University of Sunderland

Lord John Alderdice's Public Lecture

I have 'listened again' and invite you to do the same from the open public lecture led by Lord John Alderdice, salient issues include:

• the need to be cautious about losing and forgetting as much understanding as we are achieving;
• the need for human contact  - use technology as a servant not as a master - 'I have never seen a patient who says they have a problem with their computer, they do however have issues with their relationships...';
• the anxiety of a real problem is the person;
• take care not to lose the essence of the situation, find a mode of communication, some people find it difficult to put their problems into words and need art, feelings, drama in a pre-verbal way;
• 'children and young people can make you say and do silly things...';
• as adults we need to be aware of the damage we may be causing to the next generation: there are things that we 'do not understand, do not listen to, do not look for' and also 'things we don't want to know, don't want to see and don't want to think about';
• 'Society has a tendency to reassure itself by pseudo scientific knowledge...' and to '...consider children in an idealised way';
• 'Society needs to understand trauma gets carried from one generation to the next...'

Clear messages for those working with children and young people include:

1. realising that the protocols and practices do not always assist and support the achieving of 'the right outcomes for children'
2. do not lose contact with the sense of professional boundaries set down between self and children/young people
3. remember that your best support are your co-workers and colleagues - keep talking to them 
4. as practitioners we are trained to 'do', sometimes the doing, the prescribing, the form filling and the instruction is not possible or worthwhile, but 'we need to 'stick' with children and young people who have 'disturbance' - but do not promise to 'sort out the problem'
5. do the best you can in your discipline and service, remember working with children can be seductive, but as an adult you are not one of them.  You are no longer a child or teenager, adults need to get over this and be aware that '...children and young people need adults to be adults'.

Click here to watch the recording of the event.