Key Thinkers in Childhood Studies presents the contrasting perspectives of some of the leading figures involved in shaping the field of Childhood Studies over the last 30 years. Using in-depth interviews, twenty-two high profile pioneers, who represent a range of disciplines and nationalities, share personal and unpublished accounts of their work and careers. They reflect upon the significant changes that have taken place in the study of children and childhood, discuss the evolution of ideas underpinning the field, examine current tensions and dilemmas and explore challenges for the future. This book fills a gap by offering important insights into researchers' experiences in Childhood Studies and their ideas about the central issues confronting the field. It will be of interest to students, practitioners and experienced academics from all disciplinary backgrounds who are seeking to contextualise, understand and advance our understanding of childhood, children and youth.

Play is fundamental to children's health, wellbeing and development. Yet in the modern world, their space and opportunity to play is under threat. This is the first book to look in detail at children's play within public policy. Using the UK government's play strategy for England (2008-10) as a detailed case study, it explores states' obligations to children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the General Comment of 2013. It presents evidence that strategies for public health, education and even environmental sustainability would be more effective with a better-informed perspective about the nature of play and the importance of allowing children more time and space for it. The book throws down a challenge to both play advocates and governments, to make effective policy that respects, protects and fulfils children's right to play as a priority. It is an essential tool for practitioners and campaigners around the world.

There is a silent epidemic of childhood sexual abuse in the United States and a legal system that is not effectively protecting children from predators. Recent coverage of widespread abuse in the public schools and in churches has brought the once-taboo subject of childhood sexual abuse to the forefront. The problem extends well beyond schools and churches, though: the vast majority of survivors are sexually abused by family or family acquaintances with 90 percent of abuse never reported to the authorities. Marci A. Hamilton proposes a comprehensive yet simple solution: eliminate the arbitrary statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse so that survivors past and present can get into court. In Justice Denied, Hamilton predicts a coming civil rights movement for children and explains why it is in the interest of all Americans to allow victims of childhood sexual abuse this chance to seek justice when they are ready.

Early education and care has become a central policy area in many countries. As services expand rapidly, it is crucial to examine whether children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive provision of the highest possible quality. In this original, topical book, leading experts from eight countries examine how early education and care is organised, funded and regulated in their countries. Bringing together recent statistical evidence, the book gives an up-to-date picture of access to services by different groups, providing rich insights on how policies play out in practice, and the extent to which they help or hinder disadvantaged children to receive high quality provision. An equal start? reveals the common tensions and complexities countries face in ensuring that early education and care is affordable, accessible and of high quality. Its critical examination of the potential for better policies ensures that An equal start? will be of interest to academic readers as well as policy makers and practitioners.

This book explains the unique insights that child observation can bring to practice with children and families and helps the reader develop their own skills in this approach. The ability to observe and to process what is seen is crucial in social work with children and families. Yet successive inquiries into child deaths have demonstrated the problems faced by professionals in doing what is superficially a very straightforward task, highlighting the difficulties in seeing, thinking about and developing an understanding of the child's experience. This book helps readers to develop an understanding of what is entailed in observation, explaining the unique insights that child observation can bring to practice with children and families. By drawing out relevant theoretical concepts it aids their understanding of what they are observing and so helps them to develop their own skills. Key theoretical concepts are brought together from developmental psychology and psychoanalytic thinking in a way that enables practitioners to draw on these to inform and enrich their thinking. Useful case studies are presented which practitioners can relate to their own practice when they are struggling to make sense of difficult situations.

Raymond is a talented young artist who carries his work from homeless shelter to homeless shelter in a tattered bag but has never even been inside a museum. He is emblematic of the children that the renowned pediatrician and children's advocate Irwin Redlener has met over the course of his long and colorful career. Inadequate education, barriers to health care, and crushing poverty make it overwhelmingly difficult for many children to realize their dreams. In this memoir, Redlener draws on poignant personal experiences to investigate the failures of our educational and health systems-and how we must drastically change our approach to the needs of children if the next generation of Americans is to fulfill its potential. Redlener's winding career-from his work as a pediatrician in the Arkansas delta, to treating child abuse in a Miami hospital, to helping children in the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, to cofounding the Children's Health Fund with the musician Paul Simon-is his springboard for discussing larger policy issues that hinder us from effectively eradicating childhood poverty or overcoming barriers to accessible health care. As a young doctor, Redlener encountered firsthand the surprising trials of extreme poverty and the resilient kids and parents who struggle to overcome it. In the back of his mobile health clinic, Redlener meets children who are largely invisible to the system-homeless, in extended foster care, or rarely able to see a doctor-yet who nonetheless dream of becoming paleontologists, artists, and marine biologists. The problems these children face go far beyond barriers to health care. Persistent deprivation and the avoidable problems that accompany poverty ensnare millions of children, with rippling effects that harm the health, prosperity, and creativity of the adults they become. Redlener's recommendations for policy makers and concerned citizens show a way forward if we can come together to advocate for children.

This accessibly written textbook explores how our increasing knowledge of neuroscience and advances in methods of investigation is changing our understanding of child development. Packed full of images, case studies, reflection points, further reading suggestions and a full glossary of technical terms, it examines key aspects of development such as emotion, memory, learning, perception and language, as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. It is designed to introduce undergraduate students on social science courses to the science behind the brain, looking at how it is structured and how it develops from a tiny cluster of cells into a complex dynamic structure that controls every aspect of our very existence.

This book examines after-school programs in light of their explosive growth in recent years. In the rush to mount programs, there is a danger of promoting weak ones of little value and failing to implement strong ones adequately. But what is quality and how can it be achieved? This book presents findings from an intensive study of three after-school centers that differed dramatically in quality. Drawing from 233 site visits, the authors examine how - and why - young people thrive in good programs and suffer in weak ones. The book features engaging, in-depth case studies of each of the three centers and of six youths, two from each center. Written in a highly accessible style for academics, youth workers, after-school program leaders and policy makers, the study breaks new ground in highlighting the importance of factors such as collective mentoring, synergies among different programs and activities, and organizational culture and practices.

'Flying Solo' tells Julia Wise's story of adopting a child on her own. It's a very personal story, but one which will resonate loudly with single adopters everywhere. She tells of how she came to adopt two-year-old Alan, giving up a high-flying career and hectic London life to move to the country.

Disorganized attachment, the most extreme form of insecure attachment, can develop in a child when the person who is meant to protect them becomes a source of danger. Someone with disorganized attachment experiences 'fear without a solution', and it can result in extreme, erratic and disturbing behaviour. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible text on disorganized attachment. It outlines what it is, how it can be identified, the key causes, how it manifests in adulthood, and the implications for caregivers and those within close relationships. It also covers the debate over whether disorganized attachment can repeat down generations within families, and discusses neurological explanations and appropriate interventions. The book focuses on both children and adults and includes case vignettes to root the theory in practice and to illustrate real-life examples of disorganized attachment. With an authoritative research base, this accessible text will be invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of social care, psychology, counselling and allied health professions, as well as practitioners and academics in these fields.

Being a teenager, and becoming an adult, isn't easy and everyone needs some help along the way. This practical handbook will answer many of the questions raised by young people as they move out of the care environment and take control of their lives and their future.

The rate of young unwed couples and teens having children is increasing, and many of these couples choose to "co-parent" children, rather than to marry and remain in a relationship. Young parents are at risk for engaging in dysfunctional parenting practices and intimate partner violence, and face additional challenges on top of their own developmental struggles. Social workers and other mental health services providers can play a role in this process by supporting the interpersonal development of young couples who are at-risk for intimate partner violence, child abuse/neglect, and paternal disengagement. Unfortunately, many professionals lack formalized training in this area and there are few programs available to give the necessary support. The Young Parenthood Program (YPP) was designed and launched in order to meet this need. YPP is a brief program (12-14 sessions), initiated prior to childbirth when both parents are more willing and able to participate in co-parent counseling. The program is intended to teach the young couple a basic set of interpersonal communication and problem solving skills to provide a foundation for a co-parenting model for raising their child. Clinical trials have indicated that couples who participated in YPP demonstrated better relationship skills, lower rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), less paternal disengagement, and more positive parenting behavior among young fathers. The importance and challenges of working with young fathers who are reluctant to engage and participate is emphasized throughout this proposed guide. The guide is designed to help social workers and practitioners by offering a solution-oriented approach to the challenges of co-parenting among adolescents and young adults. This practitioner's guide would expand the training materials that Florscheim and his colleagues have developed. In addition to the manual itself, the authors are developing a CEU module, to be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, to try to reach into practitioner markets and encourage the use of the program.

Being a teenager, and becoming an adult, isn't easy and everyone needs some help along the way. This practical handbook will answer many of the questions raised by young people as they move out of the care environment and take control of their lives and their future.

Recent years have witnessed a number of 'child protection' scandals where children, often from the poorest and most marginalised communities, have been on the receiving end of violence, abuse and social harm. In this short form book, part of the Critical and Radical Debates in Social Work series, Paul Michael Garrett looks at the impact of marketisation of social work services in both Ireland and England. He argues that marketisation has had a negative impact on policy regimes, working conditions, social work practices and on the services for vulnerable children and young people. Leading researchers from across the globe contribute to the debate and provide additional evidence from a range of policy regimes that catalogue the negative impact neoliberalism has had on children's services.

This book, first published in 1986, examines the connections between basic research in the social sciences, and political and social action to improve the situations of children, youth, and families. In the 1950s and 1960s, following the many effective applications of their work during World War II, there was a vigorous interplay as well as division between social scientists and those engaged in programme development. Adducing the model of the physical sciences, Robert N. Rapoport and his collaborators argue that this divergence contributes to inhibition of action initiatives, on the one hand, and stagnation in the quest for knowledge, on the other. Dr Rapoport raises ten key questions about the appropriate relationship between research and action, and these issues are discussed in the fields of education, youth employment and unemployment, juvenile justice, child health, community mental health, social services, and family research by authors who have had extensive and authoritative involvement in these areas.

Lawmakers and judges often enact and enforce laws and policies that impact youth. The extent to which these legal actions are sensitive to juveniles' perspectives and experiences has changed recently. Compared to an earlier time when juveniles were treated the same as adults, many policies are now created with the needs of juveniles in mind, thanks in part to psychological studies that have revealed that the decision making, behavior, and cognitions of children vary drastically from those of adults. Unique in its angle and in the breadth of social issues it covers, Psychology, Law, and the Wellbeing of Children brings together new research and analyses to address how legal actions affect children's wellbeing. It addresses how civil and criminal law has evolved to protect, and sometimes inadvertently neglect or harm, the wellbeing and development of children. Each chapter describes a law or policy affecting children, identifies the relevant psychological issues, reviews the research that has been conducted or should be conducted, and provides recommendations for professionals in law and/or psychology. With contributions from top researchers and practitioners in the field, chapters discuss many current debates, including issues such as gender-specific programming for juvenile delinquents, interrogations of juveniles, changes in divorce and custody procedures, programs for imprisoned mothers, and legal actions adopted to protect the health of children and society (e.g., HPV vaccinations, considering child obesity to be abuse). This book will be a vital resource for those interested in protecting the wellbeing of children, including academics and researchers in psychology, criminology, and sociology; practitioners such as judges, attorneys, forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers; and graduate and law students.

Reunification is a primary goal of foster care systems and the most common permanency planning decision. It is defined as the return of children placed in protective care to the home of their birth family and used to describe the act of restoring a child in out-of-home care back to the biological family. Yet reunification decision-making and the process of reintegrating children into birth families remains under researched. This Brief takes a look at family reunification knowledge and research in Australia where there is evidence that most children placed in protective care are eventually reunited with their birth parents. It explores how a knowledge of reunification decision making and outcomes can contribute to strengthening practice and informing policy formulation and program planning in Child Welfare.

An updated edition of The Shed That Fed A Million Children first published in 2015. The original book tells the incredible story of how Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, a quiet, unassuming fish farmer from Argyll, Scotland, became the international CEO of a global school-feeding charity. At that time, Mary's Meals was feeding a million children every school day in some of the poorest countries of the world. Fast forward six years and that figure has now doubled to more than 2 million children who now receive Mary's Meals daily in their place of education. In this edition, which features an additional chapter as well as a new preface and epilogue, Magnus brings the story right up-to-date, recounting how the continued growth of the international movement has been made possible, thanks to a global legion of staff, volunteers and supporters. Their unwavering commitment, dedication and continued 'little acts of love' have created an organisation that now holds the key to eradicating child hunger altogether. This humble, heart-warming yet powerful story has never been more relevant in our society of plenty and privilege. It will open your eyes to the extraordinary impact that Mary's Meals makes in the lives of the children it serves - for them, food changes the story. Speaking Volumes Christian Book of the Year 2016. Previously published as The Shed That Fed a Million Children.

Providing an accessible introduction to attachment thinking, this practical book" "offers early years practitioners advice on translating attachment principles into practice in their settings. It clearly explains how knowledge about attachment theory underpins everyday practice and highlights the crucial role of secure attachments in young children s learning and development. "

Developing Attachments in Early Years Settings" examines the importance of emotional holding and the nurturing of individual relationships within group childcare. The book aims to help you make a real difference to young children s sense of self and emotional security by being tuned in, available, responsive and consistent.

With a strong focus on facilitating secure attachments from the beginning and guidance on how to observe young children effectively, this new edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to include:

Each chapter includes a personal reflection exercise and a positive contribution to good practice section. With its accessible approach, this book is essential reading for both practitioners and students looking for guidance on how to nurture secondary attachment relationships in group care settings."

Originally published in 1987, this book provides insights into what Robert Rapoport calls 'social inventions', in contrast to technical inventions. The author looks at ten projects in which behavioural science researchers collaborate with innovative action agencies in the children's mental health field. Each of the projects is described and analysed as a case study - revealing how the intervention took form, what contribution was expected from a collaborative relationship with a behavioural scientist, and what the actual experiences were in attempting to apply and disseminate knowledge arising from such a relationship. Though the book confronts the difficulties of action-research - both for practitioner and researcher - it emerges with an optimistic note and a wealth of practical and conceptual insights illuminating the way forward.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of UNICEF s development and operations, whilst exploring the significance of UNICEF s achievements and the reasons behind them.

UNICEF is one of the best known organizations of the United Nations system and the oldest of the UN s development funds. It is also the part of the UN which consistently receives support from all countries round the world, including the United States. This book brings out the wider reasons for UNICEF s success and popularity, setting them in the context of UNICEF s evolution since 1946 and drawing lessons for other international organizations. The book argues that, despite its problems, international action for children, built substantially on non-economic foundations, is not only possible, but can be highly successful in mobilizing support, producing results and making a difference to the lives of millions of children.

This will be of great interest to all scholars of international organisations, development, human rights and the United Nations system."

This book explores important current social justice issues that confront young children in America. A broad range of topics related to the fair treatment of young children and their families are approached with a fresh and hopeful energy. The central argument of this volume is that a fair and just society must protect the basic needs of all children so they are able to reach their full potential to learn, grow, and ultimately become productive democratic citizens. The book includes contributions from an impressive group of authors who have been consistent voices for the fair and equitable treatment of children in school and society. Each chapter examines a critical issue in child social justice with a focus on the current problem, historical importance of the issue, potential solutions, and a vision for the future. The book has been developed to reach a wide audience of professionals whose work involves children and who have grown concerned about social forces that cause child suffering and threaten the well-being or even the survival of children in the United States. Readers will come away with up to date information and a renewed commitment to being life-long advocates for children.

Learn the skills and best practices to make receiving visits more productive and worry-free
As a family child care professional, you nurture and teach children during their most formative years. Being a family child care provider also means you must attend to families, licensors, food program representatives, coaches, and other people who visit your in-home business. This guide is filled with everything you need to successfully prepare for and host visits from people involved in the operation and regulation of your business.
This book includes case studies featuring more than twenty common challenges that can occur during visits and skill-based solutions and successful strategies you can use to prepare for those situations. It also provides checklists and self-examination activities to help you welcome and connect with potential families, specialists, and inspectors in positive ways, as well as support, guidance, and techniques to enhance your program.

Donna C. Hurley has been writing and delivering trainings for providers, parents, and home visitors or more than forty years.

Sharon Woodward has more than twenty years of experience supporting family child care professionals.

This book traces the changing fortunes of radical and critical social work in the U.K., and examines the theory, context and application of such approaches. Radical social work of the 1970s declined as the rise of neoliberalism changed the nature of the welfare state along with what social workers do and how. A looser critical approach developed, although practitioner demoralisation and disillusionment led to the 'second wave' of radical social work in the late 2000s. Despite challenges, critical practice is both necessary and possible in the neoliberal world. Drawing on the author's unique experience, core areas of practice with children and families are covered, including real life case studies, key point summaries and suggestions for further reading. The essential argument is for an emancipatory practice geared to meeting immediate needs, as well as having some vision of a future, more socially just and equal, society. The book will be invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate social work students, experienced practitioners, educators, managers and policy makers.

The viability, quality and sustainability of publicly supported early childhood education and care services is a lively issue in many countries, especially since the rights of the child imply equal access to provision for all young children. But equitable provision within childcare markets is highly problematic, as parents pay for what they can afford and parental income inequalities persist or widen. This highly topical book presents recent, significant research from eight nations where childcare markets are the norm. It also includes research about 'raw' and 'emerging' childcare markets operating with a minimum of government intervention, mostly in low income countries or post transition economies. Childcare markets compares these childcare marketisation and regulatory processes across the political and economic systems in which they are embedded. Contributions from economists, childcare policy specialists and educationalists address the question of what constraints need to be in place if childcare markets are to deliver an equitable service.