First evaluation of The Down Lisburn Trust Befriending scheme for young people leaving care

The Down Lisburn Trust befriending scheme was initially set up in October 1998, this piece of research was conducted in April 2000 and is the first evaluation of the scheme.

The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the benefits of the befriending scheme for young people 'looked after' or leaving the care of Down Lisburn Trust. This was achieved by collecting the retrospective views of the young people and their befrienders in relation to how the befriending scheme has benefited them.

As the befriending scheme is a relatively new project, the subjects used in the study were from the first intake of participants on the scheme. This comprised of 5 young people and 6 befrienders. In order to obtain the relevant information, questionnaires were devised for the young people and the befrienders.

The findings of this research study indicated that the befriending scheme benefits those young people in care and leaving care, by providing them with someone to talk to and help them pursue their interests. Also it has ensured there was someone to support them through difficult familial relationships, life in care and/or life after care. The findings also highlighted the need for clearer procedures and follow up in relation to the ending of befriending relationships to ensure that this already vulnerable group of young people are not damaged further.

The findings of this study agree with the findings of other research studies dating from the early 1980's, regarding the plight of young people in care and leaving care.

The Adolescence Team was established in 1990/91 and provides an integrated, specialised service to young people aged between 14 and 21 years old living within the Down Lisburn Trust area. It also provides a supported continuum of care, which enables young people who have been or are in care to live independently and safely in the community. It aims to do so by providing the following services; individual counselling, family work, assessment, mediation/negotiation, preparation for leaving care, aftercare support, group work, and child protection investigations. The following is an overview of the first evaluation of the scheme.     

Modelling and early language acquisitions in Down's syndrome

The marked delay in language acquisition suffered by Down's syndrome children is undeniable. This study affirms that the cause of this deficit could be found in a different communicative environment, for which reason early intervention is essential.

A sample of 40 Down's syndrome babies was used whose parents were taught methods of communicative training with their children according to two models: a) modelling techniques, b) written instructions.

The results obtained establish statistically significant differences in favour of the vicariously taught group.     

Effect of Intervention on the Language Facility of Poor, Black Adolescent Mothers and their Preschool Children

This study investigates the effects of varying degrees of mother-child language stimulation activities on the test performance of poor Black children and their adolescent mothers.

The sample consisted of 60 mothers paired with their three or four year old children who attended full day preschool. The families were randomly assigned to one of three groups for a twelve week period.

The tests used in the study were the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; the Cultural Language Test — Mean Length of Utterance; the Cultural Language Test — Standard English; and the Conversation — Mean Length of Utterance Measure.

Three major findings result from the study:

1. The children of mothers provided with intensive training and practice (Group 1) scored significantly higher on all four tests than did the children whose mothers received minimal help (Group 2) or children whose mothers received no help at all (Group 3).
2. Group 2 children did not score any higher than did Group 3.
3. Group 1 mothers scored significantly higher on all measures.

     

“caught in the middle” exploring children and young people's experience of domestic violence

This document seeks to explore children's experiences of domestic violence and the effects such violence may have on their lives, both in the short term and in the long term. It draws on the conclusions of various studies in this area which have been carried out in America and the United Kingdom. It aims to raise awareness of the complexity of this issue and to highlight the importance of support for both women and children who may be survivors of domestic violence. The document highlights a number of issues, namely

How children and young people may experience domestic violence;

Identification of links between domestic violence and child abuse;

The impact domestic violence may have on mothering;

The effects domestic violence may have on children and young people's lives;

The legitimacy of the cycle of violence theory;

Issues to be considered when assessing the possible impact of domestic violence on children and young people.     

An evaluation of the mencap family adviser service in Northern Ireland

For over three years, Mencap (Nl) has provided and largely funded an 'Information and Advice Service' aimed primarily at family carers and people with learning disabilities. The service employs four advisers who cover most of Northern Ireland, offering telephone but also face-to-face contact with enquirers. They have access to a specially developed, computerized database that contains details of local as well as national resources.

This paper describes the service and the evaluation process used. Information was obtained from four stakeholder groups, namely service-users; service-funders; the leaders of learning disability teams in Health and Social Services (HSS) Trusts and the chairpersons of Mencap local societies.

The features of a good information and advice service are noted, along with the developments required to the existing service. In the main these relate to improved partnership working with statutory agencies and increasing the profile of the service with services, family carers and people with learning disabilities.

The lessons learnt in Northern Ireland could usefully inform the development of similar services that are proposed for the Irish Republic, Scotland, England and Wales.     

Integration: Quality in care and education for the young disabled child

The presentation aims to examine the criteria of quality for care and education programmes for young disabled children in integrated early childhood settings. The conceptual and practical issues which influence quality programmes will be discussed with particular reference to the Integration Programmes operated throughout South Australia in early childhood centres.

The Integration Programmes, developed to enable and support the integrated or normalised development of young children has as its specific 'target' group individual children who are 'too delayed or disabled' to be able to fully participate or participate without direct assistance in community based early childhood programmes. Some of these children are extremely disabled and others' handicapping conditions are exacerbated by severe lack of other available community resources, isolation and other factors.

Integration is more than 'being there'—it is a complex process based upon the recognition of human value and human rights. For greater insight into the Integration Programmes an appraisal of the following aspects will be provided.

• the principles of integration

• the goals of integration

• the dimensions of integration.

The dimensions of integration will be placed in relation to the indicators of quality in early childhood programmes. The juxtaposing of these parameters of quality will lead to the emergence of guidelines for practical goalsetting and evaluation hallmarks of excellence in integration.     

Methodological Reflections on Using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale as a Measure to Make Cross-National Evaluations of Quality

How useful is the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) as a research instrument in making cross-national comparisons of the quality of nurseries?

The paper briefly outlines the ECERS and discusses the extent to which it can be used as a universal evaluative tool to measure quality. The author reflects on her use of the ECERS scale in cross-national contexts, to comment on its advantages and its limitations.

The author used the ECERS as part of a qualitative investigation into nursery provision and practice between 1991 and 1994 in cities in fourcountries, New York, (USA) Harnosand, (Sweden), Arezzo (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain). The nurseries in which the author carried out observations and interviews were chosen by contacts in the countries concerned for both their willingness to participate and for their representativeness. A minimum of four institutions which took children under three were visited for at least half a day in each city.

The author uses examples derived from this research to argue that while the scale may have some advantages in that, ratings can be undertaken in two hours, and the scale can provide comparison measures on a number of criteria which child care professionals have agreed are significant, it also has a number of disadvantages. Because the scale is empirically rather than theoretically based and is not explicit about the evaluative categories, which underlie it, its use can obscure rather than illuminate, what different countries see as the most significant aspects of their care and education provision.

The paper concludes that we need to develop measurement tools which explicitly state the values and theoretical perspectives behind their construction.     

Day Care Quality and Child Development in Singapore

This paper reports the findings of an investigation into the effects of the day care environment on language development in 122 pre-school children in Singapore. This study examined child progress in which pre- and post assessment scores and the interactive relationship between day care and family environments were taken into account.

Characteristics of 16 day care centres were assessed by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, ECERS (Harms & Clifford, 1980). This rating scale was validated against the views of early childhood experts in Singapore. Observer reliability was also obtained before assessing the centres.

Day care effects were investigated by assessing children at two time points. A pretest was conducted at the beginning of the year and a post-test administered towards the end of the year. The findings of this study indicated that the quality of day care centres as measured by the total score and specific subscales of the ECERS were related to some aspects of language development in children.     

Early Language Stimulation of Down's Syndrome Babies: a study on the optimum age to begin

In this study we began with a concern for the marked delay in language acquisition suffered by Down's syndrome babies and how early treatment affects the subsequent observed development. 36 Down's syndrome babies were incorpored to experiment at different ages: new borns, 90 days and 180 days old babies, until eighteen months of age.

The results obtained established statistically significant differences in language acquisitions in favour of the new born group.     

Vicarious learning of parents and early motor acquisition of Down's syndrome

This research was undertaken in order to study a new application of vicarious learning, and thereby ascertain whether subjects undergoing early motor training would benefit from this type of learning. To this end we started out from a fundamental premise: participation by the parents in the early motor training of their children. An experimental study was designed with a sample of 32 Down's syndrome according to two training groups. In the first the parents learned the motor training model vicariously from the clinician. In the second group the parents were taught through written instructions.

The results obtained establish statistically significant differences in favour of the vicariously taught group.     

Children's fantasy: changes and directions

The way that we be spoken of Is not the constant way; The name that can be named Is not the constant name

The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth; The named was the mother of the myriad creatures. Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its manifestations. These two are the same But diverge in name as they issue forth. Being the same they are called mysteries. Mystery upon mystery The gateway of the manifold secrets. Lao Tzu, p. 57

The purpose of this paper is to format the course of fantasy in the child as the course of time and experience within the child unfolds. Fantasy is where learning compounds meaning and the subjective themes become functionally active, germinating, in process, understanding which brings about changes that account for and solve the stresses of daily living. The effort is reductive to a point and the rest is fun. Fantasy may be crucial to both health and change.     

Food behaviors of young children: Cognitive and attitudinal factors

Young children's diets are determined to a large degree by their mothers' nutritional knowledge and food attitudes. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of mothers' nutritional knowledge and food attitudes on their children's nutritional knowledge and food behavior.

The subjects were 159 children. They ranged in ages from 7 to 9 years old. Their mothers also participated in the study.

Bivariate relationships between pairs of variables were tested using the Pearson product-moment correlation. The major findings were:

(1) Children's nutritional knowledge was related to their mothers' nutritional knowledge and attitudes of sociability.

(2) Mothers' nutritional knowledge was related to their attitudes of sociability and frugality. Nutritional knowledge was negatively correlated with mother's attitudes toward health and social status.

(3) Children's food behavior was related to their nutritional knowledge and their mothers' nutritional knowledge.     

Factors Influencing Success or Underachievement of the Able Child

The aim of this research is to look for reasons for success or underachievement in able children aged between 9 and 11. Those who have a considerable influence on a child during the primary years are teachers and parents and this research explores these relationships.

The participants were selected from three schools within the state sector which represented different aspects of the social spectrum. The children were divided into achievers and underachievers.

Quantitative and qualitative methods have been used for this study and this paper reports on the quantitative analysis. A number of issues are considered including the marital status of parents, handwriting, self-concept and gender. Cognitive style and the possible dissonance between pupil and teacher are also discussed.     

Parental participation at child protection case conferences: An evaluation of practice in north and west belfast

Parental participation at child protection case conferences is still a relatively new and contentious phenomenon. In January 1994 a strategy for this process was implemented in North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust and this research was undertaken in order to monitor and evaluate this new way of working.

Structured interviews were carried out with twenty-two parents and a postal questionnaire was sent to six main professional groups (field social workers, non-field social workers, police, doctors, teachers, and community nurses). The questionnaire achieved a response rate of 68% (i.e. 108 returned out of 160).

The results indicate that a positive start has been made to the participation of parents at case conferences and that this was generally welcomed by parents and professionals. Parents do not appear to be “emotionally damaged” by participation and the results indicate that they have a clearer understanding of concerns and a greater commitment to plans as a result of attending. Parental participation also does not appear to affect the focus and purpose of case conferences and indeed, professionals mainly found the presence of parents helpful to conferences.

The research highlighted deficiencies in the preparation of parents, a general feeling of inhibition amongst professionals, and a divergence in the views of parents and professionals as to whether or not participation should be full or partial. A number of conclusions for policy and practice are reached in light of die findings.     

Too early to school?

This paper examines the dangers and problems inherent in the prevalent practice of introducing academic work into Nigeria Nursery School Curriculum.

The paper presents research data from the fields of developmental psychology and education, which establish that nursery school children are not developmen-tally ready for academic work. Similarly data on the objectives of nursery education are used to establish that nursery school is not an ideal setting for the teaching of academic skills as stated in the National Policy on Education.

The paper concludes with a number of proposals on how to develop a virile Nursery Education practice in Nigeria which provides adequately for the socio-cultural peculiarities in the lives of Nigerian Pre-School children.     

Comparative haematological screening of urban and rural pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Lagos and its environs

A total of 200 rural and urban pregnant women attending the clinics for routine antenatal care were involved. The data collection began in June 1990 and ended in August 1990. The data gathering instrument was first pilot tested in the antenatal clinics of Lagos University Teaching Hospital. These findings enumerated from the study: About 6.8% of the rural women had moderate Anaemias 9.0-9.9gm% as compared to 1.4% of the urban women.

The MCHC fell progressively with the gestation age. The study showed 71.6% of the rural women had MCHC less than 33 compared to 60.8% urban women. The mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is also reported to fall progressively with gestation (Belsey & Royston, 1987). Their hypothesis was supported by this study. The correlation coefficient was -0.02 and (p 0.01).

The PCV was also significantly correlated with gestation age r = 0.24 (p 0.01).     

The elaboration of Blissymbols

This paper outlines a comparison of pencil elaboration cued, versus picture cued learning, in the establishment of an initial Blissymbol vocabulary. The design of the study followed N = 1 time series principles, the advantages of which are currently being promoted in behavioural research. The single subject represented an analog developmentally young individual. She was 2 years 10 months old at the commencement of the study and on a range of cognitive scales was of average ability.

The study within its restricted parameters, clearly indicated the superiority of pencil elaboration over pictures as simultaneous learning aids. Various speculative conclusions based on these findings are drawn and an ad hoc qualitative analysis of, specific materials, learning, and miscues is outlined.