More than just a bracelet: the use of material symbolism to communicate love

There is growing recognition of the place of love in residential care for children (Smith, 2009). This paper is a critical analysis of a range of existing research on residential child care as well as studies of material culture and of care relationships more broadly. It argues that, despite increasing regulation and surveillance, adults and children find ways to show and feel love in the context of residential care. Whilst love may be regarded as something to be avoided or indeed prohibited in an adult/child care setting these deep bonds find expression in the everyday life of the children's home. By looking at love in this embodied way, the 'realness' of material things to assert connection and recognition of love (Layne, 2000) is examined. As Gorenstein (1996, p.8) suggests 'objects...[are] the perfect vehicles for conveying themes that are not commonly accepted in a community'. The paper emphasises the recognition of these symbolic and metaphorical forms of communication in practice

Food Practices in Residential Care, 2007-2008

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>This is a qualitative data collection.<br> <br> <i>Food Practices in Residential Care, 2007-2008</i> explores the use and meaning of food practices within the context of children's residential care homes in Scotland. The project adopted an interdisciplinary approach building on, and developing, previous work from the sociology of childhood and child care social work. The aim was to investigate the role played by food practices in relation to the exercise of care, control, reward and punishment within an institutional setting. The research explored how the distribution and provision of food is understood and conducted. It also examined the possible ways in which these practices can be resisted and negotiated by children within residential care homes. <br> <br> The research was carried out at three residential children's homes which are referred to throughout the transcripts using the pseudonyms Highton, Welton and Lifton. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observations were completed with a total of 16 children aged 9 to 18 (11 boys and 5 girls) and 46 members of staff (26 women and 20 men including managerial staff, care workers, cooks, administration and domestic staff) who took part in individual interviews and/or a focus group. (The observation data are not available from the UK Data Archive.)<br> <br> Further information on the research project is available from the <a href="http://www.dass.stir.ac.uk/research/projects/show_project.php?id=24" title ="Food Practices in an Institutional Context: Children, Care and Control">Stirling University</a> project web page and the <a href="http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-000-23-1581/read" title ="ESRC Award">ESRC Award</a> web page.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The study includes 50 semi-structured interviews and 12 focus groups with children and staff from three residential care homes in Scotland. The children are aged between 9 and 18 years old. The interviews with staff include managerial staff, care workers, cooks, administration and domestic staff. The semi-structured and focus group interviews took place towards the end of a three month phase of fieldwork in each residential care home after many observations had taken place at different points throughout the day and at different times of the week. The interview data explores both children's and adults' perspectives of food practices in residential care

Play therapy insights into everyday social pedagogical practice in residential child care

Psychotherapy and social pedagogical care, help and support in relation to children placed in out-of-home care are typically perceived as two separate forms of practice. In its typical form, psychotherapy is pictured as a meeting between therapist and client in a ‘therapeutic space’ separated out from daily life and activities, while social pedagogical care, help, and support is carried out in close proximity to everyday life in what is regarded as the person’s home. This article analyses an alternative relationship and way of collaborating between psychotherapy – more specifically play therapy – and everyday social pedagogical practice in residential care for children with severe emotional and behavioural problems. This is done by drawing on an empirical case study of the relationship between everyday practice and expertise of social pedagogical practice and play therapy in a children’s home in Denmark. Meeting the needs of children who have been severely neglected and/or abused is challenging in different ways, and it requires highly developed relational, emotional, and reflective skills. The authors argue that play therapy has a particular potential in foregrounding and developing core social pedagogical knowledge and skills. When designed and carried out as an integrated part of everyday social pedagogical practice, play therapy can support practitioners in integrating a reflective and conscious approach to understanding and meeting the children’s emotional and relational needs with the ability to create and enter into ‘playful encounters’ with the children that challenges one-sided and taken-for-granted power relationships, practices and norms