Developing Employment Opportunities for Care Leavers

This article describes an action research project carried out in North West England that aimed to assist Children’s Services Departments and Care Trusts in developing their strategies for supporting care leavers into employment and training. The study found a range of models and approaches that can be utilised to develop local and regional partnerships offering employment and training opportunities designed to meet the needs of care leavers. Relevant questions about the extent to which such opportunities should be ring‐fenced or targeted on particular fields of employment are identified. © 2010 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2010 National Children’s Bureau.     

Children as Peer Researchers: Reflections on a Journey of Mutual Discovery

This article is based on a small‐scale study evaluating the work of an emotional literacy project in the North West of England. It focuses on the research process and the challenging experience of involving children as peer researchers. The author draws on theoretical and epistemological insights from feminism and the sociology of childhood to explore some of the enduring tensions and contradictions facing adults involved in children’s research. The primary intention is to use post‐research reflections to raise questions and stimulate debate amongst children’s researchers rather than offer solutions. © 2010 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2010 National Children’s Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited.     

Going to the Courts Twice: A Critical Appraisal of the UK’s Policy of Re‐adoption for Intercountry Adoptions

The policy of re‐adoption for UK‐citizen parents of intercountry adopted children is designed to protect children and safeguard their best interests, but in fact may breach a variety of rights and international Conventions, and when applied to specific cases can lead to more harm than good. In this review, I want to argue that the policy of re‐adoption be reconsidered to minimise the distress to families when they return to the UK with their already legally adopted children. © 2011 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2011 National Children’s Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited.     

Four‐Year‐Old Children’s Negotiation Strategies to Influence and Deal with a Primary Child Health Care Situation

In Sweden, children’s health and development are promoted through Primary Child Health Care (PCHC) visits. The children participate in these visits from their own perspective through bodily and verbal expressions. This study explores four‐year‐old children’s expressions when they as actors take part in a PCHC situation. The conceptualisation of the children’s expressions reveals various actions that exhibit their affirmative and delaying negotiation strategies to influence and deal with these situations. For PCHC nurses, these findings may encourage to view children as negotiating participants and inspire to sensitivity when inviting children and guiding them through health visits. © 2011 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2011 National Children’s Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited     

Listening to children with cancer

Many children now live with cancer rather than die from it, and such children need both to continue their social, emotional and cognitive development and to make long‐term psychological adjustments. This paper has its foundations in the findings of a research project set up to explore issues pertinent to the current provision of an activity week experience for a group of British paediatric cancer patients. This research suggested that the activity week appeals to children who are confident, active and able to separate from parents and whose parents are keen to encourage independence and new experiences. Children diagnosed and treated at a younger age and further away from treatment are more likely to express concerns about homesickness and safety and to not apply for the week. In this paper, issues of protection, independence and disability are discussed with reference to the importance of parental attitude on children's psychological accommodation to disease and treatment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

It's Good to Talk! A Multidimensional Qualitative Study of the Effectiveness of Emotional Literacy Work in Schools

This paper reports on a small‐scale research study evaluating the work of an emotional literacy project in the North West of England. The purpose of the evaluation was threefold: to assess the degree of success of the emotional literacy project in achieving its aims; to capture and disseminate learning of what works, with whom and in which context, when promoting emotional literacy; and to provide policy makers and practitioners within the LEA, and beyond, with research evidence upon which best practice can be delivered to children, young people and their families. A multi‐dimensional qualitative study was designed to explore the views of children, young people, parents/carers, headteachers, teachers, project workers and allied professionals regarding the emotional literacy project from their own perspective. The findings contribute to the growing body of research evidence on, and models of best practice in, promoting the emotional well being of children and young people. © 2006 The Authors(s).Journal compilation © 2006 National Children's Bureau     

Shaping ways of managing diversity in Portuguese schools,from the student's perspective

This article examines the results of an empirical research project that analysed the political socialisation processes of the students at three Portuguese public secondary schools in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in 2011. Against the background of the implementation of an ‘education for citizenship’ programme in the official Portuguese school curriculum (2001), the project basically sought to know what attitudes the students mobilised in the face of a hypothetical situation involving the presence of ciganos (gypsies) in a school context. In this respect, and based on a pragmatic and comprehensive perspective, we attempted to test the concept of multiculturality and how it is seen and experienced by the students at these schools. Our aim is to answer the question: In a school context, how do students think the coexistence of gypsies and non-gypsies should be managed? In seeking to answer this question, the methodology that seemed to us most appropriate to this study's objectives is founded on the mobilisation of a scenario-based questionnaire, and to this purpose we surveyed 700 secondary students in a classroom environment. We were able to identify and characterise four possible coexistence formats within the overall framework of a synoptic vision of the available ways of managing a multicultural experience: separation; socialisation; universalism; and co-operation.     

Violence Experiences in Care: Some Methodological Remarks based on the Finnish Child Victim Survey

The article examines violence experienced by children in substitute care and at home based on the survey results of the Finnish Child Victim Survey carried out in schools in 2008. The focus is on physical and psychological violence in conflict situations. Of the 13 459 respondents, pupils between 12 and 16 years of age, 233 children reported living in care or having lived in care. Children living in care were asked the same questions as children living at home about violence experienced by their care‐taking adults. The analysis compares the answers between those two groups and examines them in relation to information about children's psychosocial problems and measures of emotional wellbeing.

‘The focus is on physical and psychological violence in conflict situations’

According to the study, children report more physical and psychological violence by adults in their homes than children do in residential homes or foster homes. Substitute care is not, however, free of violence. Children with psychosocial problems experienced more violence at home than in substitute care. The article suggests a more thorough conceptual and methodological analysis of abuse in care. The conceptual and methodological tools employed should be sensitive to the particular nature of abuse in care and the studies should pay attention to a variety of forms and practices of violence. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On Track Multi‐Agency Projects in Schools and Communities: A Special Relationship

Social inclusion, multi‐agency projects in education in the United Kingdom increasingly seek to work with participation from children, families and communities and through partnerships with other agencies. In this paper, the complexities of such developments are examined. The paper looks at the wider context of preventative and social inclusion projects and highlights the ways in which schools tend to be the dominant locus of communication, delivery and control in the early stages of project implementation. Schools are seen to be valuable conduits into the community, to have the potential to begin capacity‐building with isolated individuals and to forge informal networks. This presents significant challenges to project and school managers, working towards genuinely empowering multi‐agency preventative work and support. A ‘special relationship’ embracing schools, projects and community appears the most productive way forward for such projects. Copyright © 2006 National Children's Bureau.     

Children changing spaces,changing schools

Children's participation remains controversial in United Kingdom schools where children and their communities rarely have opportunity to change what happens. This paper considers an original approach that developed cooperative intergenerational inquiry with a class of 10–11-year-olds in the north of England as part of complexity-informed participatory action research to consider children's participation in schools. Children and adults considered together, what schools are for, at the same time enabling children to shape spaces for participation in lesson time. The importance of recognising these spaces as dynamic intra-subjective meeting points and of intergenerational relationships for change in schools is revealed.     

Pathways to participation: openings,opportunities and obligations

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has raised the profile of children's participation in the United Kingdom. Hart's ‘ladder of participation’ has been the most influential model in this field. This paper offers an alternative model, based on five levels of participation: 1. Children are listened to. 2. Children are supported in expressing their views. 3. Children's views are taken into account. 4. Children are involved in decision‐making processes. 5. Children share power and responsibility for decision‐making. In addition, three stages of commitment are identified at each level: ‘openings’, ‘opportunities’ and ‘obligations’. The model thus provides a logical sequence of 15 questions as a tool for planning for participation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Research Component of the Master's Degree Curriculum in Social Work: A Survey Summary

This paper reports on a survey conducted on formal research requirements in the master's degree program of accredited schools of social work. Requirements were found to vary widely in type and extent among the sixty-seven reporting schools, ranging from schools that required only a single research course to those that required courses in research and statistics and an empirical research project as well. In terms of the proportion of total graduation credit devoted to research-related requirements, the spread was from 24 to 5 percent, with a mean of 12 percent. Issues and implications for social work education are noted.     

Lost lessons?: the Experience of a time-limited home-school support project

This article reports on an evaluation of an innovative, but time-limited, home-school support project, designed to improve the behaviour of young children in danger of school exclusion. It concludes that, although valued by the families and schools involved, the effective operation of the initiative was hampered by problems of communication, by its single agency location and by the short-term nature of its funding. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Project Jump: Young People's Perspectives on a Sexual Health Drama Project for Hard to Reach Young People

This article explores the qualitative process findings from an evaluation of Project Jump — a sexual health drama project for hard to reach young people. Project Jump aimed to enable young people to consider their sexual behaviour and its impact and consequence on other people and themselves. The research aimed to capture the experiences and perceptions of young people's involvement in the project, particularly in relation to the use of drama as a medium for learning. Findings from young people demonstrate that drama can offer an important alternative to traditional health promotion in that young people articulated positive aspects of their involvement. These included enthusiastic participation, empowerment and sexual health skills acquisition. In addition, critical areas for consideration for policy‐makers and practitioners in employing a drama‐based approach particularly in relation to effective identification, engagement and ongoing follow‐up activity with vulnerable groups are highlighted. © 2006 University of the West of England. Journal compilation © 2006 National Children's Bureau.     

‘The extreme end of a spectrum of violence’: physical abuse,hegemony and resistance in British residential care

While researching the history of traditional child care institutions – children's homes, orphanages, industrial schools and reformatories – the author was impressed by the similarities of regimen across the spectrum of traditional care. Underpinning all forms of care was a severe discipline which often became abusive. Sexual abuse was also reasonably common. There were differences but it is the similarities which are stressed in this article, which seeks reasons for the perceived sameness. Children in care came mostly from the same deprived social background, and no matter what the intentions of the carers, traditional care involved a confrontation with cherished working class values which many of the children were bound to resist. Resistance was met by severe staff reaction; hence the violent undercurrent. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Whose job is poverty? the problems of therapeutic intervention with children who are sexually violent

Children who commit sexually violent acts have been identified in increasing numbers since the 1980s. Professionals who practise therapeutic intervention with this group have struggled to find explanations for their client's deviant behaviour. Current explanations for, and discourses on, the occurrence of sexual violence minimize the effect of poverty in the therapeutic arena. The most difficult and worrisome child clients for participants of this research are the poor ones, yet the practice of counselling is unable to address structural disadvantage. This leads to a poverty culture explanation for sexual violence and child abuse which recognizes poverty yet pathologizes the individual. The identification of a new problem—children's sexual violence—the individualized case‐based approach to intervention and current social policy minimize the continuing and persistent problem of poverty. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Child poverty and child outcomes

This article reviews the most up to date evidence on the prevalence of child poverty in Britain. It traces how child poverty has changed over the last 20 years, and how child poverty in Britain compares with that in other countries. Then there is a brief section describing the characteristics of poor children. It then reviews evidence of the impact of poverty on the well‐being of children drawing on the ESRC Children 5–16 programme project—Poverty: the Outcomes for Children (Bradshaw, 2001a). It concludes with a discussion of how the Labour Government is doing in its aspirations to abolish child poverty. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Child's Voice in Service Evaluation: Ethical and Methodological Issues

This paper examines the ethical issues which arose as part of a qualitative study with children who had experienced sexual abuse and the implications of these ethical issues for the methodology and conduct of the study. The ethical dimensions addressed include protection of the therapeutic relationship, anonymity, confidentiality, safeguarding (child protection), consideration of the sensitivity of the issue, informed consent, the right to withdraw and storage of data. The study formed one component of a service evaluation of a network of therapeutic projects provided by Action for Children, offering interventions for trauma following child sexual abuse. Children and young people's perspectives were collected using a child‐friendly activity book designed to elicit their views on the service. The paper highlights the importance of conducting research which adheres to ethical guidelines and reflects upon the process of designing a study which incorporates them. The research was funded by Action for Children and managed by a steering group comprising managers from the organisation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Joining up the solutions: the rhetoric and practice of inter‐agency cooperation

A three‐year project placed home‐school support workers in secondary schools. The intention was that they should work closely at operational level with other agencies to provide a cohesive local authority response to the needs of disaffected and excluded youngsters. Crucial distinctions emerged between project constraints, possibilities and benefits for agency personnel in the school‐focused agencies and those external to the school. In relation to the external agencies, support workers fulfilled predominantly an information gathering and sharing role whereby they joined up the solutions of disparate agencies, whereas very effective forms of cooperation developed with the school‐focused agencies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.