Rigorous research is crucial to effective work with young people and increasingly youth practitioners need to be able to develop, review and evidence their work using a variety of research and assessment tools. This text equips students and practitioners with a thorough understanding of research design, practice and dissemination, as well as approaches to evidence-based practice.

A clear practice framework informs the book, outlining the significance of research to youth work, especially in relation to designing and developing services for young people. Research and Research Methods for Youth Practitioners

• Analyses the research/practitioner role
• Explores the ethical context of research in youth work
• Offers a thorough analysis of key methodological questions in research in practice
• Provides a guide to data collection and analysis
• Presents five principal research strategies for youth work: ethnographic work and visual methods; interviewing and evaluation; surveys and evaluation; the use of secondary data and documentary analysis; and researching virtual and online settings
• Discusses the implications of research for work with young people as well as its dissemination.

Written by experienced researchers and practitioner-researchers, each chapter in this accessible textbook includes an overview, a critical discussion of the pros and cons of the particular method or approach, a case study, a practice-based task, a summary and suggestions for further reading. This textbook is invaluable for student and practising youth workers. It is also a useful reference for other practitioners working with young people.

This book introduces the Relational Learning Framework (RLF), an assessment tool which helps foster care practitioners, social workers and foster carers to examine what foster children have learned in their early life about relationships and particularly through maltreatment. Grounded in attachment theory and drawing on cognitive theory this book will help practitioners to understand and respond to the challenging behaviour presented by these children and remove barriers to an empathic response. Early chapters provide context in a theoretical discourse on the causes and consequences of psychological and attachment difficulties for children in care, including a discussion of maltreatment and foster care. The theoretical basis of the technique will be outlined and subsequent chapters will explain how to undertake RLF including the wide-ranging practice evidence, a worked example, common themes and trouble shooting. This will be an invaluable source for clinical practitioners, social workers, foster care practitioners and foster parents who want to make sense of the complex information about children in foster care to improve their relationships. It will also provide insight into foster children's mental health and behaviour for academics and postgraduate students in related disciplines.

Combines an interest in developing knowledge-based professionalism in social work with the rights of the child. Establishes a clearer connection between rights and professional practice according to Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Extrapolates how rights-based practice is sought to be achieved in the course of Child Protection Practice. Provides a comprehensive answer to the challenge of implementing Article12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child through policy and legislation.

So, you've passed your degree and have started your first job. But are you confident about translating the theory into practice? Are you prepared to juggle the workload of a busy social worker? Do you have a plan for your continuing professional development? This practical guide provides a wealth of suggestions to help you to hit the ground running in the early stages of your new career. Fully revised and updated with the latest national frameworks for NQSWs, this survival guide provides a range of strategies for managing your time and workload, and offers suggestions for finding support, coping with stress and maintaining job satisfaction. It addresses different ways of handling challenging and unfamiliar situations with colleagues, managers, other professionals and service users. Each chapter concludes with a checklist of key points as a ready reference for practitioners preparing to face the daily challenges of their new professional status. This invaluable guide will be an essential support for all students, post-qualification and returning practitioners who need to make a smooth transition to practice and be successful in the workplace.

This book explores online resilience and safety from a new perspective, by drawing extensively upon the youth voice. While "online safety" as a concept has now existed for well over ten years, the majority of policy and narrative is driven by preventative and adultist views of ensuring safety from harm. Underpinned by extensive empirical work, this book argues that safety, or freedom from harm, is not an achievable goal and we should refocus upon harm reduction and risk mitigation. Fundamental to this argument is that the youth voice clearly states that they will not disclose, or ask adults for support, because they do not believe they will get help or worse, will be punished as a result of disclosure. The research shows that professionals often bring their own digital value biases into safeguarding decisions, and feel that they should be white knights to young people, rather than listening to them and supporting them in a non-judgemental way. The book will be of great value to researchers and students as well as practitioners, teachers and parents interested in digital resilience and safeguarding, internet security and youth online behaviour and wellbeing.

In this poignant book, Lisa Cherry brings together a collection of candid and personal reflections on the care system in the UK, offering alternative ways of thinking about the care experience, supporting better ways of working, and providing justification for a trauma-informed lens to be applied to all forms of work with those in care. Through personal insights and reflections, the book brings often-unheard stories vividly to life, beginning with the author's own. These are stories about love and pain; hurt and isolation; the depth of lived experience that makes up a life; how we live our lives through our relationships with others and where we feel we fit in. In this thoughtfully compiled third edition, original contributors look back on their own reflections from the lives that they live now, new stories bring new perspectives, and discussion points provide the opportunity to consider the realities of the care experience as well as life beyond. Whilst each story is unique, shared themes reveal the truth of the care system and, coming at a time where there is a real opportunity for change, the narratives in this book are ultimately stories of hope and connection. This is crucial reading for policy makers, those working in social work, education and adoption, as well as care experienced adults.

Why has the language of the child and of child protection become so hegemonic? What is lost and gained by such language? Who is being protected, and from what, in a risk society? Given that the focus is overwhelmingly on those families who are multiply deprived, do services reinforce or ameliorate such deprivations? And is it ethical to remove children from their parents in a society riven by inequalities? This timely book challenges a child protection culture that has become mired in muscular authoritarianism towards multiply deprived families. It calls for family-minded humane practice where children are understood as relational beings, parents are recognized as people with needs and hopes and families as carrying extraordinary capacities for care and protection. The authors, who have over three decades of experience as social workers, managers, educators and researchers in England, also identify the key ingredients of just organizational cultures where learning is celebrated. This important book will be required reading for students on qualifying and post-qualifying courses in child protection, social workers, managers, academics and policy makers.

Recent trends in women's work and child survival and development in developing countries raise concerns about the relationship between these two key elements of development. This paper reviews and analyzes the methodology and findings of 50 studies of both women's work and infant feeding practices, and women's work and child nutritional status. Although the pattern of findings is complex and occasionally contradictory, the paper concludes that overall there is little evidence of a negative effect of maternal employment on child nutrition, and therefore no justification for limiting women's labor force participation on the grounds of promoting child welfare.

Approaches regarding safeguarding and mental health in childhood have been in constant flux. Framed within a critical realist ontology, this book provides insight into causal factors (individual, material, institutional) and social structures that impact on the continued legacy of the 'deserving/undeserving' paradigm. Drawing on historical data from children taken into care by the Waifs and Strays Society (1881-1918) and contemporary data from interviews with young care leavers and safeguarding practitioners/professionals, this book shows how at present and in the past, certain children and families miss(ed) out on support and interventions due to complex needs, financial cuts and ever-changing thresholds. It is the group of children referred to as 'victims', a term used for the most disadvantaged children who have spent time in care, have complex mental health needs and have had the most damaging pre-care family experiences, who are the focus of this book. This book shows that in an attempt to provide services where there are ever increasing thresholds for access and cuts to resources, a resurgence of the 'deserving/undeserving' paradigm reflects a contemporary justification regarding who is 'entitled' to help and who is not. This book will be of interest to all scholars and students of social work, social policy, childhood studies, sociology and education policy.

Maya Ajmera and Greg Fields provide the architecture of a new perspective on the global agenda for children, based on a new global web of relationships stemming from the community level. Arguing that the existing global agenda for children has failed, this book reimagines how society can support the world's most vulnerable children. In doing so, Invisible Children identifies and gives voice to the millions of children globally living on society's margins, while showing a way forward as to how we can best invest in children.

Located within a burgeoning therapeutic/self-help culture this book explores stories of childhood sexual abuse, recovered memories and multiple personalities, and explodes the myths surrounding women who, without memories, redefine themselves as victims.

Why does child poverty exist in industrialized countries? In an attempt to answer this question, this book examines monetary and non-monetary poverty among immigrant children in Western Europe, with particular reference to France and Switzerland.
Set within the context of the current controversial debate on European immigration policy, this book presents an analysis of empirical data on immigrant child poverty and discusses the suitability of existing approaches such as justice-as-fairness and capability, while providing an alternative approach based on child rights and social justice. The book examines the impact of low incomes of immigrant parents and their precarious legal status in the host country which handicaps them in education, employment and the housing market.

Provides empirical insights based on research on youth and vulnerability and frontline practices showing theoretical, political as well as practical implications. Uses case-studies from Portugal, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Provides a distinct social work perspective on youth and welfare encounters.

The measuring and monitoring children's well-being is of growing importance to policymakers and those who strive to improve the lives of children everywhere. In the last decade, public attention has centered on children, a development driven by decreasing fertility in the most developed countries of the world and the postindustrial emphasis on human capital development. These developments position children at the center of the future capacity of a nation or region. Children have increasingly been identified as subjects with rights and entitlements of their own, as illustrated by the U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which emphasizes a child's right to develop his or her capacities. The CRC represents a milestone both in the understanding of children and in offering principles and guidelines for policies. The rights underscored by the convention require evidence on children's well-being and theories or models for understanding their evolving capacities and development. The right to develop one's capacities illustrates a complexity of analyzing children's well-being: the analysis must encapsulate both the current standard of living and the potential for growth and future fulfillment arising from present conditions. Of course, systematic statistics on children have existed for a long time. However, new development in data and analytic resources and growing interest in childhood among social scientists have combined to advance child well-being to the forefront of research.

Interpersonal Violence Against Children and Youth uses empirical research to provide an overview of the risk factors, different types of violence against children and youth, their victimizations (online and offline), as well as prevention practices and strategies. Pulling together researchers, practitioners, and educators from around the world, this book addresses the various practices and efforts different countries use to protect children and prevent interpersonal violence. These forms of violence include parental or caregiver initiated, actions of peers, intimate partner-related, or that among strangers and are not limited to maltreatment, bullying, emotional strife, sexual assault, or homicidal violence. This book would be of interest to those studying criminology, criminal justice, sociology, social work, law, forensic pathology and others.

This is the only text to address child and adolescent psychopathology from the viewpoint of the school psychologist. Integrating, comparing, and distinguishing DSM-5 diagnoses from IDEA disability classifications, it provides a comprehensive overview of mental health conditions in this population. This book addresses the impact of these conditions at school and at home, along with a description of practical, evidence-based educational and mental health interventions that can be implemented in school environments. It addresses the role of the school psychologist and details a variety of educational supports and school-based mental health services as they apply to specific conditions.This resource provides comprehensive coverage of school psychologists' responsibilities, including assessment, educational and skill-based interventions and supports, consulting with key stakeholders, and advocacy. Case studies address classification issues and varied approaches psychologists can use to support students. Chapters provide a variety of features to reinforce knowledge, including quick facts, discussion questions, and sources for additional resources. Instructor's ancillaries include instructor's manual, test questions, and mapping to NASP domains as well as PowerPoints and a test bank. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. Key Features: Provides a school psychological approach to addressing a full gamut of child/adolescent mental health problems at school and at home Integrates, compares, and distinguishes DSM-5 diagnoses, IDEA disability classifications and other legal protections (i.e., Section 504) for each disorder Covers the impact of various disorders on a child's ability to learn and function in the classroom Addresses practical, evidence-based educational supports and school-based mental health services suited to specific disorders Includes case studies addressing classification issues and delineating practical student supports

After years of research and reflection on the work of the interdisciplinary family justice system Mervyn Murch offers a fresh approach to supporting the thousands of children every year who experience a complex form of bereavement following parental separation and divorce. This stressful family change, combined with the loss of support due to austerity cuts, can damage their education, well-being, mental health and long-term life chances. Murch argues for early preventative intervention which responds to children's worries when they first present them, without waiting until things have gone badly wrong. His radical proposals for reform involve a much more coordinated and joined up approach by schools, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. This book encourages practitioners and academics to look outside their professional silos and to see the world through the eyes of children in crisis to enable services to offer direct support in a manner and at a time when it is most needed.

As internet use is extending to younger children, there is an increasing need for research focus on the risks young users are experiencing, as well as the opportunities, and how they should cope. With expert contributions from diverse disciplines and a uniquely cross-national breadth, this timely book examines the prospect of enhanced opportunities for learning, creativity and communication set against the fear of cyberbullying, pornography and invaded privacy by both strangers and peers. Based on an impressive in-depth survey of 25,000 children carried out by the EU Kids Online network, it offers wholly new findings that extend previous research and counter both the optimistic and the pessimistic hype. It argues that, in the main, children are gaining the digital skills, coping strategies and social support they need to navigate this fast-changing terrain. But it also identifies the struggles they encounter, pinpointing those for whom harm can follow from risky online encounters. Each chapter presents new findings and analyses to inform both researchers and students in the social sciences and policy makers in government, industry or child welfare who are working to enhance children's digital experiences.

There is an unsettledness now in after-school childcare. The stay-at-home mom years are largely over. Will children, even very young children, stay home alone or hang out with peers, risking loneliness or engaging in problem behavior? Will some new form of supervised care emerge? The authors in this collection have spent time in community after-school programs and have learned what happens there.

The authors suggest that after-school programs can be an important part of a system of childcare--as long as we can find ways to build programs for small and scattered populations as well as for densely packed ones, and as long as the money to fund programs can be found. The money is important. Many of the programs discussed in this book are specifically targeted to children from families with low incomes. These are the families least likely to be able to pay for care. A reader leaves this book with both anxiety and hope about the future of childcare in the United States.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Millions of children throughout Africa undertake many forms of farm and domestic work. Some of this work is for wages, some is on their family's own small plots and some is forced and/or harmful. This book examines children's involvement in such work. It argues that framing all children's engagement in economic activity as 'child labour', with all the associated negative connotations, is problematic. This is particularly the case in Africa where many rural children must work to survive and where, the contributors argue, much of the work undertaken is not harmful. The conceptual and case-based chapters reframe the debate about children's work and harm in rural Africa with the aim of shifting research, public discourse and policy so that they better serve the interest of rural children and their families.

This book examines how child protection law has been shaped by the transition to late modernity and how it copes with the ever-changing concept of risk. The book traces the evolution of the contemporary child protection system through historical changes, assessing the factors that have influenced the development of legal responses to abuse over a 130-year period. It does so by focussing on the Republic of Ireland where child protection has become emblematic of wider social change. The work draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources including legislation, case law and official and media reports of child protection inquiries. It also utilises insights developed through an extensive examination of parliamentary debates on child protection matters. These materials are assessed through the lens of critical discourse analysis to explore the relationship between law, social policy and social theory as they effect child protection. While the book utilises primarily Irish sources, this multidisciplinary approach ensures the argument has international applicability. The book will be a valuable resource for all those with an interest in the development of child protection law.

This collection examines the relationships between a globalising neoliberal capitalism, a post-GFC environment of recession and austerity, and the moral economies of young people's health and well-being. Contributors explore how in the second decade of the 21st century, many young people in the OECD/EU economies and in the developing economies of Asia, Africa and Central and South America continue to be carrying a particularly heavy burden for many of the downstream effects of the 2008-09 Global Financial Crisis. The authors explore the ways in which increasing local and global inequalities often have profound consequences for large populations of young people. These consequences are not just related to marginalisation from education, training and work. They also include obstacles to their active participation in the civic life of their communities, to their transitions, to their sense of belonging. The book examines the choices that are made, or not made by governments, businesses and individuals in relation to young people's education, training, work, health and well-being, sexualities, diets and bodies, in the context of a crisis of neoliberalism and of austerity.

Covers all learning outcomes for the QCF Home-based childcare unit. Written in consultation with - and approved by - the National Childminding Association (NCMA), so you can be sure of relevant, reliable content. Full-colour, easy to use and packed with practical advice to help you get registered and started. Includes full explanation on standards and frameworks and support systems so you can feel confident you are fully supported. Includes guidance on assessment. Also suitable for experienced home-based childcarers who want to update their knowledge.

"This study is extremely well done; a fluently written, scholarly account and analysis that provides a necessary addition to the "post-Soviet" literature, which has few such sharp analyses of the family, not least because the author takes on relevant debates and histories that both add considerable depth to this discussion and widen the applicability of the primary focus. Thus, we are given a marvellously careful and detailed insight into the workings of a provincial bureaucracy still shaped by the mores and customs of a Soviet bureaucracy but now faced with the sharply different context of the post-Soviet world." . Catherine Alexander, Goldsmiths College, London

Childhood held a special place in Soviet society: seen as the key to a better future, children were imagined as the only privileged class. Therefore, the rapid emergence in post-Soviet Russia of the vast numbers of vulnerable 'social orphans', or children who have living relatives but grow up in residential care institutions, caught the public by surprise, leading to discussions of the role and place of childhood in the new society. Based on an in-depth study the author explores dissonance between new post-Soviet forms of family and economy, and lingering Soviet attitudes, revealing social orphans as an embodiment of a long-standing power struggle between the state and the family. The author uncovers parallels between (post-) Soviet and Western practices in child welfare and attitudes towards 'bad' mothers, and proposes a new way of interpreting kinship where the state is an integral member.

Elena Khlinovskaya Rockhill was born in Russia and first trained as a Biologist. In 2004 she received her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Darwin College, Cambridge University. From 2004-2007 she worked as a Research Associate at the Department of Social Anthropology, Cambridge University. She was a 2007 Wenner-Gren Hunt Postdoctoral Fellow, and a PI for an ESF-funded international project 'Moved by the State: Perspectives on Relocation and Resettlement in the Circumpolar North' at the University of Alberta, Canada (2007-2010).

First published in 1975, this book looks at the place of children with handicaps in society, at that time. It argues that in the thirty years previous, a great deal of progress was made in the field of rehabilitation but that the separation between handicapped people and the community was still a challenge. A strong range of contributors discuss approaches to the problem focusing on education, employment, and daily life. Topics covered include the social aspects of integration, through the problems of the multiple-handicapped child, to a survey of disabled students at universities and polytechnics in Great Britain.