please help i am stuck on this question

[dolphin]

hi i am stuck on this question
give some age appropriate examples of decisions children and young people can make and include an explanation of the dilemma this causes in some circumstances between the childs rights and your responsibilities for their safety

thank you for your help

[sarah8lou]

Off the top of my head, it is about your duty of care and the need for the child to learn and experience things to help them develop.


So, think about the risks young children may take when
* using a climbing frame.
* Walking on a wall
* Jumping off things
We have to allow them to make judgements and decisions about safety, guide them and offer support that helps them learn about risks etc, but we also need to allow them to take sensible risks to achieve this. This is why we risk asses everything. The climbing frame will have been risk assessed, low risks will have been taken into account, but with correct management by the staff the climbing frame will be essential for the children's development.
The dilemma is what risks we allow and how we manage it. For a child to have a balanced view on taking risks, to help enhance and expand their abilities we need to allow children the opportunities to make their own choices, decide what they are capable of doing, and allow them to make mistakes in a safe and controlled way. If they are not allowed to manage their risks in childhood, and they are over protected from things, they will not have the ability to judge for themselves when older what may put them in danger. It also applies to children that may be 'dare devils', we need to teach them that there are risks to some actions they may take, and give them the skills to stop and think and assess situations before acting to quickly when the risk could be too great.

With older children and young adults it will be decisions like who they socialise with, drugs, alcohol, sexual relationships, work, money etc. They need to be able to judge situations, understand consequences, have the ability to say no or stand up for the self.

In the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - Al children and young people have the right to learn and develop into adults and be protected. So we have to help them learn AND protect them. That's where our duty of care can come into some sort of conflict with the rights of the child.

So think of a dilemma (climbing), what will the child gain from it, what would they lose out on if you stopped them from doing it, and how both of these would effect their development, and think of your responsibility in lines with duty of care.

Hope that helps. Hope its not confused you even more!!!!

[dolphin]

thank you you have given me a few ideas, i just didnt know how to start it. so for example a child who is 7 is old enough to go on a trampoline, but he is not allowed to do somersalt on it because of health and safety. he/she can go on it with supervision. good that be an example

[Ruthierhyme]

Hi, a trampoline is a good example :) somersaults might be seen as a natural part of it - jumping and bouncing, especially if children have witnesed others performing complex moves. Your responsibilitiy towards children's safety is to ensure the trampoline is positioned inaccordance with the manufacturers guidance, an appropriately fitted safety net is set up, alongside an examination & tug check of all the securing tabs & ropes before children have a session with it.

Children's right to play and express themselves through this activity may cause conflict or dilema where they've used the trampoline and for safety reasons you'd asked them not to ... maybe you hadn't checked it that day, a part needed replacement, the rain makes the surface too slippery to use.

This is where sharing information about the dangers and what you've got to organise to get it back into action enables proactive descisions to be made.

Health and safety risks, dilema and conflict surround wanting to provide a trampolining experience for all children, their right to this/through play, freedom of movement & assmbly and the issues that arise where neck injuries or muscular weakness is involved, responsibilities are then to arrange one on one or greater assistance, brace support or an activity that mimics the sensation of a trampolines bounce.

Smaller trampolines for the 3+ age range usually have a safety bar to hold onto and need constant supervision to prevent the trampoline tipping or children catapulting themselves over the handle bar! An additional responsibility is the flooring and the children being safe if they fall/jump from the trampoline.

For older groups you could look at decisions, dilemas and conflict surrounding pressures to smoke, alcohol consumption, viewing inappropriatly aged TV & video

Hth xx