The centre and the local: Policy and practice in rural education provision

This paper examines the factors that are currently affecting the viability of small primary schools (90 pupils or less) in England and Wales. It is argued that the contemporary pattern of rural schooling provision is a reflection of the uneven interplay between the central state, the local state, small schools and their communities. Recent legislative reforms have increased the explanatory significance of national education policies and locally-managed schools, at the expense of disempowered local education authorities. An analysis of policies in a sample of authorities shows how the centralization of educational control, since 1988, has created a more unsympathetic educational and economic environment for smaller schools. However, a review of locally-based support strategies including interschool co-operation, anti-closure campaigns and voluntary fund-raising shows that the future for small primary schools may not be as pessimistic as past trends and a narrow focus on the educational policy framework would suggest. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of studying the impact of individual and collective social action within the context of wider structural factors shaping rural localities.     

Not lazy,not faking: teaching and learning experiences of university students with disabilities

This study explores the learning and teaching experiences of 105 disabled students mostly based in England, but with international voices. Students with disabilities are under-represented in universities and tend to have worse post-degree outcomes despite similar attainment rates to their peers. This presents a social justice issue. This article focuses on classroom experiences of these students. Using a survey with qualitative and quantitative elements, students were asked to give details about their experiences in taught settings, about their relationships with academic staff, and about their aspirations. Their responses have been analysed thematically and have been discussed in the context of the discourse around epistemic ignorance and social justice. The study finds that students may feel concerned about anonymity in disclosing disabilities and may be concerned about the way that others perceive them. The study finds that students perceive academic staff as often improperly trained for inclusive teaching.     

Communities of practice: Legitimacy not choice

Communities of practice has emerged as an alternative to other current sociolinguistic models such as speech communities and social networks, particularly in the area of language and gender. The valorization of non‐linguistic behaviours as adding further explanatory power to sociolinguistic models is timely: it has often been implicit in linguistic study (through ethnography) but rarely been given recognition. However, the types of self‐constituting communities of interest to sociolinguists are not the same as the communities of learning studied by Lave and Wenger (1991) and Wenger (1998) . If this construct is to be useful to sociolinguists, then the mechanisms by which it models access, gate‐keeping and its internal hierarchy need development. Using Eckert's (2000) Belten High data, and other work on adolescent talk, it is argued that gaining legitimate peripheral participation is a matter of sanction from within the hierarchy. Individuals do not have open access to communities based solely on their desire to be part of that community and to take part in its practices. While practices may define the community, the community determines who has access to that practice.     

Empowerment evaluation: Exemplary is its openness to dialogue,reflective practice,and process use

On the occasion of the 21 st anniversary of empowerment evaluation, congratulations are in order for having established global credibility, demonstrated utility, and for its exemplary openness to dialogue, reflective practice, and process use.     

‘You're not going anywhere': employee retention,symbolic violence and the structuring of subordination in a UK‐based call centre

This article explores practices that produce and reproduce domination in and through organizational hierarchies and shows how high levels of employee turnover were managed within a UK‐based call centre through the use of culturally bound employment practices. Using ethnographic methods the paper explores the experience of managerial retention strategies from the perspective of employees and draws upon some of the theoretical resources employed by Pierre Bourdieu, specifically in relation to his concern with structures of subordination, and with the ways that processes of symbolic violence appear legitimate. The paper therefore makes three contributions to our understanding of the sociology of work generally and the management of labour turnover in service industries specifically; first, it extends understanding of the cultural basis of retention strategies. Second, it explores the ‘lived experience’ of these strategies. Finally, it considers the relevance of Bourdieu's analysis for making sense of these practices in action.     

The hearing impaired psychotherapist: Implications for process and practice

This paper will address the problems faced by the hearing impaired psychotherapist with a particular emphasis on the alliance in psychotherapy. The author will address the unique problems facing the hearing impaired therapist in clinical practice as well as the strategies which can be utilized to manage the treatment process.     

A Floor,Not a Ceiling

Abstract

With the identification of twenty-six standards, this article argues that the child custody evaluation field has defined a set of minimum practice standards that go beyond the aspirational goals of existing “guidelines” and “parameters.7rdquo; These twenty-six standards constitute a floor, but not a ceiling, for conducting child custody evaluations (CCEs).     

Typification in a neuro-rehabilitation centre: Scheff revisited?

This paper presents data on the admissions process in a Regional neuro-rehabilitation centre, using the framework proposed in Thomas Scheff's classic paper on typification in the diagnostic process as a starting point for analysis. We argue that typification is a more complex and diffuse process than Scheff's ‘diagnostic stereotype’ concept suggests, and that this may be linked to the particular work imperatives and relevancies that are important in this setting.     

Not either/or but both/and: An Academic/field partnership in practice

Abstract

The relationship between academia and the field and between theory and practice is often characterised in both the literature and the everyday practice of social work as either one or the other. In this paper, the author argues for a constructive integration of both/and rather than either/or. The paper reports on a constructive organisational partnership between academia and a field of practice that supports a both/and view.     

'War Is Not a Map': Irish America,Transnationalism, and Joseph O'Connor's Redemption Falls

Abstract

This essay argues for a transnational reading of Irish novelist Joseph O'Connor's Redemption Falls (2007). It contends that O'Connor's revisiting of the period of the American Civil War and its aftermath begs all sorts of questions regarding Ireland and Irish America's historical and contemporary transnational intercessions and responsibilities. As Ireland underwent a period of unparalleled economic prosperity beginning in the mid-1990s, which most commentators attribute to successive Irish governments' commitment to globalization, it began to face new and pressing challenges in relation to its involvement with the rest of the world, particularly with regard to its stance on neutrality and recent immigrants to Ireland. I conclude that Redemption Falls reveals the complexity of Irish and Irish Americans' relationship to notions of whiteness and (racial) innocence and challenges readers to consider how Ireland will conduct its future relations with the global community both within and beyond its borders.     

Commentary: The media in 2045—Not a forecast, but a dream

The mass media continue to be among the most crucial instruments for the practitioner of public relations, and, to be sure, among the most frustrating. How are the media changing? How will those changes affect public relations? And should there be new public policies about mass media in a twenty-first century where technical, political, social, and economic realities will be radically different from previous centuries, including the twentieth?Although most public relations professionals have shied away from public criticism of the media, and have not been vocal advocates for changing public policies about media, nevertheless they need answers to the questions raised above. In this thoughtful essay, Claude-Jean Bertrand looks at a possible mass media half a century from now and provides a dream scenario.Unfortunately, Professor Bertrand describes some “twentieth-century” public relations practices as part of the “old” problems and “dreams up” some changes in those practices, as well. It may be that a public relations professional or professor should write an essay devoted to a dream scenario for public relations in 2045. The Public Relations Review invites such commentary.     

Consumer participation in the employment rehabilitation process: contextual factors and implications for practice

Rehabilitation models of practice have emerged that offer persons' with disabilities opportunities to have an active role in the work entry or re(entry) process. Despite the growth and interest in empowering client involvement in practice, consumer views on the determinants of participation are not fully understood. Thus, consumer feedback on using a self-directed approach to employment rehabilitation was elicited to identify factors integral to their participation in the process. Focus groups were conducted with 35 adult consumers with developmental, mental health, physical and learning disabilities to gain insights into their involvement in a participatory approach to find employment. Content analysis of data revealed barriers and facilitators, which hindered or enabled consumer involvement in the vocational service process. This article discusses the importance of considering issues across the rehabilitation system, practice and lived contexts when implementing participatory approaches in vocational rehabilitation settings.     

Reflective practice in a process for the re-approval of ASWs: An exploration of some inevitable resistance

In this article a mental health trainer and a group facilitator explore the background to developing a new protocol to manage the re-approval of mental health social workers in an inner London borough. The new procedure involved social workers attending a series of small group sessions in which they were invited to present and reflect on their work with clients. The dynamics of these sessions and particularly some of the transferential material between group members and facilitator are explored here. The significance for mental health social work, post-qualifying learning and the possibilities of reflective practice is considered.     

Black process in clinically depressed women: A conceptual framework for practice

Summary Emphasis throughout this paper has been placed on the importance of viewing black patients in their current social context. The positive impact of the Black Power movement has been observed in black patients who are involved in issues of black separatism and activism. Bennett's four stages of black process provide a means of identifying the position of individual blacks in terms of racial identity. Since relationships with whites are highly determined by the black patient's stage of black process, use of this conceptual frame work will assist the therapist in determining the indirect way in which black patients express racial issues.The author's experience has confirmed the existence and importance of two problem areas: the longer time needed to establish a therapeutic alliance in interracial work and the lack of knowledge of the black experience and culture in the white professional. The knowledge that additional time must be expended by both therapy partners must raise questions about the ethics of interracial practice and the need for more black mental health professionals. The second area of concern, the white professional's lack of knowledge, could be remedied. The fact that whites have not attempted to learn more about the black culture suggests the problem is a philosophical one. Liberal professionals are generally committed to the ideal of a truly integrated society where there are no differences among people. Black people appear to be telling us that they are different from whites here and now, and they like the difference.Supported by U.S.P.H.S. Grant # MH 15650 and MH 17728 from the National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare     

Countertransference Bias: Self-Examination,Not Cross-Examination

ABSTRACT

In reply to T. Tippins (2007, this issue), we take issue with his claim that recognition of the biasing impact of custody evaluators' countertransference opens the door to “evidentially legitimate” fishing expeditions through evaluators' private lives on cross-examination. We clarify the distinction between self-examination for counter-transference bias as a heuristic for improving the sensitivity and objectivity of expert testimony and its use as substantive evidence. We argue that countertransference bias is a highly personal, emotionally charged kind of bias, unlike the cognitive biases more frequently discussed in the child custody literature. We conclude that recognition of the insidious emotional influences that threaten our objectivity in working with families in high conflict divorce is an important ethical responsibility.     

Evaluation as a social practice: Disenchantment,rationalities and ethics

We live in an age where evaluation is omnipresent. However, as a social practice, it has become hard to distinguish from auditing, inspection, quality assurance and other means of social control. As a result, the evaluation occupation is now widely viewed as intrusive and burdensome – a self-serving commercial enterprise. Yet, evaluation at its creation was conceived (or perhaps imagined) as a vocation devoted to the public good. This article probes the root causes of the spreading disenchantment; puts Weber’s logic of social action to work; and puts his rationalities concepts to work to explore the ethical and professional challenges currently faced by the evaluation community.     

Assessment in a specialist referred family centre: outcomes for children

Relatively little is known about the outcomes of assessment as an information gathering mechanism as well as a therapeutic encounter in which service users explore and share their problems. Assessment in child welfare is now a highly topical issue given the new assessment framework recently introduced to England and which is currently a matter of consultation in Wales. In contributing to a long running debate over ‘what works’ in child protection assessment and intervention, a United Kingdom national voluntary child care agency commissioned the authors to undertake a three year outcomes study of a child and family assessment service provided by their specialist referred family centre in South Wales. The paper sets out selected findings that reveal an assessment regimen which encouraged partnership, enjoyed a comparatively high level of engagement particularly from male parents/carers, and was perceived by adult users as positive. It promoted clear decision making about the placement of children. Also, children involved in these assessments appeared to be exposed to low risk of re‐abuse compared to other relevant studies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Embodiment,care and practice in a community kitchen

This article explores activist practices in a community kitchen based in the south of the United Kingdom with a dual focus on social and environmental justice. It draws on these practices to develop further feminist, and specifically ecofeminist, concepts of care ethics by arguing that embodiment is an essential element in lived relationships of care. Moreover, we show that these embodied components enable learning that can disrupt settled understandings of social and environmental injustices, including negotiating tensions relating to class and race. We demonstrate how this disruption combines with imaginative processes to stimulate critical political analysis of the relationship between local contexts of need and broader socio‐political structures and power relations. Crucially, we work towards illuminating how care ethics and social practice combine to stimulate and inform political action.