scholarly journals Children in Care: Exploitation, Offending and the Denial of Victimhood in a Prosecution-led Culture of Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 1551-1569
Author(s):  
Julie Shaw ◽  
Sarah Greenhow

Abstract The following article reports upon recent research, which explored the perceptions of professionals of the issues that affect the sexual and criminal exploitation of children in care, along with a discussion of the effectiveness of current responses to these issues and the challenges that professionals face. The study utilised focus groups and semi-structured interviews to gain the perspectives of thirty-six participants from across a range of agencies involved in children’s social work and youth justice from an area in the north-west of England. The findings echoed previous research by suggesting that for a number of reasons connected to their ‘looked-after’ status and deficiencies within the care system, children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Although attempts are being made to develop co-ordinated responses to safeguarding, there is still a long way to go in terms of focusing on vulnerability instead of a prosecution-led approach when offending occurs as a result of exploitation. It is argued how in order to ensure that good, innovative practice becomes ‘standard’ practice; further legislation is required in tandem with a greater degree of education surrounding exploitation and the dynamics inherent in these offences.

Author(s):  
W.N. Minnaar ◽  
R.C. Krecek

Information on the socioeconomic aspects and the health status of dogs in 2 resource-limited communities in the North West and Gauteng provinces of South Africa was gathered using semi-structured interviews and a standardised questionnaire. The dogs were examined clinically to determine their health status, and their body condition and age were scored. Most of the dogs (93 % in Jericho and 90 % in Zuurbekom) were infected with hookworm, which poses a threat to animal and human health in the 2 study areas. Many dogs were also being given a protein-deficient diet, which together with hookworm parasites would impact considerably on the dog's health. Dogs were mainly kept for security reasons. The need indicated to be most important by the residents of the 2 commnities was a lack of available and affordable veterinary services.


Author(s):  
Ana Porroche-Escudero ◽  
Jennie Popay

Abstract Background Despite insistent calls for more and better evidence to inform action to reduce health inequities, applied health research sensitive to these inequalities is rare. Recognising this problem, the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Research and Care in the North West Coast (England) developed the Health Inequalities Assessment Toolkit (HIAT) to support those involved in health research to integrate equity into their work. Objective This paper reports on an evaluation of the extent to which HIAT enhances the equity focus of the work of users. Methods The evaluation used semi-structured interviews, focus groups and workshops (n = 131 respondents including Public Advisers, university, NHS and local government partners). Routine data included HIAT feedback forms. Findings HIAT can help to strengthen the equity focus of applied health research by: increasing understanding of how socioeconomic inequities impact on health; building capacity for integrating equity into all aspects of research, implementation and capacity building; stimulating thinking on action to address local structural drivers of health inequalities; and increasing understanding of the positive contribution public involvement can make to research. Conclusion If we are to advance health equity goals delivering research and training needs to be combined with political commitment to create more equal societies.


1998 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 315-328
Author(s):  
Brian Pippard

There is a long sequence of photographs in the Cavendish Laboratory showing the research students and staff every year from 1897; the 1902 photograph has J.J. Thomson in the middle, and includes Charles Francis Mott and Lilian Mary Reynolds, who were married in 1904 and whose son was Nevill Francis Mott. Charles was unlucky in his research project, which gave him no encouragement to continue, but he had a successful career, first as senior science master at Giggleswick, and then as Director of Education in the north–west of England, ultimately as Director for Liverpool. Miss Reynolds had been a star pupil of Cheltenham Ladie's College and at Cambridge was the best woman mathematician of her year, being classed equal with the eleventh wrangler. She was not at home in experimental physics—her heart was in applied mathematics—and after marriage, as her two children grew up, she devoted herself to social work. It is clear, from the loving memoir that her husband wrote and had published privately after her death, that she retained an active intelligence to the end.


Author(s):  
Wuchu Cornelius Cornelius Wutofeh

This chapter evaluates the link that exists between ICTs and the promotion of agricultural activities. It presents forms of ICTs within the region, agricultural practices, and how they interact to enhance development. Qualitative and quantitative research designs were adopted with the use of semi-structured interviews and observation and questionnaires. Data derived was coded and analyzed using appropriate statistical procedures to come out with the following findings: diverse forms of ICTs, both traditional and modern, are available for the population of the North West Region; agricultural activities in the North West Region were found to be diverse though subsistence; ICTs present were found to be very significant in promoting agricultural activities in the region. Despite the problems that hinder the integration of ICTs in the agricultural sector of the region, increased capital and training will help boost this sector and enhance the socio-economic development of the region.


Author(s):  
Boitomelo Makhuzeni ◽  
E. Nicolene Barkhuizen

Orientation: South African schools are facing significant challenges to retain a talented pool of school teachers. A total rewards strategy could assist schools to reduce teacher turnover.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a total rewards strategy on the turnover intentions of school teachers in the North-West province.Motivation: The under supply of quality teachers has negative consequences for both school pupils and the larger community.Research approach, design and method: A qualitative research approach was followed using semi-structured interviews to gather data from teachers in the North-West province (N = 6).Main findings: The findings showed that performance management, career development and compensations of teachers were poorly applied in schools. Teachers strongly considered leaving the teaching profession as a result of poor rewards. The participants were fairly satisfied with their work benefits and work-life balance.Practical/managerial implications: School management should implement reward practices and policies that will attract and enhance retention of school teachers.Contribution: This research highlighted the problematic areas in the reward systems for school teachers and the subsequent impact thereof on their turnover intentions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 28-46
Author(s):  
Stephanus Coetzee ◽  
Karen Puren

Universities are often considered to be safe sanctuaries. However, many higher education institutions have increasingly been confronted with crime and unrest. Violence and other crimes on campuses are currently an international concern. This paper reports on a study that investigated student’s perceptions of safety on two campuses namely Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Finland and the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Theories from Environmental Psychology and Urban Planning are combined in this study in order to incorporate aspects of the individual, social setting and spatial environment. Increasing people’s safety help to optimise their experience of their environment and can in turn create an enabling context for people to flourish and improve their quality of life. The research followed a qualitative research approach. In this study, 21 participants from a Finnish university and 16 participants from a South African university were selected through purposive sampling. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews supported by visual data of the spatial environment. All data were transcribed verbatim and analysed through qualitative content analysis. The literature and findings of the research both support that the spatial and social environment influences safety. It is therefore recommended that safe campus environments require a multi-disciplinary and integrated approach to proactively develop a Comprehensive Safe Environment Plan (CSEP). From a planning perspective, students’ perceptions of campus environments’ safety may include the creation of compact dedicated campus areas, land uses, building placing and orientation, territoriality, landscaping, visibility, control over fear-inducing activities, maintenance, security measures and pedestrian orientated areas.


Author(s):  
David Allen ◽  
Graeme Mitchell ◽  
Michael Pascucilla

AbstractIt is clear that there is an increasing proportion of the United Kingdom (UK) population who are suffering with food allergies and this combined with an increase in the frequency of eating away from home (where there is less control over the content of food) poses a significant risk. In December 2014, the European Union (EU) introduced legislation which aimed to ensure that customers with food allergens could make informed choices and safely consume food, without the risk of a potentially life-threatening reaction. The research used semi-structured interviews with staff from a BCB, located in the North West of the UK, as the aim of the research was to explore food handlers’ knowledge, attitudes and understanding of food allergens. The findings of the semi-structured interviews identified five themes: E-learning training programmes: the staff felt that these were ineffective and did not take into account individual learning styles. Responsibility: there is a lack of clarity as to who is responsible, with staff believing the key responsibility lies with the customer. Communication: similarly, communication, both within the kitchen and within the company was not clear and likely to give rise to confusion. Need to make a profit: the staff felt that the drive for profit meant that customer safety was being compromised, especially when staff numbers were reduced. Staff awareness: the staff felt confident in their own ability to prepare a safe meal but indicated that staff may be dismissive towards claims of allergen sufferers. In conclusion, these themes illustrate that a significant risk exists for allergen suffers, who rely upon the knowledge, attitudes and understanding of BCB staff to ensure their meals are safely prepared.


Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Badamasi Babangida Mohammed ◽  
Francis Garaba

This paper investigates the challenges faced by the rural dwellers in seeking and using information from public libraries in the North West zone of Nigeria. A quantitative research method was employed in the study. The population of this study consisted of 5 directors of state library boards and 10 574 registered library users as rural dwellers which comprised both literate and illiterate users. All five directors were chosen to form part of the sample size of the study. Similarly, a sample of 370 was drawn from the registered library users of the libraries under study. Semi-structured interviews were used for the directors. Two sets of questionnaires were used to collect data for the study. These included the English version and the Hausa version for the literate and illiterate library users respectively. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic and content analysis techniques. The quantitative data were also analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software and descriptive statistics. Among the major challenges faced by the rural dwellers in seeking information from public libraries were the centralisation of the library services at the local government headquarters, the absence of library services in the rural communities, inadequate information resources, the absence of community information resource centres in rural communities, and the high illiteracy level among the rural dwellers. The study recommends adequate funding of public libraries to provide relevant and adequate information sources and effective services in various formats and languages among others.


2021 ◽  
pp. 301-309
Author(s):  
Leentjie Van Jaarsveld ◽  

To understand the circumstances under which principals in remote areas exercise their leadership and management, an investigation was conducted in the Northern Cape province, South Africa. This province is characterised by small towns with few residents. The infrastructure is not up to par, and in some cases, the socio-economic conditions are extremely poor. Unemployment is a big problem in the villages. The uniqueness of this study lies in the fact that after 1994, with the abolition of apartheid, the farmers withdrew their children from the schools and no longer supported the schools as before. As a result, the principals experienced many more challenges. The study followed a qualitative, phenomenological design from the interpretivist paradigm. The sample consisted of ten principals. Semi-structured interviews were conductedwith the principals. The inductive data analysis process was used. The required ethical clearance was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the North-West University and the Department of Education of the province. The results reveal that principals in remote areas, in the absence of technology, infrastructure, and support bases, have to use their skills creatively, and they need the support of the community, teachers, school management, and governing body.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Alipour ◽  
Hamed Zandian ◽  
Vahid Yazdi-Feyzabadi ◽  
Leili Avesta ◽  
Telma Zahirian Moghadam

Abstract Background Different countries have set different policies to control and decrease the costs of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Iran was aiming to reduce the economic burden of different disease by a recent reform from named as health transformation plan (HTP). This study aimed to examine the economic burden of CVDs before and after of HTP. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 600 patients with CVDs, who were randomly selected from a specialized cardiovascular hospital in the north-west of Iran. Direct and indirect costs of CVDs were calculated using the cost of illness and human capital approaches. Data were collected using a researcher-made checklist obtained from several sources including structured interviews, the Statistical Center of Iran, Iran’s Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, the central bank of Iran, and the data of global burden of disease obtained from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to estimate direct and mortality costs. All costs were calculated in Iranian Rials (IRR). Results Total costs of CVDs were about 5571 and 6700 billion IRR before and after the HTP, respectively. More than 62% of the total costs of CVDs accounted for premature death before (64.89%) and after (62.01%) the HTP. The total hospitalization costs of CVDs was significantly increased after the HTP (p = 0.038). In both times, surgical services and visiting had the highest and lowest share of hospitalization costs, respectively. The OOP expenditure decreased significantly and reached from 54.2 to 36.7%. All hospitalization costs, except patients’ OOP expenditure, were significantly increased after the HTP about 1.3 times. Direct non-medical costs reached from 2.4 to 3.3 billion before and after the HTP, respectively. Conclusion Economic burden of CVDs increased in the north-west of Iran after the HTP due to the increase of all direct and indirect costs, except the OOP expenditure. Non-allocation of defined resources, which coincided with the international and national political and economic challenges in Iran, led to unsustainable resources of the HTP. So, no results of this study can be attributed solely to the HTP. Therefore, more detailed studies should be carried out on the reasons for the significant increase in CVDs costs in the region.


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