Equal Opportunities and Ethnicity in the Early Years: Implementing the Children Act

SUMMARY: This paper discusses findings from a research study on the implementation of the Children Act 1989, undertaken a year after the Act came into operation. It covers the three main functions of provider, coordinator, and regulator assigned to local authorities in respect of daycare and related services to children under-eight; focusing on the ways in which local authorities interpreted the Act in responding to issues of equal opportunities and ethnic diversity.     

Transfer of learning: concept and process

This article will present findings from a doctoral study exploring the impact of 'SVQ Care: Promoting Independence (level III)' within children's homes. The study focuses on the extent to which SVQs enhance practice and their function within a 'learning society'. A total of 30 staff were selected from seven children's homes in two different local authority social work departments in Scotland. Each member of staff was interviewed on four separate occasions over a period of 9 months. Interviews were structured using a combination of repertory grids and questions. Particular focus was given to the assessment process, the extent to which SVQs enhance practice and the learning experiences of staff. The findings suggest that there are considerable deficiencies both in terms of the SVQ format and the way in which children's homes are structured for the assessment of competence. Rather than address the history of failure within residential care, it appears that SVQs have enabled the status quo to be maintained whilst creating an 'illusion' of change within a learning society.