Evaluation of the Restorative Practices Programme of the Childhood Development Initiative

This report presents the key findings of an independent evaluation, undertaken by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the National University of Ireland, Galway, of the Restorative Practice Programme, part of the Childhood Development Initiative's (CDI) Community Safety Initiative (CSI). The study comprises (i) a process study evaluation of programme implementation under the headings of programme utilisation, programme organisation and programme fidelity; and (ii) an outcomes study evaluation of programme impact on participants' work, lives, organisations and family, and also the wider impact on community building and collaborative action

Exploring Imagined Temporalities in Resettlement Workers’ Narratives: Renegotiating Temporal and Emotional Boundaries in Post‑Brexit Britain

This paper develops the concept of ‘imagined temporalities’ to explore multiple temporal subjectivities, time cultures, ‘myths’, and realities evident in interviews with resettlement workers who were part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) in Merseyside, United Kingdom (UK). Conducted in 2019, the interviews took place as the triggering of Article 50 signalled the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (EU). This period of unprecedented social, economic, and political changes formed a crucial backdrop framing our interviewees’ narratives. The views of resettlement workers have been little explored and are employed here to complement the insights provided by work undertaken by others with refugees and asylum seekers. This research provides important insights into their perceptions of the interplay of factors that afect belonging and access to supports for refugees and asylum seekers, revealing wider, largely underreported, concerns. These include, their own personal experiences working in support services and system changes, driven by growing socio-political pressures that impact on community-building among refugees during their resettlement. Signifcantly, debates about “Brexit” and the UK’s political future, as well as heated public discussions of the historical legacies of colonialism which underpin the present treatment of migrants,are refected in these resettlement workers’ views as well. Subsequently, this paper employs the concept of ‘imagined temporalities’ to explore how support workers understand the treatment of migrants by social and political systems—and their own personal struggles and hopes,—against this wider, divisive post-Brexit backdrop. Overall, the paper underlines the highly politicised space the resettlement workers operate in, where they balance the needs of service users in the midst of constraints imposed by overly rigid time regimes

Linking Parental Wellbeing with the Wellbeing of Care Leaver and Care Experienced University Students: Analysing Relevance and Interconnections through the Lens of ‘Lived Lives’

This article analyses multidisciplinary research and theoretical perspectives on wellbeing, linking this with the findings from a narrative, biographical study of care-experienced university students in a UK university. In this paper, we examine the relevance of concepts of parental wellbeing, and wellbeing more generally, to \u27linked lives\u27\u27, defined as interrelated life events, experiences, memories and processes of narrativizing life histories both in and across time. While wellbeing is often depicted as an uplifting and uniformly positive concept in policy and research, it is also contested and opaque and is therefore difficult to define and operationalise. Elucidating young people\u27s voices on the complexity and \u27multilayeredness\u27 of everyday life events, we show that parental wellbeing, which is frequently negated from discussions of care experienced young people\u27s educational journeys requires greater critical scrutiny, arguing that temporalities and ever-changing personal and family histories indelibly affect individual care pathways for these young people. We thereby illuminate the significance of seemingly \u27ordinary\u27, everyday life events for care experienced students whilst showing how narrative interviews offer fruitful methodological approaches for understanding young people\u27s educational journeys

Hoping for a better tomorrow’: a qualitative study of stressors, informal social support and parental coping in a Direct Provision centre in the West of Ireland

This paper focuses on informal social support and coping amongst parents living in a Direct Provision (DP) reception centre in the rural west of Ireland. Since 2000, asylum seekers in Ireland are subject to DP where the state provides accommodation and food to asylum seeking families, and a small supplementary allowance. Despite calls for its abandonment and that it constitutes ‘citizenship based discrimination’, DP features prominently in Irish policy on asylum seeking. Drawing on qualitative interview materials from an evaluation of childcare services in one asylum seeker reception centre, we argue that children living in DP are frequently exposed to risky behaviours, and that the DP system adversely affects children’s resilience, stifling their educational, emotional and social development. In Ireland, supports for families and children living in DP are relatively weak, and despite protests for enhancing asylum seekers’ rights in housing and employment, asylum seekers interviewed for this study feel abandoned by the state. Instead, they rely heavily on local services for emotional and financial supports to cope with living conditions in DP. The paper argues for a culturally responsive approach to policy-making that is grounded in human rights and family support which recognizes the importance of community services in providing emotional and practical supports to parents

Outcomes for permanence and stability for children in long-term care in Ireland

This article is based on research about children in long-term care. It focuses on the factors that help and hinder a child being and feeling stable in their foster home and having a sense of permanence. The research was carried out with children in care inGalway and Donegal between 2008 and 2013. It was proposed by Tusla – Child and Family Agency and carried out by the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway)UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UCFRC). The main factors that were found to influence permanence and stability were relationships, communication, support and continuity. The research shows that it is not only the connection between the child and the foster family or parent that matters. Instead, the whole system surrounding the child must also be taken into account. A model was developed from the research which showed that children in care often have a more complicated system than other children, as it includes both the family of origin and the foster family. This research has been used to inform and improve practice in the children-in-care teams in Galway and Donegal. In particular, this article outlines resources available to foster families in terms of training, services and support

Providing lifestyle advice to women with PCOS : an overview of practical issues affecting success

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting up to 13 % of women. Lifestyle interventions are first-line treatments, however attrition in women with PCOS is high. This review summarises current evidence on barriers to lifestyle management in PCOS and suggested strategies for overcoming these challenges, mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour model. Physical capability for lifestyle changes may be impacted by altered gut hormone regulation and energy expenditure in PCOS. This may contribute to difficulties with weight management. The higher prevalence of eating disorders, disordered eating, fatigue and sleep disturbances are further barriers. Psychological capability may be reduced due psychological symptoms and lack of critical health literacy. Women with PCOS face similar challenges in terms of Opportunity to make lifestyle changes as other women of reproductive age. However, these are complicated by features more common in PCOS including body dissatisfaction. Motivation to adopt healthy lifestyles may be impacted by suboptimal risk perception and intrinsic motivation. To address these barriers, screening for and management of eating disorders, disordered eating, depression, and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea should be undertaken as per international evidence-based guidelines. A weight-neutral approach may be appropriate with disordered eating. Building capability among health professionals to better partner with women with PCOS on their management is essential in addressing health literacy gaps. Behavioural strategies that target risk perception and build intrinsic motivation should be utilised. More research is required to understand optimal self-management strategies, risk perception, energy homeostasis and overcoming attrition in women with PCOS

Cannabis Law

On July 1, 2021, Virginia became the sixteenth state to permit recreational use of cannabis. As of 2022, thirty-nine states have legalized the medical use of cannabis, and nineteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized the adult use of cannabis for recreational purposes. “A CBS News/YouGov poll released in April 2022 found that two-thirds of Americans want recreational [cannabis] use to be legalized under federal law and in their own state.” This Article summarizes the history of cannabis regulation and examines the current legal landscape in Virginia governing the possession, cultivation, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis