Parental Rights in Prison Project

The aim of the Parental Rights in Prison Project (PRiP) was to support incarcerated parents who wished to sustain their relationship with their children who are in the care of the local authority, care of family and significant others or adopted and to provide them with legal advice and support around their rights as parents. The project was funded by HMPPS and took place from January 2021 – December 2022. Initially established in HMP Low Newton prison, the project expanded to also support fathers in HMP Kirklevington and HMP Durham in year two. The funding paid for one full-time project coordinator (PRiPC) who provided ongoing specialist family support following intervention from the family support workers, Drug and Recovery Team (DART) family support worker or HMPPS prison family support worker. Her role was to undertake complex core family work. She also supports mothers in custody with additional issues such as safeguarding, looked after children, social care involvement, care proceedings, the perinatal pathway, post-adoption support and liaising with professionals including schools, social workers, family law solicitors as well helping maintain family ties. The PRiP Project was externally evaluated using a mixed methods approach and ran alongside delivery of the intervention. The evaluation focused on mothers only, and delivery of the PRiP Project at HMP Low Newton. We engaged with a total of 23 mothers2 during the evaluation period which ran for eighteen months. Underpinning the evaluation were indepth interviews with 18 mothers and 7 prison staff members, analysis of 10 case-studies written by the PRiPC and impact data collected by the PRiPC; and a participatory theatre project involving 7 mothers which is ongoing

Early Days in Custody

The Early Days in Custody (EDiC) project is a prison-based crisis intervention delivered by NEPACS providing targeted support to prisoners and family members during the critical first two weeks of custody. The aim is to prevent (or soften) the shock of entering custody, and to avoid an escalation of negative emotions into further problems including self-harm and suicide. EDiC was established as a pilot project in response to specific concerns from prisoners, family members and some prison staff about high numbers of men and women in custody reporting distress and exhibiting risky behaviours during their time on induction wings. Funded by The Big Lottery Community Fund, the EDiC project was delivered in HMP Durham and HMP Low Newton between April 2020 – June 2023. The funding paid for one full-time family support worker (FSW) at HMP Durham and a part-time FSW at HMP Low Newton. The EDiC project was externally evaluated using a mixed methods approach and ran alongside delivery of the service

Barriers to and facilitators of the identification, management and referral of childhood anxiety disorders in primary care: A survey of general practitioners in England

Objectives: Although anxiety disorders are the most common emotional disorders in childhood and are associated with a broad range of negative outcomes, only a minority of affected children receive professional support. In the UK, General Practitioners(GPs) are seen as "gate-keepers" to mental health services. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which GPs experience barriers and facilitators to identifying, managing and accessing specialist services for these disorders, as well as factors associated with GPs’ confidence. Design & setting: Cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire in primary care, addressing identification, management and access to specialist services for children(under 12 years) with anxiety disorders. Participants: 971 GPs in England. Primary outcomes: The primary outcomes for this research was the extent to which GPs felt confident a)identifying and b)managing anxiety disorders in children. Results: Only 51% and 13% of GPs felt confident identifying and managing child anxiety disorders respectively. A minority believed that their training in identification(21%) and management(10%) was adequate. Time restrictions inhibited identification and management, and long waiting times was a barrier to accessing specialist services. Being female(Ex(B)=1.4,95%CI 1.1-1.9) and being in a less deprived practice(Ex(B)=1.1,95%CI 1-1.1) was associated with higher confidence identifying childhood anxiety disorders. Being a parent of a child over the age of 5(Ex(B)=2,95%CI 1.1-3.5) and being in a less deprived practice(Ex(B)=1.1,95%CI 1-1.2) was associated with higher confidence in management. Receipt of psychiatric or paediatric training was not significantly associated with GP confidence. Conclusions: GPs believe they have a role in identifying and managing childhood anxiety disorders, however their confidence appears to be related to their personal experience and the context in which they work, rather than their training, highlighting the need to strengthen GP training and facilitate access to resources and services to enable them to support children with these common but debilitating conditions. Funding: This work was supported by grant a National Institute for Health Research ‘Research Professorship’ to CC (NIHR-RP-2014-04-018). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health

A fluctuating, intermediate warp: a micro-ethnography and synthetic philosophy of fibre mathematics

This project explores the inventive worlds of artists who engage with weaving technologies in the production of their work. It aims to understand the mathematical practices of these textile practitioners, without reifying or subsuming their work within a closed teleology. Side-lining approaches to both mathematics and artistic production that fetishize individual genius or the imposition of form on passive matter, I approach both artistic and mathematical activities as making practices. The project draws on the philosophy of Gilbert Simondon to (re)theorise the role of technique and technology in artistic and mathematical creation. This focus foregrounds fibres and looms, diagrams and models as participants in material modes of reasoning. Exploring how the practices of both novice and expert weavers exceed the sovereign subject in ways that open up mathematical and weaverly tools as experimental forms, the project uses a micro-ethnographic analysis to examine how materials, machines, and humans improvise “algorhythmically” – a concept developed to describe both the regulation and excess of creative processes. Three case studies explore how the loom serves as a generative form/ground for engagement with mathematico-weaverly problems. Placing these material experimentations in the context of historical encounters between disciplines, the dissertation attempts to give contours to an emergent field of fibre mathematics

Barriers and facilitators to parents seeking and accessing professional support for anxiety disorders in children: qualitative interview study

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health disorders experienced by children, but only a minority of these children access professional help. Understanding the difficulties parents face seeking support for child anxiety disorders could inform targeted interventions to improve treatment access. The aims of the study were to identify barriers and facilitators to seeking and accessing professional support for child anxiety disorders, and ways to minimise these barriers. A qualitative interview study was conducted with parents of 16 children (aged 7–11 years) with anxiety disorders identified through screening in schools. Barriers and facilitators were identified in relation to four distinct stages in the help-seeking process: parents recognising the anxiety difficulty, parents recognising the need for professional support, parents contacting professionals, and families receiving professional support. Barriers and facilitators at each stage related to the child’s difficulties, the role of the parent, and parent perceptions of professionals and services. Findings illustrate the need (1) for readily available tools to help parents and professionals identify clinically significant anxiety in children, (2) to ensure that families and professionals can easily access guidance on the help-seeking process and available support, and (3) to ensure existing services offer sufficient provision for less severe difficulties that incorporates direct support for parents

Parasocial Relationships with Musicians

Extending research on the development of parasocial relationships (PSR), the present study fits into a long line of research beginning with Rubin and McHugh’s (1987) seminal work investigating the how communication, liking, and intimacy interact as audiences form relationships with mediated characters.  The current study applied Ruben and McHugh’s model to the unique connection consumers feel with their favorite musicians.  Structural equation modeling reveals that these parasocial relationships with musicians differ from those previously found with more traditional media characters. The model confirms that music fans develop parasocial relationships with musicians, as well as reinforce previous findings that exposure is a powerful predictor of physical attraction.  The results provide justification for extending the theoretical expectations of parasocial relationships to musicians

A Child’s Capacity to Commit Crime: Examining the Operation of Doli Incapax in Victoria (Australia)

The rebuttable presumption of doli incapax is available in all Australian states and territories and provides that, where a child is unable to comprehend the distinction between actions that are ‘seriously wrong’ and those that are ‘naughty or mischievous’, they cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions. Despite the key role that doli incapax should play in diverting the youngest offenders away from the criminal justice system, its operation to date has been largely unexamined. This article seeks to directly address this gap. Drawing on the experiences of those involved in all aspects of the youth justice system, this article examines the need for, and the effectiveness of, the presumption of doli incapax in Victoria, Australia. Revealing inconsistencies in the use of the presumption, the article also examines the need for future reform of this area of law

The Environmental Context and Function of Burnt-Mounds : New Studies of Irish Fulachtaí Fiadh

The authors acknowledge funding from The Leverhulme Trust (F/00144/AI) and assistance from a large number of individuals including; Margaret Gowen (access to sites and assistance throughout),A. Ames, H, Essex (pollen processing), S. Rouillard & R. Smith (illustrations), C. McDermott, S. Bergerbrandt, all the staff of Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, TVAS Ireland and CRDS. Excavation works and some post-excavation analysis was paid for my Bord Gáis and the National Roads Authority (now Transport Infrastructure Ireland). Thanks also to David Smith for access to the Maureen Girling collection and assistance with identifications.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin