Residential Child Care

Month by month for nearly five years I have shared with you in these columns about the daily life of the residential community where I live, and described some of the experiences and memories of children and young people who live here now or used to live here some time ago. The intention has been … Read more

Valerie has just met a woman who was at an Assessment Centre with her when they were both in care, and this brings back memories of her childhood. If you want to read the first episode, click here. In the end it was one of my father’s friends who unwittingly helped to get me out … Read more

I am one of those who do not believe in the economic trickle down effect: the historical evidence worldwide against this optimistic theory is too persuasive, however much I would like to believe otherwise. But the trickle down effect of ideas is a different matter. In India it is obvious that the ideas of the … Read more

Reinforcing the Need for Poverty Aware Practice in Residential Childcare Written By Clair Burns  The author is Claire Burns, Senior Lecturer in Social Care at Langside College of Further Education. Claire leads a team of lecturers who deliver the Higher National Certificate (HNC) course in Social Care for staff working in residential care settings. The … Read more

The play needs of children in a London Borough – seen through their eyes From September 2004 to August 2005, a major research project focussing upon play provision and the play needs of children and young people in the London Borough of Redbridge was conducted by the Centre for Children and Youth (based at the … Read more

There have been a number of issues that appear to have dominated the news in recent weeks. The debates about terrorism, the French riots, Anti Social Behaviour Orders, the change in the licensing laws and even Lord Rogers’s expressed concerns about the Government’s planning policies all seem to have an underlying theme, which is how … Read more

The following statement was made by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Ruth Kelly on 13 December 2005: In July 2005 I launched a consultation on the creation of a single inspectorate for children and learners. I am today publishing my conclusions in the light of the responses. I am grateful to everyone … Read more

   Are our Schools leaving Children High and Dry? Drinking in Schools, a new report providing a detailed look at the hydration status of schools around the UK and guidance on how to solve the existing hydration-related issues has been released by the Expert Group on Hydration (EGH).

Nearly three quarters of teachers (74.4%) throughout the UK are worried that their pupils could become victims of mobile phone bullying reveals research by leading children’s charity NCH and Tesco Mobile.

Liz Bayram’s appointment as the National Childminding Association’s new Chief Executive was announced in early November. She takes over the role from Gill Haynes, NCMA’s current Chief Executive, in mid-December. Here Liz explains why she applied and what NCMA’s vision for home-based childcare is. Why did you decide to apply for the post of chief … Read more

Child abuse is rapidly declining in England according to the most recent statistics published by the Department for Education and Skills (Statistics of Education – Referrals, Assessments, and Children and Young People on Child Protection Registers : Year Ending 31 March 2004). The statistics show that at the 31 March 2004 the number of children … Read more

It occurs to me that it is some time since I (or the Editor of Children Webmag) reminded readers of why this column is called In Residence. As you might deduce from the blurb, it’s because I live in a residential community and have been asked to reflect on my experiences month by month. I … Read more