Reframing ‘well-being’ in schools: the potential of recognition

In Australia and internationally, the well-being of children and young people is a core focus of social policy, with a growing imperative to locate well-being within the sphere of education. However, the term ‘well-being’ remains ambiguous and the implementation of educational approaches to promote and improve it appears fragmented and ad hoc. In Australia, little is known about how well-being is understood and supported in schools, particularly from the perspective of students themselves. This article reports on key findings from an ambitious mixed-methods study funded by the Australian Research Council that investigated conceptualisations and practices around well-being in schools. Underpinned by theoretical interests linked to Childhood Studies and recognition theory, the research investigated policy, student and staff perspectives on well-being. The findings point to the key role of relationships, providing considerable scope for analysing the salience of Honneth’s modes of recognition for well-being in schools.     

Parents and professionals working together: turning the rhetoric into reality

Parental involvement and participation, partnership with parents, and community‐focused development are important features of government initiatives such as the Sure Start project for children under four years of age and their families. A common feature of the rhetoric is ‘empowerment’ as a means of achieving this. This article describes the activity and development of the Parents Committee in one Sure Start programme and uses this to tease out different dimensions of empowerment. In particular, it highlights issues regarding developing empowerment and the dynamic tension between the growth of personal power and the changing symmetry of power relationships. A tentative model of the trajectory of developing empowerment is presented. This may raise challenges for professionals seeking to fulfill their professional role in a complex context and questions as to whether, or how, it might be possible to better prepare professionals for this dimension of their work.