International Centre News April 1st 2018

A warm welcome to our newest members; Adriana Morao – Portugal Rute Lopes– Portugal David Mitchell – Scotland Kerri Ramsaidh– Scotland Janine Mitchell – Australia Mark Siegmund – USA This edition of the International News offers papers that reflect on aspects of child care policy in the UK and India. In his article ‘children in … Read more

A Rock that will not Move. By Keith White  

You could say that, all things considered, her life had been hollowed out, whittled away, taken from her: the only exception being the most basic things of life such as the clothes that she stood up in.  She is in her 70s, but without a husband or partner (one died; she and the other are … Read more

Tanzania: Persecution of people with albinism. By Thadei Kamesi

A SOCIAL WORK AND HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE Albinism is a genetic disorder characterized by a lack of melanin in the skin, hair, and eyes. In Tanzania, however, the condition is much more prevalent, affecting approximately 1 in every 3,000 persons. Discrimination against albinos is a serious problem throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Murders of people with albinism … Read more

Your Life, Your Story. By Rosie Canning and Lisa Cherry.

‘Your Life, Your Story’ a workshop held in National Care Leavers Week 2017. This was a trauma informed writing workshop for care experienced adults with Lisa Cherry and Rosie Canning organised by Amanda Knowles, Trustee and Director of The Consortium for Therapeutic Communities and Richard Rollinson, The Barns Centre Executive Director, in Toddington. As I drove up to The Barns … Read more

International Centre News February 1st 2018

A warm welcome to our new members: Alina Page, Govt. of South Australia, Jan Rees and Wendy Dawson CEO of Rees, The Care Leavers Foundation. Across 2018 we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Mulberry Bush School by Barbara Dockar-Drysdale, a pioneer of ‘therapeutic child care’. During World War 2 as … Read more

International Centre News December 1st 2017

A warm welcome to our newest members: Sarah Walton – Calcot Children’s Services. UK Catherine Milgiewicz – Calcot Children’s Services, UK. Lamin Jallow – Calcot Children’s Services, UK. Bodil Damsgaard – International Association of Social Educators (aieji.net) Manab Bose – Sukrut Psychotherapy Centre, Parikma Foundation, IIMU, Mumbai, India Natasha Penney – Beechfied Secure Children’s Home, UK Savy Sondhi … Read more

Book Review: By David Lane

Children’s Homes: A history of institutional care for Britain’s young by Peter Higginbotham Pen and Sword Books Ltd, Barnsley (2017) Review by David Lane   Peter Higginbotham has packed a massive amount of information into his 285 pages of text. I know of no other book covering the subject so comprehensively, and it deserves to … Read more

The Meaning of Home. By Christina A. Sieber, M.A.

 The word ‘Home’ means many things to different people.  It can mean security and safety to some people, and may mean uncertainty to others.  Certainly for the young people we care for the word ‘Home’ may have a very different ‘meaning’ and ‘feeling’ than to you or I.  In Ireland the notion and word ‘Home’ … Read more

Remembering Mrs Smyly. By Tony Moore

Ellen Franks was born in Dublin city on November 14th 1815. She was nineteen when she married Josiah Smyly, a well known Dublin doctor. She had eleven children, two of whom died in infancy. As a young girl she was appalled at the poverty on the streets of Dublin and sought to alleviate the plight … Read more