This was first posted on the goodenoughcaring website at http://www.goodenoughcaring.com on April 20th, 2010
Dear Paul,
NCERCC
I am writing to you to express my continuing concern – and that of many others - about the prospect of NCERCC being wound down now that its funding from the DCFS has ceased. As one of the members of the original committee, along with Bill Utting, which worked hard to develop the proposal that NCB then put successfully to the government for such a Centre for residential care, I have always held a particular interest in how NCERCC has developed. Along with many, many others, I have been delighted with how it has located itself at the heart of our residential sector in so short a time.
You yourself will be aware of this heartening reality. Therefore you will also understand just how taken aback and troubled we are now by the imminent disappearance of this Centre. We also wish to make clear that while we genuinely appreciate the support and institutional base that NCB has provided for NCERCC during its existence, we believe strongly that “ownership” of the Centre extends well beyond NCB itself. It is one of the greatest achievements of NCERCC that it has become already what we had always hoped, a “home base” for our residential sector and capable of being a “critical friend” when necessary in order to generate improvements in such provision. We are not prepared to simply see such an achievement and role drain away now, to be “replaced” by a different government supported activity to “drive through” improvements. [Note the so 90s business language.]
I am forwarding by email too further expressions of concern, anger and dismay that have been circulating since news of the risk to NCERCC has emerged. An important part of this concern is about how we were ignorant of that risk until decisions had been made concerning central government funding and with no opportunity until now to participate in securing alternative funding. Even now we wish to follow this route and believe that with NCB we can achieve such funding – so long as we have time to do so and the Centre does not close up shop, so to speak, before this can be done. It is not an alternative to NCERCC we desire, nor a pale shadow of what it has become. It is the “real article” we seek to preserve and help to grow further.
Given the longstanding support of residential care by NCB across the years – and I have been privileged to be part of several of these earlier NCB based activities – it is our hopeful expectation that your organisation can act even now to secure the continued and active presence of NCERCC in the sector, preferably but not absolutely necessarily from its NCB base. Many of us are fully prepared to participate fully in this effort, and we have some ideas already.
Thank you again for the support NCB and you yourself have given NCERCC over these recent years. I look forward to hearing from you about how by our working together now it can continue to make a difference for our sector.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Rollinson
Independent Consultant in residential child care
Chairman of the Professional Advisory Group of the Charterhouse Group of Therapeutic Communities, of the Planned Environment Therapy Trust and of the Care Leavers Foundation
(Posted 20th April, 2010)
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