Understanding 'Going Missing': issues for social work and social services

Correspondence to Malcolm Payne, Professor of Applied Community Studies, The Manchester Metropolitan University, 799 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 8RR. Summary Recent research about young people and adults who ‘gomissing’ raises important issues for social work and thesocial services. Large numbers of young people go missing eachyear, becoming vulnerable to exploitation and at risk of committingcrime and suffering from other social difficulties. Adults leavebehind families with practical and emotional difficulties. Adefinition of ‘going missing’ should focus on absencefrom social expectations and responsibilities. Five groups ofmissing person are identified: runaways, pushaways, throwaways,fallaways and takeaways, reflecting different social situationsin which going missing occurs. It is argued that going missingis one of a range of choices which people in difficulties maymake, depending on their approach to problems in their livesand the availability of opportunities. Effective local co-ordinationto focus on reasons for going missing, on reunions and returnsto residential care or home, and to provide emotional and practicalhelp to people ‘left behind’, are required, providedthat care is taken to protect people who go missing becausethey are subject to abuse and violence.     

The motives of foster parents, their family and work circumstances

Summary In foster care research the focus is generally placed on thechildren, not on the parents who perform the foster care. Inthis article the focus is on foster parents of 10-11 year-oldchildren. They were interviewed about their motives for becomingfoster parents, which were linked to their family and work circumstances.Among the 21 foster families in the study, four different butequally frequent reasons or motives for taking care of fosterchildren from the very beginning could be distinguished: relativeswho feel responsibility for a certain child; couples who wantchildren and do not think they can have children of their own;families where the mother wants to be at home taking care ofbiological as well as foster children instead of having unskilledemployed work outside the home; and parents with grown-up childrenwho want to fill the 'empty nest' by becoming foster parents- combined with a family business at home or close to home.Changing family and work patterns in Sweden do not seem to haveinfluenced foster families as much as families in general. Theworth of acquiring more knowledge about the families involvedin foster care of children and young people in order to improvefoster care and reduce breakdowns of care is discussed.     

Responding to Youth Crime in Scotland

Correspondence to Bill Whyte, Director, Criminal Justice Social Work Development Centre for Scotland, School of Social and Political Studies, University of Edinburgh, Flat 1FR, 31 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LJ. E-mail: B.Whyte{at}ed.ac.uk Summary Scotland’s Children’s Hearings deal with young peoplewho offend within an integrated system dealing also with youngpeople in need of care and protection, on the assumption thatthe difficulties of both groups have similar roots in multiplesocial disadvantage and social adversity (Whyte, 1998a). A government-fundedstudy, one of the first since the system’s inception in1971, was commissioned to examine the social characteristicsof over 1,000 children and young people referred for offenceand nonoffence reasons. This paper describes the characteristicsof 465 of the young people who were referred specifically foroffending. It provides the first ‘official’ datain twenty-five years on young people in the system. The studyfound that most of those referred for offending had characteristicsstrikingly similar to those referred for nonoffence reasons,as predicted when the system was first established, and similarto those present in the general literature on young offendersfrom other jurisdictions. The study poses fundamental questionstaken up by the Scottish Executive’s review of youth crimeon how best to design systems and develop social interventionsthat can address offending and social disadvantage in an integratedway.     

The Role of Residential and Nursing Homes in the Last Year of People's Lives

Dr Ann Cartwright, Institute for Social Studies in Medical Care, 14 South Hill Park, London NW3 2SB. Summary Almost a quarter of a random sample of adults dying in 1987had spent at least part of the last year of their lives in aresidential or nursing home; one in eight spent all of thatyear in one. The old, the unmarried, those with difficulty lookingafter themselves, the confused, the incontinent, the blind,the deaf, and the bad tempered were more likely to be in suchhomes than others. With their greater dependency, people living in residentialhomes received rather more consultations and home visits—althoughnot night calls—from their general practitioners. Butthey did not get more help from community nurses and they wereless likely to be admitted to, or to die in, a hospital or hospice. According to the assesments of relatives, friends, and neighbourswho answered the questions, the quality of life of people whohad been in a residential home for a year or more before theirdeath was similar to that of others who died but had never beenin such a home. It was those who were admitted in the year beforethey died who were perceived as having a relatively poor qualityof life in that year. Increasingly, the quality of life duringthe year before death is going to depend on the attributes ofresidential homes and their staff.     

The Impact of Character-training Courses Upon Young People: an Empirical Investigation

Summary This article reports an attempt to assess the impact of character-trainingcourses upon young people. Seventy-seven young people from aLancashire-based company were interviewed both before, and aftertheir participation on the courses. From previous studies andliterature produced by the courses, five possible effects werehypothesized: (1) That the courses increase the social competenceof trainees. (2) That following the courses young people putmore into and get more out of life. (3) Trainees subsequentlydevelop new leisure interests. (4) The courses develop leadershipqualities. (5) Following courses young people are more likelyto participate in community service. The interview scheduleswere designed to test these hypotheses. Comparisons betweenreplies received from pre- and post-trainees confirmed onlyone of the hypotheses: following their training the young peopledid develop leisure interests related to the content of thecourses. Otherwise the data collected before and after the coursesdid not follow the predicted patterns. Further analysis of thedata suggested that the courses have an additional and unintendedeffect: namely that they make young people less settled at work     

The Long-term Outcome of Reunions Between Adult Adopted People and their Birth Mothers

Summary Increasing numbers of adult adopted people are searching forand having reunions with their birth relatives. Although a growingnumber of studies now exist that have looked at the search andreunion process, few have examined reunion outcomes over thelong term. The present study investigated the experiences of48 adult adopted people who first had contact with their birthmothers at least eight years prior to the survey. Outcomes wereexamined in terms of the adopted person's evaluation of theirown adoption experience, and the frequency of contact, if any,currently occurring between the adopted person and their adoptiveand birth mothers. Although over half of adopted people werestill in contact with their birth mother eight years or morepost reunion, the number still in touch with their adoptivemothers was higher still. Furthermore, of those still in contactwith both their adoptive and birth mothers, the frequency ofcontact was more likely to be higher with the adoptive motherthan with the birth mother. The results are discussed in termsof the search for identity, filial relationships, genetic relatednessand affectional bonds formed during childhood.     

Residential Care for Elderly People: Characteristics of Patients Admitted To Residential and Nursing Home Care from Hospital

Correspondence to Mr W. Power, Department of Social Work, Kingston General Hospital, Hull HU3 IUR Summary Fifty consecutive admissions to residential and nursing homecare from hospital were examined and the results discussed.Patient profile fitted the general pattern expected of frailelderly people with high dependency needs. There was a noticeableshift towards placements in private establishments but onlyabout half the patients were likely to have satisfied criteriafor local authority placement or require nursing home care.Breakdown in care-giver arrangements was found to be a majorreason for entry to care. Apart from a significant number ofwheelchair users going into nursing homes, there were no sharpdivisions between the residential care and nursing homes groups.     

Research Note: An Attempt to Classify Adolescent Parasuicide Attempters

Correspondence to David Gilliland, Principal Social Worker, The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, 180 Falls Road, Belfast BT12 6BE. Summary This paper examines some of the literature available on thesubject of adolescent suicide attempts. It discusses the extentto which it is possible to identify sub-groupings within groupingsof young people who took overdoses. It suggests on the basisof the study undertaken (and in reference to other studies)that it may be possible to identify sub-groupings. The paperalso discusses in detail a study carried out examining characteristicsof two groups of young people—one who had been admittedto hospital following a single overdose attempt, and a secondgroup who had several admissions to hospital following repeatedoverdose attempts. The implications of these findings are discussedin terms of the possibilities of identifying young people whoare at an increased risk of repeating an overdose attempt, andthe issues for practitioners and service managers are identified.     

Professional Advocacy as a Force for Resistance in Child Welfare

Correspondence to Jane Dalrymple, University of the West of England, Glenside Campus, Blackberry Hill, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DD, UK Summary The development of child and youth advocacy is a relativelyrecent phenomenon, increasingly recognized by both practitionersand politicians as a way of establishing communication spacesfor young people who are looked after in state care. Literatureto date has focused on the development and underpinning principlesof child and youth advocacy, which is a necessary starting pointfor establishing good practice. However, while policy and legislationpromote the view that young people are actively involved indecision making, their advocates can be placed in a passiveposition, effectively denying young people a position as socialactors. This paper argues that the problemitizing of independentadvocacy as unprofessional can serve to further marginalizeyoung people and render advocates impotent. It suggests thatwhile it is structurally necessary for adults to take on theadvocacy role, this must be undertaken in a way that activelyresists the oppression of young people. Through considerationof accounts of advocacy activity, by way of illustration, thepaper takes the debate beyond the principles of participation,empowerment and rights to a consideration of strategies thattake into account the complexities of advocacy practice in childwelfare.     

The Association between Child Abuse and Attempted Suicide

Summary A recent survey by the authors has demonstrated that attemptedsuicide is common in parents, particularly mothers, who abusetheir children. However, the nature of the association betweenchild abuse and attempted suicide is complicated. Here somepossible types of association are suggested. In management ofchild abuse, special note should be taken of a history of attemptedsuicide in the parents because, in some cases, it suggests apoor prognosis. Similarly, young children of parents who attemptsuicide should be assessed in case they are at risk of abuse.     

Children in Need? Listening to Children whose Parent or Carer is HIV Positive

Correspondence to Kay Tisdall, University of Edinburgh School of Social and Political Studies, Adam Ferguson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LL, UK. E-mail: K.Tisdall{at}ed.ac.uk Summary International attention is being brought to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. In contrast, HIV and AIDS risk being forgottenissues for those living in Scotland. Yet in 2002, numbers ofreported infections have begun to rise. Children and young peopleare even more likely to be affected by parental HIV now, asparents live longer and are able to have more children. Verylittle is known in Scotland about affected children and whethercurrent service provision meets their needs. This research projectsought to address certain of these gaps, by gathering quantitativedata from service providers and qualitative data from interviewing28 affected children and young people. The research found adearth in policies and services, and a failure to audit need.HIV education in schools did not acknowledge that pupils mightbe living with parents who had HIV illness. Children and youngpeople tended to be very involved in the health care of theirparent but none of them received direct support from healthworkers. On the whole the children and young people did notenjoy support from statutory social workers but appreciatedthe support and activities provided by workers in the voluntarysector.     

Task-centred Casework with Marital Problems

Summary The use of task-centred casework with people who have maritalproblems and have taken an overdose is described. The stagesof task-centred work are illustrated and difficulties whichwere encountered are discussed. Task-centred casework is seento be a feasible and helpful method of working with people withmarital problems.     

Assessment and Action Records: Will they Promote Good Parenting?

Correspondence to Theo Knight, Department of Applied Community Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University, 799 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 2RR. Summary In this article the authors seek to provide a critical lookat Looking After children: Good Parenting and Good Outcomes(Department of Health, 1995). They welcome the sentiments underpinningthis major contribution, which recognizes the many disadvantagesfaced by children and young people who are looked after by localauthorities, and acknowledge that local authorities have notbeen positive parents of those in their care. The writers alsoacknowledge the thoroughness which has gone into the detailof the Action and Assessment Records contained in the abovepack. What is questioned is the normative view of parentingand family life which is seen to be at the heart of these documentsand the lack of consideration of the resourcing of action plans.The checklist approach is criticized for the way in which itwill enhance the bureaucratic nature of being in public care,which in turn affects the relative power positions of parentsand children in relation to the local authority and which willimpact on the development of a partnership model of care. Thewriters conclude that children and young people in care arebut one group of young people facing disadvantage and deprivationin British society. An examination of their plight and how toaddress it need to be based within a clear framework of children'srights and a recognition of the power adults hold over them.     

Are Young People in Correctional Institutions Different from Community Students Who Have Never Been Convicted?: Differences in Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviours

Correspondence to Byoungduk Sohn, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford, Barnett House, 32 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2ER, UK. E-mail: byoungduk.sohn{at}linacre.ox.ac.uk Summary By comparing the prevalence of emotional and behaviour healthproblems among institutionalized juvenile offenders with thatamongst a non-offending sample of adolescents, this study indicatescommon characteristics of the perceived emotional and behaviouralproblems, and describes risk factors pertinent to persistentjuvenile offending. Familial backgrounds, behavioural and emotionalmeasures were collected through self-report surveys. Resultsshowed that young people in secure units claimed significanthigh levels of emotional and behavioural problems and that thoseproblems were associated with their disadvantaged familial socio-economicbackgrounds and perceived parenting factors. Various policyimplications are recommended to tackle problems amongst thesedisadvantaged young people in correctional institutions in Korea.In particular, for those working with young people in correctionalinstitutions in the UK, the findings highlight the importanceof culturally relevant programmes.     

Understanding Young People and Prostitution: A Foundation for Practice?

Correspondence to Ian Shaw, School of Social and Administrative Studies, University of Wales Cardiff, 50 Park Place, Cardiff CF1 3AT, UK. Summary The practice and research literature on young people and prostitutionreflects a number of methodological challenges. This paper offersa focused review of the literature in the context of those challengesand attempts to draw conclusions that are strong enough to providea reflective and strategic approach to service planning andimplementation. Definitional issues are discussed, particularlyin relation to estimates of prevalence. The robustness of pastresearch designs and associated causal inferences are questionedand a synthesis of current explanatory accounts is offered.Risk in relation to prostitution is explored. Past service responsesare examined and a rationale for future responses is developed.     

Differential Assessment of Residential Group Care for Children and Young People

Summary Twelve qualitative variables frame the production of outcomesin residential group care for children and young people. Theseare used to examine contemporary themes in social care practicewith children and families. This assessment typology offerssocial workers, managers, researchers and policy-makers bothvalid and reliable baseline measures for use in evaluating residentialservices for children and young people. The typology also providescomparative interval measures for use in longitudinal evaluationsof quality. Close attention needs to be given to the impacteach of these variables has on the quality of residential groupcare services offered to children, young people and their familiesor significant others.     

Delinquency and the Family

Summary A standardized procedure based upon current social work practicewas used to assess the family circumstances of a randomly drawnsample of Tower Hamlets families with son/s between 11 and 14years of age. These families were compared to those of localboys of the same age before the Courts for a first time. Two-thirdsof the officially delinquent boys came from ordinary families,intact and without serious problems. However, compared to theofficially non-delinquents in the random sample they were significantlymore likely to come from broken homes or unbroken (intact) butwith serious and persistent problems. The differences are notdue to neighbourhood or school factors that appear to a considerableextent to operate independently of family factors. Few firstCourt appearances in Tower Hamlets are explained by boys reactingto serious family stress. Follow up over two years of the delinquentsshowed that just under one-quarter of the boys from ordinaryfamilies became persistent offenders. Just over one-third ofthose from difficult family circumstances reappeared. These findings are discussed in the light of other researchand current social work practice.     

Adolescent and Young Adult Male-to-Female Transsexuals: Pathways to Prostitution

Correspondence to Dr Ronit D. Leichtentritt or Dr Bilha Davidson Arad, Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. E-mail: ronitl{at}post.tau.ac.il Summary The current study aims to reveal the experiences of young male-to-femaletranssexuals who work as prostitutes in Israel, providing astage where the voice of this marginal group may be heard, aswe believe social workers need to know more about the realityof these young people’s lives before they can offer meaningfulresponses. The study was guided by two main questions: (1) Whataccounts do young male-to-female transsexuals who work as prostitutesprovide for their involvement in the sex industry? and (2) Whatare their experiences as young transsexuals engaged in prostitution?Using the life story interview and thematic analysis, two mainthemes were revealed: (a) what I ran away from or was thrownout of; and (b) why I became a prostitute, how I became professionalizedand why I continue to work as one. The first theme focuses ontranssexualism; the second on prostitution. Yet, these two themesare intertwined: from the respondents’ perspective, prostitutionis a price you must be willing to pay if you want to achievegender transformation at the beginning of the twenty-first centuryin Israel. Practical implications and further research are recommendedto better inform social workers assisting this high-risk population.     

‘Can I come home?’ The experiences of young runaways contacting the Message Home helpline

This paper reports the findings of a 3‐month survey of young people calling the Message Home helpline. Message Home is a national freephone helpline available to people who have run away or left home which allows them to send a message to their family or carer, to seek confidential help and advice and, if necessary, to be helped to a place of safety. The paper explores the characteristics, circumstances and motivations of the young people contacting the helpline. It also considers who the young people contacted through the helpline and the kinds of messages that were relayed to parents, social services and others. This study differs from most preceding studies of runaways in recording the views of young people while they are missing. The immediacy palpable in their accounts highlights the distress and isolation experienced by many of these young people who have run away or been forced to leave home.     

Childcare with gloves on: protecting children and young people in residential care

Summary Abuse of young people in out-of-home care has caused internationalpublic and professional concern over the last fifteen years.Although research has been undertaken to identify factors thatare likely to contribute to a safer environment for young people,little consideration has been given to the impact of abuse scandalson workers' perceptions of what constitutes abusive behaviour.This paper presents the findings of a study undertaken in threeresidential children's units in one local authority which soughtto explore this area and considers two key findings which raiseissues for the social work profession. These are, first, thatthe perception of abusive behaviour was in the main determinedin terms of the workforce's own vulnerability to allegations.Secondly, staff found it difficult to conceive of a colleagueas a potential perpetrator of abuse. The paper concludes byevaluating recent government policy documents in the light ofthe study findings.