Residential Child Care

This article was supplied by Calpol, but it is not advertising material. We are publishing it because we believe that readers who are parents will find the Guide useful. The Guide is straightforward and simple, and gives basic information about the National Health Service which new parents – or parents new to this country – … Read more

As you may know, Ruth and I are committed life-long to the residential community known as Mill Grove and to those who live in it.  One of the effects is that we have remarkable, and possibly unique, opportunities to see how life stories unfold years, if not decades, after a child or young person has … Read more

On 24 April 2007, the Christian Child Care Forum held its Sixth Annual Forum. Baroness Valerie Howarth of Breckland welcomed people to the Forum. She spoke of children and childhood being on the political agenda in a wholly new way; not just as a reaction to scandals, and of the need for more strategic thinking … Read more

Every spring and autumn I get the feeling that it is about time to head for central Europe. It is a vague nostalgic feeling. Presumably migrating birds and animals also wake up one morning thinking, “It’s time to head south” or whatever, and there may be some very deep-seated echo in the human genes. In … Read more

How does one set standards for the world?  The United Nations is preparing Draft Guidelines for the Promotion of Appropriate Parental Care, the Protection of Children Deprived of Such Care, and the Provision of Alternative Care. The basic aim which triggered this venture is certainly laudable – providing protection and high standards of care for … Read more

This is part three of a three-part story. Ruth is in a secure unit. If you wish to read the first two episodes, click here. The next big event was a planning meeting. Mum and Dad, the social worker, who now knew Mum because of her new job and several of the Secure Unit staff … Read more

There was a time when children and young people either lived at Mill Grove or in their own homes and families.  There was a very clear divide: as clear in fact as that between Indoor and Outdoor Relief under the Poor Law, or between those described as inmates and others by Erving Goffman in Asylums, … Read more

A field work report from a seminar at the Department of Social Welfare, Kogakkan University, organised by Professor Toyoko Yasui Introduction:  Toyoko Yasui, Associate Professor, Kogakkan University The number of instances of child abuse in Japan has been drastically increasing and cases range from physical and mental damage to fatalities. They are ranked from physical … Read more

Having worked for over ten years in international exchange there came a point, in that twilight moment between sleep and wakefulness on an aeroplane, that I was increasingly unable to recall where I was coming from – and more worryingly – where I was going. The world of glamorous international travel was feeling decidedly less … Read more

Once again the media in recent weeks have featured some very serious cases of child sexual abuse. When these horrific events take place I ask myself the question, how would I have coped if anything had happened to one of my own children, the honest answer is I don’t know. What I do know, however, … Read more

What should I do about my toddler’s tantrums?  How can I ensure my three year old learns to eat healthily?  Should I be worried if my young child has an imaginary friend?  These are just a few of the questions parents of young children may ask but often it is hard to find practical, non-judgemental … Read more

Dave Wiles and Tim Evans as Chief Executives of youth work organisations decided to draw attention to the good stories about young people by taking to the road with only £10 in their pockets. If you want to read earlier episodes, click here. 19/09/2006After a good night’s sleep and breakfast we set off again. We … Read more