Adopted and permanently placed children in education: from rainbows to reality

Children who leave care into adoption and special guardianship are often considered by schools and local authorities to have found their “happy ending.” Yet there is growing evidence that the impact of prenatal and early trauma, abuse and neglect does not disappear upon placement in a permanent family. Rates of social, emotional and mental health difficulties remain high, and the group has pronounced educational needs. Whilst having high levels of involvement with education and health services, families report significant difficulties in mobilising understanding, support and provision. In the context of growing numbers of children in England finding permanence through adoption and special guardianship, and the Department for Education’s increasing focus on addressing the needs of this group, this paper highlights the key role of Educational Psychology Services in supporting adopted and other permanently placed children by providing training, consultation, assessment, intervention and research for children and their families, their schools, and the local authorities.     

Early education and day care: in search of a policy

This paper examines policy issues in the provision of services for children under five and their families. It argues that services have developed in response to political and economic factors rather than in response to the needs of children and their parents. It shows how the separate strands of development that have led to the current confused situation reflect different ideological and philosophical approaches which tend to militate against a more coherent and co‐ordinated service provision. In the absence of a national policy on services for children under five, the paper examines the attempts by some local authorities to rationalize their own services on a local basis. It considers some of the areas in which a policy is required, including the organizational structure of services, flexibility and responsiveness of nurseries and centres to the needs of families, the quality of day care and education, the involvement of parents, equal opportunities, the relationship between the vouluntary and statutory sectors, pay and conditions of pre‐school workers, and initial and in‐service training.     

The aims of special education schools and units in Kenya: a survey of headteachers

The paper reports a questionnaire survey of headteachers of special schools and special units in Kenya, focusing in particular on their educational aims. The study is located in the broader context of special educational provision and developments in Africa. These include the colonial legacy, the influence of indigenous and traditional concepts of education and disability, and national policies engaging with issues of curriculum and inclusion. The aims the headteachers said were important were wide-ranging and included conventional academic achievement, personal and social development and citizenship, alongside skills of personal care and the control of difficult behaviour. However, the relative emphasis given to different aims suggests that the importance of traditional aims of special education in terms of control, containment and care still outweigh those of a broad and balanced educational provision. Surprisingly, there was relatively little emphasis on the importance of preparation for employment. The analysis suggests that although there have been rapid developments in the provision for special educational needs in Kenya, there remains a gap between the ambitions of national policy and actual provision at school level.     

Elective home education and special educational needs

This paper reviews the literature on home education with reference to special educational needs (SEN). A rapid expansion in home educating families is noted. Parents present a variety of reasons for this, including those with concerns about the provision for their child's SEN.
In one Local Education Authority (LEA), data were obtained through questionnaires from 65 families when they first registered their children for home education. In addition, 12 families, who had been home educating their children for more than 2 years, were interviewed about their experiences. Many of the children involved had SEN, but most of the parents and children expressed satisfaction with their present arrangements. However, there was often a feeling expressed that they would have preferred their children to have attended school, if their special needs could have been met. Implications for education services policy and schools' practice are discussed.     

‘I'm ready for a new chapter’: The voices of young people with autism spectrum disorder in transition to post-16 education and employment

This study explores the views and experiences of 12 young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in transition to post-16 education and employment, in light of the changes introduced by the new special educational needs and disability (SEND) legislation in England. The extension of provision until the age of 25, and the introduction of person-centred education, health and care (EHC) plans, have given a significant place to the views of young people with SEND and their families. The views, wishes and aspirations of young people must be captured in the newly developed plans, reflecting the statutory requirement for local authorities to systematically record these in a biopsychosocial way, focusing on participation and well-being. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people with ASD attending specialist settings or receiving specialist support under the new EHC plans. These were analysed inductively, through thematic analysis. The findings suggest that at the time of transition, young people with ASD want to become increasingly more independent, present ambivalent feelings about their future and acknowledge the relevance of support systems in their lives. Implications for practice and future research are discussed, in light of the new English policy context.     

Using Quality of Family Life Factors to Explore Parents’ Experience of Educational Provision for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Rural Australia

Australian education service provision includes the delivery of quality educational programmes to rural and remote living children. However, according to their parents, many children with developmental disabilities (such as Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders) who are living in rural country areas in New South Wales (NSW) still do not have access to an acceptable education programme. This study aimed to use quality of life factors via a family quality of life scale to explore 51 parents’ experience of educational service provision for their children with developmental disabilities in rural NSW. The results indicated that successful engagement with the school system is strongly affected by the views, assumptions, expertise and prejudices of teaching and care professionals. Further research into how local educational service providers may assist rural Australian families with a child with IDD in rural and remote locations is warranted.     

Impact of facilities on academic performance of students with special needs in mainstreamed public schools in Southwestern Nigeria

Facilities have a great impact on academic performances of students, and inadequate facilities translate to poor performance. The study examined the availability and convenience of the facilities that were provided to students with special educational needs in mainstreamed schools. It ascertained the qualifications of teachers teaching in mainstreamed public secondary schools. It determined the relationship between availability of facilities and academic performance of students with special educational needs; and also compared the academic performance of male and female students with special educational needs. The results showed that essential facilities and materials like hand railings, hearing aids, Braille, instructional materials, and lower toilets were not available, although the few that were available (typewriters, resource rooms, wheel chairs) were in poor condition. The study showed that specialist teachers were inadequate in mainstreamed public schools in Southwestern Nigeria. There was a significant relationship between availability of facilities and academic performance of students with special educational needs. However, there was no significant difference between the academic performance of male and female students with special educational needs. The study concluded that inadequate provision of facilities and materials to mainstreamed public schools would lead to poor academic performances of students with special educational needs. Finally, adequate funding of integrated schools would help to overcome the problem of provision and maintenance of special equipment and materials for the use of students with special educational needs.     

Report on the ‘European exchange of experiences in school integration’: the intercultural comparison of the quality of life of children and youth with handicaps in Arhus (Denmark), Arezzo (Italy), Greenwich (London,UK) and Reutlingen (Germany)

ABSTRACT

This article describes some aspects of a multi‐disciplinary exchange and research programme involving communities in Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The major focus of the programme has been on the integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream settings in schools and communities with a specific reference to decision making processes. The point at which extra resources are given by the state and its agencies to an individual in need provides the unifying intercultural point of departure. Local cultures, including legislative and social imperatives, and their implications for research activity are discussed. Common themes in the transition and transformation of the various forms of welfare state provision within the member countries are identified and analysed. The relationship between different forms and levels of service provision and the practice of integration are discussed.     

Chicken Club: schools and their relationship with families

Over time, schools have developed systems that include the families of children. Families often sign a home school agreement and attend parent forums or more formal meetings designed to plan provision for children with special educational needs. These endeavours, however, are arguably inadequate when the full influence of the family is properly acknowledged. Research makes clear that the main influencer on the child’s self-efficacy and therefore learning behaviours, is the family. This article reports findings from literature and a case study looking at making the most of the partnership between families and schools in order to meet the learning needs of individual children. It also addresses many barriers that families face in approaching schools and three ways schools in Cornwall, a rural county in South West England, are 'opening out’ their practice. The case study provides evidence of the progress children made in learning as a response to the new school and family partnership.     

Increasing Access and Participation of Pastoralist Communities in Primary Education in Kenya

This study shows how the provision of educational facilities in Kenya since the colonial era has been skewed in favour of densely populated agricultural communities. It analyses interventions to redress the resultant imbalances, such as the school-fees waiver, free primary education, the construction of boarding schools, and school feeding programmes. These measures are shown to have had little impact on increasing access and participation of pastoralist communities in primary education; for they have usually been introduced without serious consideration of the prevailing socio-economic conditions. It is proposed here that for their future development, the government needs to articulate clearer policies and involve such communities in planning as well as incorporate elements of their existing traditional education institutions.     

Professionals’ views on the new policy for special educational needs in England: ideology versus implementation

In 2014 a new policy for special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision was introduced in England. As it has been the case in countries where SEND reforms were introduced, these changes raised challenges and opportunities for the professionals supporting children with SEND. However, to date, little systematic and large-scale evidence has been made available on how professionals perceive these changes. In this study, the views of 349 professionals were ascertained using a semi-structured online survey. The results revealed that although many professionals agreed in principle with some of the key changes introduced, several constraints were reported including tight timelines, budget cuts, and difficulties in the collaboration between education, health and care, suggesting a rather fragmented implementation of the new policy. No significant differences were found between groups of professionals for most items, however educational psychologists and special needs co-ordinators disagree on the extension of the provision age range, on how well the children’s needs are described in the education, health and care plans, and on the professional requirements of this process. The findings are discussed in light of their implications for meeting children’s needs and in comparison with other policy changes worldwide.     

The Public Good. Historical and Political Roots of Municipal Preschools in Emilia Romagna

According to the findings of a recent European study on competence requirement for the early childhood education and care workforce, competent systems that succeed in achieving high levels of professionalism are embedded in coherent public policies that build on consultation with key stakeholders, particularly at local level. In order to flourish, the professional competence of early childhood practitioners needs to be cultivated not only within the institutions they are working for, but also within a constant democratic dialogue that involves children, parents and local communities. A vision of ECEC as a public good therefore becomes an essential precondition for sustaining the development of high quality services for young children and their families. Given the wide range of interconnected socio-economic, educational and rights-based rationales that currently underpin the investment in the expansion of early childhood provision in many European countries, a further elaboration of these findings may offer interesting insights on the purposes of early childhood education and the nature of political commitment serving such purposes. In this article, these issues are discussed by drawing on the analysis of the origin and development of municipal preschool education in the Emilia Romagna region (Italy). Starting from the investigation of the historical and socio-cultural conditions that gave birth to early childhood municipal institutions, the trends characterising ECEC policy-making developments over time are analysed with reference to the experiences of grassroot politics elaborated at regional and local level. Through a careful contextualisation of social and political processes and an in-depth analysis of relevant documentary sources, the conceptual categories underpinning the construction of early childhood education as a public good are outlined and described.     

Special Needs, Special Issues

Services for children and young people with special educational needs are not well prepared for responding to the National Curriculum, local management of schools and other challenges of the 1990s. This is the conclusion drawn by HM Inspectorate (HMI) in the latest booklet in their Education Observed series entitled Special Needs Issues. The survey, which was published by the HMSO in June at £2.95, looks at developments in special educational provision which have occurred in England since the publication of the Warnock Report in 1978.     

International orthodoxy versus national realities: inclusive schooling and the education of children with disabilities in Lesotho

Specialists with international influence have been advocating in an uncompromising manner the policy of including all children with special educational needs (SEN) in regular schools and classrooms. The endorsement of this policy by an internationally agreed convention implies that it is universally applicable. This paper, however, questions the relevance of this orthodoxy to the educational systems of low‐income countries and argues that the latter cannot easily progress from a situation of virtually no educational provision for disabilities straight to one of fully integrated provision. The paper examines an inclusion policy in Lesotho, a low‐income country, which began with ambitious goals but largely failed to meet the needs of children with disabilities. It then outlines an alternative strategy for that context. A phase of development in which there is considerable use of specialised facilities and selected schools is seen as necessary if more children with disabilities are to have meaningful opportunities for learning.     

COLLEGE STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES

This study was designed to explore college students attitudes toward residential care settings for older adults. Subjects were 109 female students aged 18 to 71 years (M = 24.8, SD = 9.49) and 22 male students aged 19 to 43 years (M = 23.3, SD = 5.24) enrolled in a Psychology of Aging course at a local state college. Students interviewed older residents of 96 different long-term care facilities and completed a questionnaire that assessed their impressions of the facility and its residents. Students openness to living in long-term care settings and positive and negative statements about the facility visited were the main measures of student attitudes toward such settings. Nursing homes were perceived more negatively than any other type of long-term care setting. Students who had been affected by meeting the needs of an elderly relative were more open to living in residential care settings, as were students who interviewed residents who were satisfied with their lives. Nursing homes elicited the least openness to living in residential care facilities, whereas assisted care and continuing care facilities elicited the most openness. Students who perceived residents as mentally alert made fewer negative statements about the facilities visited.     

Improving children's behaviour and attendance through the use of parenting programmes: an examination of practice in five case study local authorities

In this article, Professor Susan Hallam, of the Institute of Education, University of London, Lynne Rogers, lecturer in psychology at the Open University, and Jacqueline Shaw, music teacher, researcher and educational psychologist in training, report the key outcomes of their recent research into parenting programmes. The survey suggested that most local authorities in England were at a relatively early stage in their preparations for meeting demand for programmes focused on developing parenting skills in order to improve the attendance and behaviour of children in school. Here the authors present case studies of five local authorities that had well-developed provision based on contrasting approaches. Two of these authorities used existing programmes available through alternative providers or early years provision; the others offered programmes in schools, one based on established and internationally-available material and two that used content developed within the local authority. Longer term needs relating to parenting programmes are considered in relation to these case studies and the implications for schools, that may be actively encouraged to take on responsibility for these programmes, are explored.     

Special education in Finland

ABSTRACT

Finland shares with its Nordic neighbours a broadly common orientation to provision for pupils who have special educational needs. Over recent decades, the country had invested substantially in this area, especially through the supply of specially qualified teachers. Recent legislation has moved the system more definitively towards provision in the ordinary school but there can be tension between, on the one hand, the demand for appropriate education in the child's local school, and on the other hand, economic stringency and demographic reality.     

Education in young offender institutions and secure youth care institutions

The main goal of this study was to gain a better insight into efforts made to provide optimum education to juveniles in young offender institutions and in secure youth care institutions, and into barriers with which educators are confronted in this process. Results show that for a substantial number of juveniles insufficient information is available about their educational background and specific learning difficulties when being placed in these institutions. This complicates the process of determining which type of education would best suit their educational needs. Several other barriers have been identified that impede the provision of adequate education to these young people. These include frequent changes in class composition, limited possibilities for practical training, and difficulties in finding a mainstream school willing to enrol a juvenile after leaving a young offender institution or a secure youth care institution.     

Parental Expectations of Early Childhood Services for Preschool Children: The case of policy change in Greece

This study aimed to investigate parental expectations of early childhood education and care services for young children. A total of 582 parents participated in the research and answered a range of questions relating to their expectations of the social and educational role of early childhood education services in Greece. The findings of the research confirmed that the administrative division between the types of preschool establishments are related with parental expectations for care provision (p < 0.001) and support for their needs (p < 0.05) during their absence from home to work. Also there was strong evidence that parents had high expectations for their collaboration with teachers of early childhood education about (a) solving their personal problems with their child at home (p < 0.001) (b) ensuring the best care provision for their child (p< 0.001) in the early childhood setting and (c) keeping their child happy at the preschool institution with fun activities when they have to go to work (p <0.001).     

Children’s participation and agency in Italian residential care for children: Adult-child interactions at dinnertime

This paper analyzes the impact of adults’ interactive moves and strategies on children’s participation and agency at dinnertime in two Italian residential care facilities, one of the most widely used alternative care life-context for children and youth coming from vulnerable families. Participants are 14 children and 11 educators living in two residential care facilities in Rome (Italy). Adopting an interactional and multimodal analytic approach, this paper focuses on two dinnertime activities: the routine activity of praying before eating and the very frequent one of talking about rules and transgressions. The comparative analysis of the two facilities shows how, in stable patterns of adult-child interactions recurring across different activities in the same facility, adults’ strategies and interactive maneuvers differently impact on children’s participation and agency and consequent socialization practices. In the conclusion, we emphasize the relevance and implications of this study for either research in educational sciences and for professionals operating in alternative care and related fields.