Newsletter : October 2013

Since the last Newsletter we have published over twenty items – as usual, a very varied mixture of articles and reviews. They are described below.

First, an advert for a conference sponsored by the Child Care History Network and Hilfield Priory about Homer Lane and the Little Commonwealth, as it is the centenary this year of Lane’s ground-breaking experiment:
Radical Then, Radical Now: Care and Education in Communities

Keith White’s monthly In Residence column has emphasised his concern for valuing people and the importance of relationships.
In July he looked at what gives a person worth, such as having a baby.
In August, the subject was the things that make times special for people, for example on their birthdays.
In September, Keith looked at sharing responsibility.
And this month he considered the unexpected rewards of caring for children with disabilities.

Valerie Jackson contributed a forthright piece on the dangers of drinking alcohol when pregnant, and an interesting item on what children can learn from animals.

Jane Proudman’s paper to a conference in York describes the successful application of social pedagogy methods to links between school and the families of children with problems such as absenteeism, a model that could be usefully replicated.

On the international front there were items from authors in Denmark, Bangladesh and the United States, as well as a piece about a school trip from the UK to Jordan.

Dr Søren Hegstrup wrote about the legal framework for work with juveniles in secure settings in Denmark and made a plea for proper aftercare to enable social inclusion when young people leave care.

Md. Tuhinul Islam described the experiences of young people in residential care in Bangladesh, his findings being often at odds with UK practice.

Tanisha Sharma provided a nice piece about the benefits of building international bridges in her account of her school expedition to Jordan.

Rachel Thomas wrote about problems, and the danger of jumping to conclusions.

Robert Shaw pointed out that proper attention had not been paid to research findings, either in the running of Feltham or in critiques of its work.

We carried tributes also to the late Gillian Corsellis, a champion of young children.
We have republished three press releases which we thought readers would find interesting.
Regulation Matters is campaigning to register all home child care workers.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award has been going for over sixty years, and still expanding internationally: a real achievement.

National Family Mediation are concerned that legal aid for family mediation goes unclaimed as the courts are clogged with cases.

Finally, six book reviews, a mixture of books for professionals and books for children.

There is Martin Levy’s biography of Dr Barnardo: Champion of Victorian Children,
a complex character who changed the lives of thousands of children.

Professor David Divine wrote Aberlour Narratives of Success about the Scottish institution where he was brought up, offering a contrasting picture to the public image of large homes.

A number of authors contributed to a history of Catholic Care in the Diocese of Leeds, celebrating its 150th anniversary, and recording the work of the professionals who laid the foundations for today’s services.

Among books for children, Hilary Robinson and Mandy Stanley teamed up again to help little children deal with important issues in Help a Hamster, on the theme of adoption.

There are also reviews of two stunning Dorling Kindersley books, one covering geography, and the other described as a knowledge encyclopedia dealing with the whole range of human knowledge in 360 pages. Both books are brilliant and – as we’re getting near Christmas – would make good presents for children of junior school age.

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