Residential Child Care

Caitlin had found herself at The Haven, and had had an upsetting night. If you want to read the first episode in last month’s Webmag, click here. Eventually I dozed a bit, but every time I closed my eyes the pictures started up again and I tried to stay awake, so as not to see … Read more

I sit at my computer on a hot, sticky July day complaining about the heat and then I turn on the radio and later in the day see the television pictures of the horrors coming out of the Middle East. I am a bystander watching a tragedy unfold in a world in which tragedies are … Read more

Throughout my working life I had been positively and negatively influenced by the impact of being managed, both as a basic-grade staff member and as a manager.  I would like to believe that being subject to poor management would not impact on my motivation and desire to positively work with and influence the lives of … Read more

We were having a discussion about what goes on at Mill Grove, when a wise new member of our residential community who comes from Uganda surprised me by asking me about “child therapy sessions”. Not aware of any such sessions at Mill Grove I asked for clarification.  “The sessions every Thursday afternoon”, he replied without … Read more

Sign language use with babies and young children is an area of growing interest from families and those who work with pre-school youngsters. The use of signing is now believed to be beneficial to a whole range of children – pre-verbal hearing babies – children who are autistic, dyslexic, have specific speech and/or language difficulties … Read more

One of the few Shakespearean quotes I will always remember is one taken from Hamlet which is, “To thine own self be true”. This is a maxim that has stayed with me throughout my life. Although the great bard was not, as far as I am aware, a registered therapist, it does pose the question, … Read more

Some recent research findings about admissions to residential care This article is based on a presentation made at this year’s national SIRCC conference held in Aviemore on 5-6 June. Recently myself and a colleague have completed two separate but complementary pieces of research into the pattern of admissions to local authority residential units in Scotland. … Read more

The National Childminding Association (NCMA) is a membership organisation and national charity that promotes quality home-based childcare for the benefit of children, families and communities. It already speaks on behalf of the 75,000 registered childminders in England and Wales and, now with a new membership package for nannies and other home-based childcarers, increasingly for home-based … Read more

Times they are a-changing.  I know this is a cry that is heard perpetually throughout time, but never sung better than by Dylan! Often associated with the cry are shouts of “and not for the better” which themselves are countered by allegations of the lament being seen through “rose coloured spectacles”.  How do we know … Read more

What woke me?  I lay still and listened. Why was it so dark? No light was coming in through my open bedroom door from the light on the landing which was always, always left on. In fact where was the door? And what had happened to my little bedroom window, with the light from the … Read more

The following item was received from the Children’s Workforce Development Council. In view of the importance of this consultation, we are printing their announcement in full. The CWDC has announced the dates and locations for its Regional Tours. The organisation is visiting the nine English regions to meet the children and young people’s workforce, share … Read more