Moira Walker

'Having a say': Children and young people talk about consultation

There has been a recent surge of interest in consulting children and young people about issues affecting them. Research in this area can in the main be said to have been motivated by adult agenda, with little attempt to seek the views of children and young people themselves. This paper is based on what children have said about consultation. They were critical of some of the more widely used methods, largely because they saw them as unrepresentative. The main message from the research is that children want to be consulted if it is done properly, if it is about issues directly affecting them and if they see it as likely to yield results that are likely to benefit them or other young people.

How children from disadvantaged areas keep safe

Purpose – The paper sets out to describe how children from disadvantaged areas perceive their communities and actively negotiate threats in their lives.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 60 interviews and 16 discussions groups were held with 8 to 14‐year‐olds sampled from four deprived communities located in the West of Scotland. Participants were asked about their local area and how they kept safe. Data were coded thematically and area, age and gender differences examined.Findings – Children mentioned both positive and negative aspects of their local area. Positive elements primarily related to being near friends and important adults. The negatives were linked to local youth gangs, adults, litter and graffiti, traffic, and drug and alcohol misuse. Participants used both preventive and reactive strategies to keep safe.Research limitations/implications – Owing to the strategies used to sample areas and participants, the extent to which findings can be generalised is limited. Thus, the study should be...

Book Review: Young People's Transitions from Care to Adulthood: International Research and PracticeYoung People's Transitions from Care to Adulthood: International research and practiceSteinMike and MunroEmily (eds) Jessica Kingsley Child Welfare Outcomes series2008320 pages £39.99

The aim of this excellent text is to address the emotional experience for children, parents and professionals involved in the adoption process. It draws on the wide range of experience of psychotherapists, predominantly based on a psychoanalytic framework, but also from the fields of child development and attachment theory. The editors and authors master the challenge of integrating different perspectives in enabling the better understanding of both the overt and more subtle emotional impact of adoption. The unique contributions of this clearly written and presented manuscript are: a) keeping the child’s emotional life at the centre of other support or adult-based work throughout the adoption process; and b) exploring its inter-related emotional impact on adults. The 17 chapters combine theoretical context, existing evidence and policy, practice experience and interesting case material. These are structured in six parts, each introduced and connected by one of the editors. Their themes resist the temptation of a traditional structure; instead, they relate different aspects of adoption to the children’s inner world and working with parents and systems, including the therapists’ and practitioners’ relationship with the family. Several interesting concepts are debated in relation to practice, such as belonging to multiple families, the impact of early and secondary trauma, transition from fostering, preparation for and the process of adoption, and specific issues of adolescence. These are complemented well with discussion of different aspects of therapy, including the use of symbolic plan and working with adoptive couples and families. This book is not primarily written for therapists and will thus be of interest to all professionals in the field of adoption. It will also form a good benchmark for related training for staff and parents. I do hope that the editors will pursue similarly refreshing publications for other vulnerable groups of children and young people.