This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/08/kids-company-closure-cause-damage-children-therapists
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Kids Company closure could cause lasting damage to children – therapists | Kids Company closure could cause lasting damage to children – therapists |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The abrupt closure of the charity Kids Company is likely to have caused lasting damage to the children in its care and could leave some of them beyond the reach of carers in future, therapists have warned. | The abrupt closure of the charity Kids Company is likely to have caused lasting damage to the children in its care and could leave some of them beyond the reach of carers in future, therapists have warned. |
| Two clinicians – one of whom worked for the charity – said the most vulnerable children could be left angry and confused by the sudden withdrawal of support. | |
| Kids Company closed its doors on Wednesday night, only a week after an emergency government grant seemed to have secured its immediate future. That followed a row that erupted into the public domain in early July. | Kids Company closed its doors on Wednesday night, only a week after an emergency government grant seemed to have secured its immediate future. That followed a row that erupted into the public domain in early July. |
| “If you have had a parent or carer who has been abusive or let the child down, it is just going to feel as if it is all part of the same thing and the therapy that they have been given will be redundant,” said Emma MacKinnon, a therapist who worked in a Kids Company centre in south London. | “If you have had a parent or carer who has been abusive or let the child down, it is just going to feel as if it is all part of the same thing and the therapy that they have been given will be redundant,” said Emma MacKinnon, a therapist who worked in a Kids Company centre in south London. |
| “All of their expectations have been confirmed – they are used to adults who let them down. Here, it has happened again. They will just become numb and probably more despairing.” | “All of their expectations have been confirmed – they are used to adults who let them down. Here, it has happened again. They will just become numb and probably more despairing.” |
| Marianna Vogt, the head of therapeutic support at childcare firm CarissCreative, agreed, saying that, in general terms, therapists “need to plan a date and speak about the associated fear and feelings. You also need to keep them informed because these children do not understand it.” | Marianna Vogt, the head of therapeutic support at childcare firm CarissCreative, agreed, saying that, in general terms, therapists “need to plan a date and speak about the associated fear and feelings. You also need to keep them informed because these children do not understand it.” |
| Related: What it was like working for Kids Company in its last few days | Related: What it was like working for Kids Company in its last few days |
| She added: “If children do not understand it or hear about the end of their care from the media, they can interpret that any way they want – they may be angry. So many have already internalised that they are bad and not worth anything or loved.” | She added: “If children do not understand it or hear about the end of their care from the media, they can interpret that any way they want – they may be angry. So many have already internalised that they are bad and not worth anything or loved.” |
| Vogt said that there was a high likelihood that there were some children now unreachable as a result of Kids Company’s abrupt closure. “Information will help, even the littlest kids deserve information and honesty.” | Vogt said that there was a high likelihood that there were some children now unreachable as a result of Kids Company’s abrupt closure. “Information will help, even the littlest kids deserve information and honesty.” |
| The row over how the closure came about and who bears responsibility for it rumbles on, with reports surfacing in the Saturday papers that ministers and Whitehall advisers wanted to cut off the public funding in 2014 – but were overruled by Downing Street. | The row over how the closure came about and who bears responsibility for it rumbles on, with reports surfacing in the Saturday papers that ministers and Whitehall advisers wanted to cut off the public funding in 2014 – but were overruled by Downing Street. |
| And Batmanghelidjh faced questions on Friday night when Channel 4 News quoted sources close to Stuart Roden, a major financial backer of Kids Company, as saying that he did not withdraw his offer to donate £3m when it emerged that the charity was being investigated by Scotland Yard over allegations of sexual abuse – an apparent contradiction of earlier claims she reportedly made. | And Batmanghelidjh faced questions on Friday night when Channel 4 News quoted sources close to Stuart Roden, a major financial backer of Kids Company, as saying that he did not withdraw his offer to donate £3m when it emerged that the charity was being investigated by Scotland Yard over allegations of sexual abuse – an apparent contradiction of earlier claims she reportedly made. |
| It has also been reported that the government was seeking the return of a £3m emergency restructuring grant awarded in late July after it emerged that some of it had been spent on overdue staff wages. The government said that was a breach of the terms of the award, but Batmanghelidjh told the Guardian that the Cabinet Office was aware that the money would be used for that purpose. | It has also been reported that the government was seeking the return of a £3m emergency restructuring grant awarded in late July after it emerged that some of it had been spent on overdue staff wages. The government said that was a breach of the terms of the award, but Batmanghelidjh told the Guardian that the Cabinet Office was aware that the money would be used for that purpose. |
| In any case, the therapists said, provision should be made in cases such as this to allow time to manage the transition. That, they said, would help avoid repeating the sort of abandonment many of the children have faced in the past. | In any case, the therapists said, provision should be made in cases such as this to allow time to manage the transition. That, they said, would help avoid repeating the sort of abandonment many of the children have faced in the past. |
| “The more notice and the more transparency, the better. It would be better to give everyone one last chance to have a session in person and not on the phone,” said Vogt. According to Batmanghelidjh, many of the staff at Kids Company agreed to stay on unpaid after the closure to try to ensure that the children in their care were provided for. | “The more notice and the more transparency, the better. It would be better to give everyone one last chance to have a session in person and not on the phone,” said Vogt. According to Batmanghelidjh, many of the staff at Kids Company agreed to stay on unpaid after the closure to try to ensure that the children in their care were provided for. |
| Vogt said that that would help. In general terms, she explained, a phone call would be better than nothing, a last session in person would be very good, and – with a month to prepare, the therapist could manage the transition so that it was not too damaging to the child. | |
| According to MacKinnon, that was not a luxury afforded to Kids Company staff. “We were, in effect, evicted the same day. We had to do very quick referrals. We were very shocked, we couldn’t believe we were doing it.” | According to MacKinnon, that was not a luxury afforded to Kids Company staff. “We were, in effect, evicted the same day. We had to do very quick referrals. We were very shocked, we couldn’t believe we were doing it.” |
| Related: Kids Company rally at Downing Street comes as Cameron defends £3m grant | |
| She said that that would would not help their children’s resilience because “that is what they are used to. It would confirm their expectations that the world is a rubbish place that will let them down. And here they are, let down again.” | She said that that would would not help their children’s resilience because “that is what they are used to. It would confirm their expectations that the world is a rubbish place that will let them down. And here they are, let down again.” |
| MacKinnon said: “Therapy is about building resilience and getting them to a point where they can help themselves. The idea is to instil hope and belief in someone by having someone who responds to them and believes in them. Gradually, this grows. | MacKinnon said: “Therapy is about building resilience and getting them to a point where they can help themselves. The idea is to instil hope and belief in someone by having someone who responds to them and believes in them. Gradually, this grows. |
| “Some of these children, it has taken a long time to get them to a place where they feel that they have a sense that they are worth something. To have this taken away will give them a sense that they are worth nothing. | “Some of these children, it has taken a long time to get them to a place where they feel that they have a sense that they are worth something. To have this taken away will give them a sense that they are worth nothing. |
| “If it is going to end like this, there would have to be a long ending process to get them used to the idea. In therapy, endings are really important. Ideally, they would have needed weeks.” | “If it is going to end like this, there would have to be a long ending process to get them used to the idea. In therapy, endings are really important. Ideally, they would have needed weeks.” |