In Residence

Wishing a Happy New Year to all our members and supporters. This edition of the TCJ brings you papers from a two day youth justice online event entitled ‘Care of young offenders: progress or decline?’ This was a unique two day seminar in partnership with the Dartington Centre for Social Policy and The Mulberry Bush, … Read more

Exploring the Archives for materials related to this issue’s theme of youth offending, I immediately turned to the National Childcare Library, part of the PET Archives and Special Collections.  The Library is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in the history of childcare, including those researching society’s response to youth offending over the last century. … Read more

 This edition  of the TCJ brings you the papers from a two day online conference organised by the Mulberry Bush Child Care History Network and the Dartington Centre for Social Policy, held on the 9th and 12th October 2020, entitled ‘Care of young offenders; progress or decline’ ?     “Lessons have been learnt” is the … Read more

A warm welcome to our newest members; Claire Greatbanks (Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Alternative Provision), Catherine Bernie ( Brookfields School, W.Berks), Chantel Yates ( Belmont- Sandmat, UK), Mark Escott ( CEO, Life Chances), Anne- Marie Stewart and the High Close Therapeutic Team, Helen Mc Cormick ( Headteacher, Kingsmeadow School). Our Recent EventsWe ran three successful and … Read more

 I was surprised and touched by the reaction of a reader to my piece in the September edition of TTCJ.  There I had described the first evening on which a young boy came to Mill Grove, and how Ruth and I set about creating safe space for him and his siblings in what was intended … Read more

 This was a short talk given at the Coram Family and Child Centre ‘Permanence’ event , London, on 25.11.2019 Introduction. I would like to thank the Coram Team for inviting me to speak at this event. The Mulberry Bush is a national charity which runs the Mulberry Bush School in Oxfordshire and extended community services. Clearly … Read more

Dr Josephine Lomax-Simpson or ‘The Doc’ as she was fondly known, was driven throughout her career by a strong belief in the importance of ‘continuity of care’. She was well known for keeping in contact with many of the young people she worked with throughout their lives, and for opening up her personal home to … Read more

‘A worthy finish despite the start’ Today we received the news that one of our Care Experienced Children Jane (not her real name) is being moved out of our Independent Special Day school following another foster placement breakdown. This young lady has been with us for the past three years during which time she has … Read more

The concept of “safe space” is familiar to all those seeking to create therapeutic environments, or to intervene in the lives of children and young people by rescuing them from neglect and abuse.  However, for obvious reasons, much of their attention is focussed on the adjective, safe, rather than the noun, space. The advent of … Read more

It was the very first thing Judy did when she started work: she bought three bars of chocolate.  After a childhood characterised by her father’s violence, Mary, her mother and her younger sister had eventually escaped from him to a rented house in another town. When the three of them went on any family outing, … Read more

Way back in 2014, the way children and young people in England with SEN were supported changed with the introduction of education health and care (EHC) plans. These documents,  were binding on local authorities, and detailed a child or young person’s SEN condition and the provision that they need. For example: a special school placement … Read more

Last week I celebrated the birthday of TCES Group ( Transitional Care Education Services) as it entered into its 20th year as a Social Enterprise. TCES Group delivers education, health and care through its schools and high needs services for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and co-morbid Autistic Spectrum Condition. In this … Read more