernadette Alexander
Enrichment Coordination Supplier
for the Virtual Schools of Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Harrow
on behalf of John Lyon's Charity
