Family and Community

  • ‘Child Conflict with Caregivers’

    There is virtually no research in Wales. My project aims to add to this gap by gaining an insight into parents and carers experiences of child to parent violence and abuse. My research has been strongly influenced by professionals supporting these families, and parents and carers experiencing this form of family violence. I have found… Read More
  • Leaving Care – My Journey

    Institution to independence I started university at the age of 23 after spending 10 years in care homes and psychiatric hospitals. Throughout those years one of the things that kept me hopeful was my dream to go to university. Since I was young, I imagined going to university as a way out of my life,… Read More
  • ‘Everyday Parenting with Care Experience’

    ‘Everyday Parenting with Care Experience’ a new study exploring the everyday parenting practices of parents with a background of care. By Dr Shirley Lewis and Dr Katie Ellis This study aims to understand the everyday parenting practices and experiences of parents with a background of care. Previous research with care experienced university students found that… Read More
  • Child Protection Practice in England: working with non-resident fathers

    Research studies have consistently found a lack of engagement between social workers and fathers in child protection practice, which has often resulted in missed opportunities for fathers to be assessed as either a risk to, or a resource for their children. One reason that fathers are not considered is because mothers are often constructed as… Read More
  • If Racism Vanished for a Day…

    By Luci Gorell Barnes A newly published paper from the study presents an overview of our research methodology. In it we discuss how we developed our relational and ethical arts-based approach, which aimed to foreground the children’s voices, and support their explorations of the nuanced and complex relationships between their external worlds and internal feelings.… Read More
  • “They Finally See Me, They Trust Me, My Brother’s Coming Home”

    There is an increased understanding of the role of kinship care in raising children where their parents cannot. A lot of the media stories and current research talk about grandparents who step up and become the full-time carer for their grandchildren. However, kinship carers can be anyone who has a connection to a child – an aunt, a neighbour, a best friend’s family. They can also be the older brother or sister of the child needing an alternative carer.
  • ‘Talking about Race’ Resource for Primary Schools

    Talking about Race’ is a new illustrated resource with an accompanying video, intended to support first conversations about race in primary schools. The ’Talking about Race’ resource is intended to disseminate messages from my research in 2010-2011, which focused on younger children’s navigation of race and belonging in two primary schools, back to schools and… Read More
  • Joining Up Joining In- Leicestershire County Council agrees to make care experience a protected characteristic!

    The Leicestershire Cares’ Joining Up Joining In (JUJI) project, funded by the Blagrave Trust, is celebrating the County Council’s decision to treat “Care Experience” as a protected characteristic, after their lead member for children and young people met with our peer researchers about this issue. Councillor Taylor brought a motion to the full County Council… Read More
  • Care Experienced Students’ Success at University: Support and Encouragement are Crucial.

    Young people who have been placed in care are known to have poorer educational outcomes than other young people and are less likely to go to university. Despite the challenges faced by care experienced young people in getting to university, research suggests that when they do make it to university, many succeed in completing their… Read More
  • Should Care Experience be a Protected Characteristic?

    Introduction As part of the Joining Up Joining In project funded from the Blagrave Trust we conducted a survey in partnership with our care experienced peer researchers. So far on the project, four young people have received training from Learning and Work Institute to become peer researchers and explore the issues that local care experienced… Read More