CPD curriculum guide for social workers who are working with people on the autism spectrum

Tizard Centre, Centre for Child Protection (2015) “A report on autism for social workers” Commissioned by The College of Social Work (written and published by the Dept. of Health

Addressing Radicalisation into the Classroom - A New Approach to Teacher and Pupil Learning

This article examines one response to the UK Governments directive that radicalisation and extremism should be tackled in all UK secondary schools. The small scale study, which is set in the broader literature of teaching often difficult PHSE topics to young people in secondary school and also the use of simulations as tools for learning in the classroom, analyses the responses of teachers to being trained with and using ‘Zak’ a bespoke research based simulation on the radicalisation process. An analysis of the teacher’s’ responses indicated that it was recognised that the principales of adults manipulating children, whether for sexual gratification or radicalisation, are considered to be very important topics for staff working with young people in school settings to address. It was also recognised as to be a flexible learning tool which enabled various pathways to be explored with young people in lessons to explore and raise issues regarding many aspects of e- safety, not just radicalisation. Additionally, the teachers remarked that the social media ‘Facebook’ format of the simulation was appreciated by the young people and this appeal resulted in their immersion with it as a teaching aid. Also of significance was how the ‘Zak’ package was delivered into schools with the staff reporting that the inter-professional training delivered by specialist police trainers and the accompanying materials enhanced the learning and confidence of the teachers on this multi-faceted and complex topic

<i>'You've got to keep your head on'</i>: A study of the stories young male service users tell about the transition to fatherhood

Research on disadvantaged young fathers has been minimally addressed in the literature, particularly in the UK and especially with young men who are service users. This thesis, drawing on discourse theory, explores the descriptions of 16 white, socially excluded young men, aged 15-24, on the transition to fatherhood. The findings from the study, which uses a narrative methodological approach, indicate common themes from the stories of the young fathers, especially with regard to the high levels of disadvantage and social exclusion they had been exposed to, and the anti-social behaviour they described engaging in, prior to the birth of their child/ren. A significant proportion of young men, however, reported how important fatherhood had been in transforming their attitudes and behaviour and how they took their responsibilities as fathers seriously. In addition, the data details the social support systems which are described as being important to them (including some professional support) and the types of activities they describe engaging in as fathers. The study also argues for transparency in research processes with hard to reach young people and the importance of using a reflexive approach, particularly regarding the biographical and professional influences the researcher brings to the study

Membrane mechanics as a probe of ion-channel gating mechanisms

The details of conformational changes undergone by transmembrane ion channels in response to stimuli, such as electric fields and membrane tension, remain controversial. We approach this problem by considering how the conformational changes impose deformations in the lipid bilayer. We focus on the role of bilayer deformations in the context of voltage-gated channels because we hypothesize that such deformations are relevant in this case as well as for channels that are explicitly mechanosensitive. As a result of protein conformational changes, we predict that the lipid bilayer suffers deformations with a characteristic free-energy scale of 10kBT. This free energy is comparable to the voltage-dependent part of the total gating energy, and we argue that these deformations could play an important role in the overall free-energy budget of gating. As a result, channel activity will depend upon mechanical membrane parameters such as tension and leaflet thickness. We further argue that the membrane deformation around any channel can be divided into three generic classes of deformation that exhibit different mechanosensitive properties. Finally, we provide the theoretical framework that relates conformational changes during gating to tension and leaflet thickness dependence in the critical gating voltage. This line of investigation suggests experiments that could discern the dominant deformation imposed upon the membrane as a result of channel gating, thus providing clues as to the channel deformation induced by the stimulus

Zak - exploring radicalisation an inter-professional training pack

A 29 page inter-professional training pack with a literature review and activities relating to the simulatio

Reported frequency of physical activity in a large epidemiological study: relationship to specific activities and repeatability over time

BACKGROUND How overall physical activity relates to specific activities and how reported activity changes over time may influence interpretation of observed associations between physical activity and health. We examine the relationships between various physical activities self-reported at different times in a large cohort study of middle-aged UK women. METHODS At recruitment, Million Women Study participants completed a baseline questionnaire including questions on frequency of strenuous and of any physical activity. About 3 years later 589,896 women also completed a follow-up questionnaire reporting the hours they spent on a range of specific activities. Time spent on each activity was used to estimate the associated excess metabolic equivalent hours (MET-hours) and this value was compared across categories of physical activity reported at recruitment. Additionally, 18,655 women completed the baseline questionnaire twice, at intervals of up to 4 years; repeatability over time was assessed using the weighted kappa coefficient (κweighted) and absolute percentage agreement. RESULTS The average number of hours per week women reported doing specific activities was 14.0 for housework, 4.5 for walking, 3.0 for gardening, 0.2 for cycling, and 1.4 for all strenuous activity. Time spent and the estimated excess MET-hours associated with each activity increased with increasing frequency of any or strenuous physical activity reported at baseline (tests for trend, P < 0.003), although the associations for housework were by far the weakest (Spearman correlations, 0.01 and -0.03 respectively for housework, and 0.11-0.37 for all other activities). Repeatability of responses to physical activity questions on the baseline questionnaire declined significantly over time. For strenuous activity, absolute agreement was 64% (κweighted = 0.71) for questionnaires administered less than 6 months apart, and 52% (κweighted = 0.51) for questionnaires more than 2 years apart. Corresponding values for any physical activity were 57% (κweighted = 0.67) and 47% (κweighted = 0.58). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort, responses to simple questions on the frequency of any physical activity and of strenuous activity asked at baseline were associated with hours spent on specific activities and the associated estimated excess MET-hours expended, reported 3 years later. The weakest associations were with housework. Agreement for identical questions asked on two occasions about the frequency of physical activity decreased over time.This work was supported by public funds from Cancer Research UK and the UK Medical Research Council

Body mass index and incident coronary heart disease in women: a population-based prospective study

BACKGROUND A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD); however, a low BMI may also be associated with an increased mortality risk. There is limited information on the relation of incident CHD risk across a wide range of BMI, particularly in women. We examined the relation between BMI and incident CHD overall and across different risk factors of the disease in the Million Women Study. METHODS 1.2 million women (mean age=56 years) participants without heart disease, stroke, or cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer) at baseline (1996 to 2001) were followed prospectively for 9 years on average. Adjusted relative risks and 20-year cumulative incidence from age 55 to 74 years were calculated for CHD using Cox regression. RESULTS After excluding the first 4 years of follow-up, we found that 32,465 women had a first coronary event (hospitalization or death) during follow-up. The adjusted relative risk for incident CHD per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22 to 1.25). The cumulative incidence of CHD from age 55 to 74 years increased progressively with BMI, from 1 in 11 (95% CI 1 in 10 to 12) for BMI of 20 kg/m2, to 1 in 6(95% CI 1 in 5 to 7) for BMI of 34 kg/m2. A 10 kg/m2 increase in BMI conferred a similar risk to a 5-year increment in chronological age. The 20 year cumulative incidence increased with BMI in smokers and non-smokers, alcohol drinkers and non-drinkers, physically active and inactive, and in the upper and lower socioeconomic classes. In contrast to incident disease, the relation between BMI and CHD mortality (n=2,431) was J-shaped. For the less than 20 kg/m2 and ≥35 kg/m2 BMI categories, the respective relative risks were 1.27 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.53) and 2.84 (95% CI 2.51 to 3.21) for CHD deaths, and 0.89 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.94) and 1.85 (95% CI 1.78 to 1.92) for incident CHD. CONCLUSIONS CHD incidence in women increases progressively with BMI, an association consistently seen in different subgroups. The shape of the relation with BMI differs for incident and fatal disease.The Million Women Study is funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, and the NHS Breast Screening Programme. The funding organizations were not involved in the study design or conduct, data analysis or interpretation, manuscript preparation or review, final version approval, or decision to submit the manuscript

Maori prisoners in Dunedin, 1869-1872 and 1879-1881 : exiled for a cause

The exile of Maori prisoners to Dunedin in 1869 and again in 1879, was due to the Northern wars and the confiscation of land in Taranaki by the Government. Maori never accepted the 'justice' imposed on them and active resistance to the confiscations continued throughout the 1860's, 1870's and 1880's. The first group of prisoners to reach Dunedin were Pakakohe men who had been allied with Titokowaru and his armed resistance to the confiscations. The second group were from Parihaka, they also resisted the land alienation, but passively. This dissertation addresses the reasons for the Government's imprisonment of Taranaki Maori, and it examines the legislation passed in 1879-80. It also concentrates on the general experiences of the prisoners in Dunedin. These include the work they were involved in, living conditions and health, and finally the relationships that were formed between the prisoners and Otakou Maori. I have not explored the political and religious philosophies of Titokowaru or Te Whiti, nor have I delved into the experiences of Maori prisoners exiled in Wellington, Lyttleton, Hokitika or Ripapa Island. Therefore, this dissertation is an introduction to a larger subject, and one that deserves extensive research. Part of the research included oral history. However in exploring the use of such a resource I also discovered the special demands that it places onto the researcher, and the restrictions that a time limit imposes. To do justice to oral sources, several years’ research would be required. The scarcity of information on some aspects of the study also imposed limitations and has had some effect on the structure of the essay. Much of the available information is non-specific and does not differentiate Maori prisoners from Pakeha prisoners. The study has therefore included an element of conjecture

Looking out for Lottie an inter-professional training pack

A 37 page inter-professional training pack with a literature review and worksheet