Positive representation of Inns of Court lawyers in Jacobean city comedy

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis examines representations of lawyers and law in examples of Jacobean city comedy, taking into account certain contemporary developments in the legal profession and the law in England. The period covered is 1598-1616. The thesis questions the conventional interpretation of city comedy as hostile to the legal profession. It suggests the topic is more complex than has been assumed, arguing that city comedy makes direct and indirect positive representation of Inns of Court lawyers, who are to be distinguished from attorneys (newly segregated in the Inns of Chancery), amateur quasi-lawyers, and university-educated civil lawyers. It is proposed that city comedy represents Inns of Court lawyers positively in two ways. Firstly, by means of legal content: representations of developments in the profession and the law demonstrate a wish to connect with the young lawyers and students of the Inns of Court, and reflect a contemporary drive by them for increased organization and regulation. Secondly, by means of literary form: ostensibly pejorative representations need not be taken at face value; instead, they may be found to be ironic. The main proposed contributions to knowledge are: that Inns of Court lawyers were a favoured part of the target audience of the private playhouses, making it questionable that they would be represented negatively in city comedy; that lawyers as represented in city comedy are not a single or a simple category; that representation of lawyers is inflected by the various forms and impulses of city comedy; and that city comedy incorporates some reflection of the increasing professionalization of legal practice in the period

Direct observation in practice: co-developing an evidence-informed practice tool to assess social work communication

Purpose This paper presents findings from a project that aimed to support social work managers to observe, evaluate and give feedback on social work practice skills. Approach An embedded team of researchers observed over 300 meetings between parents and social workers, and gave feedback based on an established research instrument that facilitated quantitative coding of individual skills such as empathy and purposefulness. Then managers took on this task in order to sustain ongoing feedback on practice skills beyond the timescale of the project. Findings A practice tool was successfully developed to take the place of the research instrument and aid managers in these observations, and it was implemented across a range of social work settings. The tool was used in a variety of ways by different managers which highlighted a range of views on what constitutes good practice. This raises questions about how far authorities can (or should) expect to achieve a consensus about the type of practice they want to deliver. Research limitations/implications The value of this project is primarily pragmatic, in that it shows the potential for using research to develop practice tools collaboratively. However, in doing so it brings into focus key questions around the nature of good practice. Practical implications The paper presents a practice tool, based on an established research instrument that was co-developed with senior managers. It is an aid for observation that practitioners and managers can use to support practice development. Originality/value Few research studies have worked so closely with practice managers to develop a tool that can be used to support practice. The project also highlights the crucial and neglected role of observation in practice development

Fantasy and Imagination: Discovering the Threshold of Meaning

This thesis addresses the ultimate question of western humanity; how does one find meaning in the present era? It offers the reader one powerful way for this to happen, and that is through the stories found in the pages of Fantasy literature. It begins with Frederick Nietzsche\u27s declaration that, God is dead. This describes the situation of men and women in his time and today. The statement has to do with the general disconnection of humanity in the western world from its foundations. All society had been based on the mythological literature of the past, but beginning in the Renaissance these tales had come under criticism. By the time of Nietzsche, they had fallen to the wayside. Humanity focused more on its ability to think than on the wisdom of former ages to govern society. Unfortunately, western humanity needed mythology to survive. Mythology reconnected it to a primal wisdom that truly guided how one should live. This thesis argues that Fantasy literature provides a way for humanity to once again have a relationship with the wisdom found in mythology. The evolution of consciousness has raised humanity\u27s ability to think critically and reflect. As it evolved, humanity outgrew the mythology of the past. Fantasy makes mythology relevant for the reader of today. Fantasy does this through the use of symbols. The old myths were made of symbols that universally spoke to the human condition. When the myths became dated and consciousness changed, the symbols lost their power because they could not be understood. Fantasy takes these symbols and places them in fresh settings. This allows today\u27s western mind the ability to once again access the wisdom found in mythology. A method based upon the Medieval Fourfold Reading is described to help draw wisdom out of Fantasy. It involves reading a text as a narrative, symbolically, morally, and creatively. Several examples are given from popular fantasy books, including Harry Potter. But the real hope of this thesis is that the readers of fantasy stories will become the creator of his their own tales. These stories will be embodied in their lives and actualize the wisdom found in the symbols of universal meaning discovered through the new myths of today

Comparing costs of multidimensional treatment foster care with those of other placements

Background Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) is a specialist model of foster care developed by Oregon Social Learning Center, USA. It is designed to provide a therapeutic environment that aims to address the needs of young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. After positive evaluations in the USA, which suggest that such a structured approach may produce better outcomes, twenty-one local authorities in England and Wales have implemented MTFC as part of a pilot of the programme. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) commissioned this study after concerns about the costs of MTFC have raised questions about the long-term sustainability of the programm

Reclaiming social work? an evaluation of systemic units as an approach to delivering children’s services

This report presents the findings of an evaluation of the systemic unit model as an approach to the delivery of Children‘s Social Services. The systemic unit model has sometimes been referred to as the ―Hackney Model‖ or ―Reclaiming Social Work‖ (Cross et al, 2010; Munro, 2011a; Trowler and Goodman, 2012). The evaluation is an in-depth comparative description of practice and the factors shaping it in three local authorities. One of the authorities used the systemic unit model; the other two authorities differed but both had a more conventional model for the structure of services. This involved individual allocation to social workers who received supervision from a line manager

Evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot: Final Report

In 2021, Welsh Government funded a two-year Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) pilot and evaluation, with a view to learn lessons that would support the potential wider roll-out of the FDAC model across Wales. Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan were selected for the pilot, and in November 2021 the Cardiff and the Vale (C&V) FDAC pilot was launched. The pilot ran for the scheduled two years and was closed at the end of November 2023. This is the second and final report from the evaluation of the C&V FDAC pilot. This study was an implementation and process evaluation with an embedded realist evaluation, that aimed to provide evidence and theory that could be used to support the effective delivery of FDAC in Wales and set the scene for a larger-scale evaluation. It was conducted in three phases and ran from January 2022 to January 2024. This final report focuses on phases 2 and 3 of the evaluation

'The activity does not archive well': Comparing audio and written records of supervision case discussions in Children's Services

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast what is spoken about in supervision case discussions in Children’s Services with what subsequently appears in the written record on the child’s file. As an exploratory study, the authors set two research questions – how do supervision conversations and corresponding records compare? And how do social work supervisors make use of these records

A randomized controlled trial of training in Motivational Interviewing for child protection.

There has been interest in developing more evidence-based approaches to child and family social work in the UK in recent years. This study examines the impact of a skills development package of training and supervision in Motivational Interviewing (MI) on the skills of social workers and the engagement of parents through a randomized controlled trial. All workers in one local authority were randomly assigned to receive the package (n = 28) or control (n = 33). Families were then randomized to trained (n = 67) or untrained (n = 98) workers. Family meetings with the worker shortly after allocation were evaluated for MI skill. Research interviews gathered data including the WAI. Follow-up interviews 20 weeks later repeated the WAI, and other outcome measures including Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and rating of family life. Between group analysis found statistically significant difference in MI skills, though these were not substantial (2.49 in control, 2.91 MI trained, p = .049). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in any other outcome measures. The package of training and supervision did not create sufficient increase in MI skills to influence engagement or outcomes. Implications for understanding the relationship between skills, engagement and organizational change are discussed

Independent visiting with children in care during the pandemic: disruptions and discoveries

This essay describes the impact of the pandemic on our experiences as Independent Visitors (IVs) forchildren who are looked-after. Independent Visitors are volunteers who visit, advise and befriend children with the aim of helping them develop a positive, long-term relationship beyond the care system. Based on our personal experiences of being matched with and visiting two young people, we consider how supporting the children remotely during the pandemic has helped us reflect on our relationships with them and our role as IVs. We discuss the role that foster carers play in supporting the IV relationship, the significance of developing routines and rituals with young people, and the challenges and opportunities offered by the transition from visits to virtual contact. We conclude with an outline of the response of service providers to the pandemic, and suggest that increased support for Independent Visiting might improve provision and allow more children to benefit from a relationship with an Independent Visitor

An evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot: Interim report

The UK’s first FDAC was piloted in London between 2008 and 2011, and the model is widely deemed to be successful in reducing the number of children in care through family reunification. As a result, FDAC in the UK has been growing steadily, with 16 FDAC teams currently working in 24 courts and serving 37 local authorities. Cardiff and Vale is Wales’ first FDAC. Through this evaluation, we are aiming to support the effective delivery of FDAC in Wales, set the scene for a larger-scale evaluation, fill gaps in our understanding and update our theory of how FDAC works to achieve positive outcomes for children and families