“Witness” to violence? Psychological discourses of children in situations of domestic violence

This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who experience domestic violence. Academic, popular and professional discourses around domestic violence (DV) tend to represent children and young people (CYP) as passive witnesses and victims - as individuals who watch, who suffer from and who are damaged by the violence (e.g. Rivett and Howarth, 2006; Spilsbury et al, 2007). We consider how constructs like ‘witness’, ‘trauma’ and ‘exposure’ operate in psychological and other health and social care discourses of children, exploring the implications of such constructions for young people’s identities. In particular we explore how such accounts constrain the articulation of more agentic and resistant subjectivities in children living with domestic violenc

Evaluation of the Third Age series : final report.

The "Third Age" series comprised 10 programmes transmitted between October 21st and December 23rd 1993, on BBC2 at 2.00pm on Thursdays. The series succeeded others for I older viewers, such as "Prime Time", but was to be of a very different character, both in terms of its "message" and format. The BBC also produced a free magazine to accompany the series, with financial support from the European Commission as part of the European I Year of the Elderly and Solidarity between the generations. The title, "The Third Age\u27, refers to that time of life after a person\u27s main career or job has finished and children have left home and before the "Fourth Age", the time of increasing frailty, dependence and finally, death. Broadly speaking this is the years between ages 50 and 75, which now accounts for about 13 million people in Britain. Unlike the common social images of old age, the vast majority of these people are fit, active and independent. The research had two objectives. Firstly, information has been provided on reactions to the programme, in terms of likes and dislikes, viewing preferences and behaviours and attitudes towards the programmes. However, a second and more fundamental aim has been to assess whether the series has had an impact on the attitudes and behaviour of its target audience. Did the underlying message of the programme - to make the most out of life in the later years -get translated into new ways of thinking about later life and the uptake of new activities, hobbies and interests? This question was approached in two ways: (1) by asking viewers whether the programmes had influenced them; and (2) by independently monitoring changes in attitudes and behaviour

Well-Being Services for People with Long Term Neurological Conditions: Co-researchers Involvement in Research, Service Design and Development

This chapter outlines the involvement strategies used in a participatory action project conducted in the UK, together with co-researcher evaluation of their experiences, presents reflections on the process of involvement in service design and delivery and its impact on community coresearchers. The study was jointly commissioned by a Primary Care Trust and a Local Authority Adult Social Care department in partnership with researchers in the Research Institute of Health and Social Care at Manchester Metropolitan University. The study, in line with the UK government well-being agenda (DoH, 2007b), was designed to reveal the ways in which services provided for people with Long Term Neurological Conditions (LTNC’s) can enhance well-being rather than simply reveal or address their health and social care needs. In effect, this refocuses service provider perceptions away from seeing people with LTNCs as needy, or as problems to be solved (by addressing their needs) and more towards people whose well-being can be substantially improved with the support of professionals. People with LTNCs who were involved in this study included those with Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, dementia, epilepsy, motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, acquired traumatic brain injury among others with rare conditions such as Lesch-Nyham Syndrome. The study took a participatory action research approach (Kagan, Burton and Siddiquee, 2008) in which a key element was the input from the LTNC’s service user and service provider communities. The experiences of university and co-researchers have been traced in this paper, pointing to the importance of considering the short and long term implications of collaborative working and the impact this has on project outcomes and service design

Well-Being Services for People with Long Term Neurological Conditions: Co-researchers Involvement in Research, Service Design and Development

This chapter outlines the involvement strategies used in a participatory action project conducted in the UK, together with co-researcher evaluation of their experiences, presents reflections on the process of involvement in service design and delivery and its impact on community coresearchers. The study was jointly commissioned by a Primary Care Trust and a Local Authority Adult Social Care department in partnership with researchers in the Research Institute of Health and Social Care at Manchester Metropolitan University. The study, in line with the UK government well-being agenda (DoH, 2007b), was designed to reveal the ways in which services provided for people with Long Term Neurological Conditions (LTNC’s) can enhance well-being rather than simply reveal or address their health and social care needs. In effect, this refocuses service provider perceptions away from seeing people with LTNCs as needy, or as problems to be solved (by addressing their needs) and more towards people whose well-being can be substantially improved with the support of professionals. People with LTNCs who were involved in this study included those with Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, dementia, epilepsy, motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, acquired traumatic brain injury among others with rare conditions such as Lesch-Nyham Syndrome. The study took a participatory action research approach (Kagan, Burton and Siddiquee, 2008) in which a key element was the input from the LTNC’s service user and service provider communities. The experiences of university and co-researchers have been traced in this paper, pointing to the importance of considering the short and long term implications of collaborative working and the impact this has on project outcomes and service design

Understanding Dementia within National Dementia Policy in England: A Critical Discourse Analysis: Judith Sixsmith

Background Dementia is recognised as a public health priority globally. There are around 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and by 2040; this figure is expected to double. Since the publication of the ‘Living Well with Dementia’: A National Dementia Strategy’ in 2009 in England, a series of dementia policies have been established to improve the lives of people with dementia through increased societal awareness of dementia, earlier diagnosis and a cultural change in health and social care. This research aimed to identify dominant discourses underpinning national policy and consider their implications on the development of health and social care training

Care planning for aggression management in a specialist secure mental health service:user involvement

This paper describes an audit of prevention and management of violence and aggression care plans and incident reporting forms which aimed to: (i) report the compliance rate of completion of care plans; (ii) identify the extent to which patients contribute to and agree with their care plan; (iii) describe de-escalation methods documented in care plans; and (iv) ascertain the extent to which the de-escalation methods described in the care plan are recorded as having been attempted in the event of an incident. Care plans and incident report forms were examined for all patients in men's and women's mental health care pathways who were involved in aggressive incidents between May and October 2012. In total, 539 incidents were examined, involving 147 patients and 121 care plans. There was no care plan in place at the time of 151 incidents giving a compliance rate of 72%. It was documented that 40% of patients had contributed to their care plans. Thematic analysis of de-escalation methods documented in the care plans revealed five de-escalation themes: staff interventions, interactions, space/quiet, activities and patient strategies/skills. A sixth category, coercive strategies, was also documented. Evidence of adherence to de-escalation elements of the care plan was documented in 58% of incidents. The reasons for the low compliance rate and very low documentation of patient involvement need further investigation. The inclusion of coercive strategies within de-escalation documentation suggests that some staff fundamentally misunderstand de-escalation

Countering a culture of acceptance: Exploring councillor’s views towards poor health-related lifestyle choices

In 2010, a new public health system in England was unveiled in response to the prevalence of health problems among England’s population (e.g. high levels of obesity, drug-use, smoking, alcohol consumption, poor levels of mental health and wellbeing etc). The new public health system empowers individuals, communities and local government to provide local solutions to local health and wellbeing problems. Indeed, local authorities were made responsible to drive commissioning within the new public health system, drawing on a ring-fenced public health grant to address health and wellbeing needs and inequalities between different communities and/or subsets of the local population. This paper reports councillor’s views towards public health and wellbeing priorities in Northamptonshire. The data illustrate councillor’s concerns about the ‘troubled society’ in which we live and that the success or failure of public health will hinge upon the ability of interventions to influence positive health choices. While many councillors emphasised the importance of educating children and young people about health-related lifestyle choices, less priority was placed upon affecting positive health change in adult populations. Moreover, the evidence suggested a culture of complacency and acceptance of risk-taking, and that greater responsibility should be exercised individually and collectively in relation to everyday decision-making