What we've published
Mechanisms for Empowerment: family group conferences and local family advocacy schemes. In Cannan C and Warren C (eds) Social Action with Children and Families (1997) Routledge
A chapter that describes two mechanisms for empowerment that were developed in the mid-1990s under the auspices of Family Rights Group, a national organisation with a long-standing reputation for promoting user participation in children and family services. The first is family group conferences � there is a description of its development and philosophy, its introduction to the UK from New Zealand, early findings from research studies, and how it works in practice. The second mechanism is family advocacy � with comment on its slow growth, the impetus provided by the Children Act, and the essential elements for successful local schemes.
The Children Act 1989: Putting it into Practice (second edition) (1998) Ashgate
This book provides a practical guide to those parts of the Children Act 1989 that relate to the provision of services by local authorities to children and families, dealing in particular with the powers and duties of local authorities in relation to children in need, child protection and care and supervision proceedings. It combines a discussion of the legal framework of the Act with information about good social and legal practice, relevant research and recent case law. It is grounded on the author�s practical experience of providing an advice and advocacy service for families and training for social workers, lawyers and other child care professionals.
Matching Needs & Services � second edition (1999) Dartington Social Research Unit
One of the practice tools developed at Dartington as part of its common language work about children in need. It is an audit tool intended to help agencies assemble information on the needs of children in order to plan and implement more effective services and evaluate them to see if they are having the desired effect. Doing an audit using this methodology gets people thinking about recently supported children in need and uses the result as a catalyst for better planning. It identifies the principal groups of children in need in a local authority area and promotes communication between professionals involved, regardless of bureaucratic boundaries. It also provides a mechanism for incorporating the views of service users.
Structure, Culture and Outcome: How to improve residential services for children (1999) Dartington Social Research Unit
This tool offers an approach to designing better residential services for children in need. It can be used as a stand-alone tool to reflect on what a residential placement for children in need is intended to achieve and how it can improve life for its residents. Or it can be used in conjunction with Matching Needs & Services, above, in order to start with a clear understanding of the needs of the children being looked after by the local authority, before moving on to consider desirable outcomes and the contribution of residential placements in the continuum of care under Part III of the Children Act 1989.
Working with Fathers (2000) Radcliffe Medical Press (commissioned by DH)
This book re-visits the research studies that informed Child Protection: Messages from Research (DH 1995) in order to inform practitioners working with children in need and their families about what these studies have to say about fathers, and the range of professional responses to them. It discusses the impact of fathers on children�s development, gives examples of good practice in working with fathers, highlights issues for future research and lists useful organisations and contacts.
Parental problem drinking and its impact on children - a research review (2002) Research in Practice, at www.rip.org.uk
This review of research addresses the definition and extent of parental problem drinking, its impact across important dimensions of children�s lives, the impact on children as they become adults, and some messages for practice, including a suggested service specification. The main focus is on UK studies published in the last two decades. The review is aimed primarily at front-line social care workers and their managers, to help when assessing the need for services or delivering appropriate services to children and their families.
Parental drug misuse � a review of impact and intervention studies (2002) Research in Practice, at www.rip.org.uk
A review of research about both the impact of parental drug misuse and interventions designed to reduce that impact. The findings are linked to the dimensions of children�s lives that practitioners will be familiar with through their use of the Assessment Framework for Children in Need and their Families. They draw mainly on studies published in the past ten years in the UK and Ireland, with some intervention studies from the USA because of the lack of such material in UK and Irish research. The review is produced separately from the one on problem drinking, above, because of the important differences between the two issues.
Matching Needs & Services: Emerging Themes from its Application in Different Social Care Settings. In Ward H and Rose W (eds) Approaches to Needs Assessment in Children�s Services (2002) JKP
A chapter that describes how this audit tool has been developed, tested and used by various social care and health agencies and for different samples of children and families. With a particular focus on emerging clusters of need, the use of the tool to achieve ownership across agencies, and the contribution of young people and parents to auditing need, identifying outcomes and planning new services.
Evaluation of the Parents� Information Service � A National Telephone Helpline (2002) YoungMinds, at www.youngminds.org.uk
A report of a telephone survey of a sample of adults who have contacted YoungMinds because of concerns about the mental health needs of their child or young relative. With comments on the service received, the outcomes for families, and their unmet needs, and sections giving information about research studies and policy issues for each of the main themes arising in the Information Service.
Recruitment and Retention of Foster Carers (2003) Number 1 of Champions for Children series, Research in Practice
This is the first in a series of six research briefings for local authority councillors. The aim is to provide information about key research findings, good practice, and policy developments that will help elected members improve outcomes for children and families in need by ensuring that adequate and effective services are provided for them. Each briefing also contains suggested questions that councillors might want to ask their officers. Two briefings will be produced each year for three years. A fully referenced text is also available at www.rip.org.uk.