Book reviews
| Published date | 04 May 2008 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17466660200800020 |
| Date | 04 May 2008 |
| Pages | 76-79 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Children's services |
76 Journal of Children’s Services
Volume 3 Issue 3 November 2008
© Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
The editors’ mission in this book to focus ‘less on
the failings of social care systems and more on the
factors that enable some young people [in care]
to achieve a great deal despite the disadvantages
they have faced’ (p5). Ambitious as this is, they
are confident in their intent, which is to ‘identify
and unpack what it is that makes or might make a
difference to the outcomes for young people’ (p5).
In other words, the plan is to uncover the veritable
black box of resilience, or at least, begin the process
of doing so. In doing this, the editors hope to educate
the intended audience – students, researchers,
policy-makers and practitioners from a range of
backgrounds – about what enables children to
persevere. Rather than focus on the shortcomings of
policy in England and Wales, the editors suggest that
they will accomplish their mission through optimism
and hope.
The bo ok begins with a r elatively d etailed
apprais al of Bri tain’s chil d welfare policy an d
how it has evol ved over time (Chapt er two).
Sonia Jackson wr ites: ‘revi ewing the origins a nd
develop ment of c hild care policy doe s much
to exp lain why some aspect s of the service
are so resistant to change and why damaging
preconc eptions per sist’ (p9) . As poli cy evolved
from t he mid-19t h century through to the late -20th
century , children moved fro m being s tigmatised
and ma ltreated s ystemic bur dens and instead
became political priorities, with a new emphas is
placed on establ ishing clea r objectiv es and
outcome s for the child wel fare syste m.
Chapter three highligh ts the most recent
statistica l information available o n outcomes f or
children in care. An tonia Simon and Charlie Owen
conclude that there is a shortag e of statist ical
evidence overall and specifically addressing th e
status o f child well -being (eg. mental health
outcomes). The authors propose tha t adding to data
collection will help to identify service gaps as well
as offer evidence th at services are efficaciou s.
Chapters four and five focus in different ways on
the costs and benefits of the educational system.
In chapter four, Sonia Jackson and Antonia Simon
contend that a focus on educational attainment
for looked-after children would save tremendous
amounts of public money, while in chapter five, Sarah
Ajayi and Margaret Quigley provide a qualitative
examination of the fewer than one per cent of the
relevant age group in the care system who move from
school or college into higher education. Chapter six
provides further insight into the lives of children who
leave care to become parents themselves, suggesting
that given the disadvantaged backgrounds many
come from, pregnancy may actual have some positive
consequences. The editors also include a piece
comparing residential services in the UK with those
in other European countries (Chapter eight – Pat
Petrie and Antonia Simon), showing that much could
be learned from the higher quality of staff training
and status of care workers elsewhere. The book
closes with a helpful discussion of the challenges
for research with children leaving care (Chapter 10
– Valerie Wigfall and Claire Cameron), notably the
difficulties of recruiting participants and the extra
creativity and skill often needed to do this.
Overall, the book is well researched, drawing
primarily on a wealth of empirical studies conducted
by the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the University
of London. It demonstrates a logical flow of ideas
about the experiences of children in care and
after, with historical, statistical and qualitative
perspectives. The book covers the gamut of what
practitioners in the field of child substitute care
should know to build, responsible and ethical
practice based on empirical evidence. My only
criticism would be that authors too often stop short
of practical application. Thus, while the social work
practitioner may walk away from this read with a
solid grasp of what was and what is, it less clear that
he or she would know what to do now when working
with children in care or after.
Book reviews
In Care and After: A Positive Perspective
Elaine Chase, Antonia Simon and Sonia Jackson (Editors)
London: Routledge, 2006
202 pages, £24.99 (paperback)
ISBN: 0 415 35254 1
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