Exploring the perceptions of staff towards children and young people living in community-based children's homes

This article examines the perceptions of staff working in community-based children's homes. Data from interviews with staff, using the repertory grid technique, are analysed and presented in the form of a case study. Particular consideration is given to the child-worker relationship and how it might affect the quality of care provided. The findings are selected from a doctoral study and suggest that despite significant changes in the residential sector, many staff feel powerless to address the real issues and problems affecting children. Rather than confront the realities of the situation and implement strategies that empower staff, it would appear that current developments in social work continue to de-prioritize the needs of children. The authors argue that a fundamental change in residential care is needed if social work is to meet the needs of many of the most vulnerable children in society

School improvement in the marketplace : the case of residential special schools

Over the past couple of decades, residential special schools in Scotland have faced fundamental changes to the way they operate. This has involved the withdrawal of state funding, a shrinkage of the sector and a situation in which schools now have to sell their services in a market economy in order to survive. This article gives a brief outline of the history and development of residential special education for children considered to be troubled or troublesome. It then draws on an evaluation of one former approved, or List D, school to describe how it managed the transition to the marketplace. Findings from the evaluation are introduced and some implications of these are discussed. It is concluded that the shift from state or local authority funding to private provision may have some advantages. However, it also raises a number of questions as to whether provision for some of society's most damaged children should be determined by market forces

Impact of Scottish vocational qualifications on residential child care : have they fulfilled the promise?

This article will present findings from a doctoral study exploring the impact of 'SVQ Care: Promoting Independence (level III)' within children's homes. The study focuses on the extent to which SVQs enhance practice and their function within a 'learning society'. A total of 30 staff were selected from seven children's homes in two different local authority social work departments in Scotland. Each member of staff was interviewed on four separate occasions over a period of 9 months. Interviews were structured using a combination of repertory grids and questions. Particular focus was given to the assessment process, the extent to which SVQs enhance practice and the learning experiences of staff. The findings suggest that there are considerable deficiencies both in terms of the SVQ format and the way in which children's homes are structured for the assessment of competence. Rather than address the history of failure within residential care, it appears that SVQs have enabled the status quo to be maintained whilst creating an 'illusion' of change within a learning society

Access courses and students from minority ethnic backgrounds

This article describes a study of the uptake of places on 'access' to higher education courses in Scottish further education (FE) colleges by students from minority ethnic backgrounds. Colleges surveyed recruited access students from minority ethnic backgrounds in close approximation to the proportions attracted to FE in general, despite the commitment to prioritise underrepresented groups, including students from minority ethnic communities. the study found a general acceptance of the principle of positive action by colleges, but little evidence of strategies likely to prove effective. it is suggested that the government's agenda for widening participation in education can only be accomplished when the FE sector recognises ethnicity as an important issue

Improving the educational experience of children and young people in public care : a Scottish perspective

The context for this paper relates to the policy and practice implications of efforts to achieve social justice for Scotland's 12,000 children and young people in the care of local government authorities.The paper is located within a growing evidence base of the educational experience of young people in care and leaving care. The data on attainment and exclusion from school in particular are reviewed and confirm that looked-after children in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, typically leave education with significantly fewer school leaving qualifications than is now the common expectation for young people in their age group and are significantly more likely to lose time inschool due to exclusion. However, the review also shows the devastating impact of being in care on young children's attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. The implications of the datareviewed are discussed in relation to the concepts of social justice, resilience and the educationally rich environment

HNC (Social Care) as an entry qualification for the Diploma in Social Work in Scottish Higher Education Institutions

This paper describes a study of the first cohort of students who progressed from HNC (Social Care) to DipSW. Though these students had performed well in HNC, they were experiencing more difficulties than expected in both academic and practice components of DipSW. The paper describes the views of the students, and their teachers, and discusses the findings within a broader context of the articulation of further and higher education courses

Accessing social work training in Scotland from sub-degree level further education

Scotland is a nation of some 5 million people, historically distinct from the other countries which form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since the union of the English and Welsh Parliament with the Scottish Parliament in 1707, Scotland has been an integral part of Britain (all of the opposition parties currently favour some form of devolved government in Scotland). However, the key institutions of law, education and the Church of Scotland were already well-established and secured privileged status in the Act of Union. As a result, the Scottish education system has many different features from the system operating elsewhere in the UK, and one of these - a more unified approach to the curriculum in schools and further education (community colleges) - has had some important implications for development in student access to social work training in universities and other higher education institutions