Tag Archives: residential child care

Social Care and Child Welfare in Ireland – a book by Maurice Fenton

 

Maurice Fenton’s book Social Care and Child Welfare in Ireland Integrating Residential Care, Leaving Care and Aftercare will be published later this month, September, 2015. Although the contents are informed by child care in Ireland, the author and the publisher believe the text will be of interest to all involved in the care and support of children and young people who are not living with their own families.

 

Fenton full cover

 

The publisher and the author have sent us the following pre-publication notes about the book.

Social Care and Child Welfare in Ireland Integrating Residential Care, Leaving Care and After Care by Maurice Fenton

€39.95 (£34.95) ISBN 978-9080308-74-0      Paperback/September 2015/ 414 pages

This book addresses the major issue of social care and child welfare in the 21st century, and in particular the imperative to integrate residential child care, leaving care and aftercare in order to achieve are congruent system of care. Currently these areas are disconnected elements of a system of care, whereas in an integrated system they would be fully connected. The book is focused on the situation in Ireland but offers international relevance.

The foreword to Social Care and Child Welfare in Ireland Integrating Residential Care, Leaving Care and After Care is written by Professor John Pinkerton of the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queens University, Belfast.

An ecological perspective with recognition of the importance of both the child and the worker as dyadic elements within the system, is the focus throughout. The child’s perspective is presented through a biographical narrative of a former child in care and with case studies from the author’s practice experience. The workers’ perspective is addressed through detailed clinical analysis of the elements which constitute the profession of social care, which include practice, theory, approaches to care, policy, rights, research, legislation, social justice, professionalisation, privatisation and socio-political and socio-economic factors which impact on the profession of social care, and therefore children in care.

Through this analysis a nuanced and informed perspective, identifying both strengths and weaknesses is offered on the care system in Ireland in 2015. The book identifies significant deficiencies in the current aftercare services available in Ireland, and advocates of statutory entitlement to aftercare support for all care leavers. In benefit/cost analysis is provided to support such a change.

About the author

Maurice Fenton has worked at all levels in residential care, trainee to director, within the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. He founded Empower Ireland in 2009 to support care leavers in Ireland, and is an independent adviser and researcher with a particular interest in mentoring and social justice. He is scheduled to complete his doctorate at Queens University Belfast in 2016.

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Leadership in Residential Child Care  a relationship-based approach : a new book from Adrian Ward

 

leadership

 

The Smokehouse Press of Norwich are publishing Adrian Ward’s new book Leadership in Residential Child Care  a relationship-based approach. (ISBN 9780957633537)

The book will be the subject of a full review in the June 15th issue of the goodenoughcaring Journal and an article by Adrian Ward telling the story of how the book came to be written will also be published.

In 2007 Adrian Ward was commissioned by the National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care to write a paper on  Leadership in Residential Child Care. This paper was available for some years from the National Children’s Bureau website and was one of its most popular downloads, but until now has only been available in that form. Adrian Ward has now written a revised and greatly expanded version of this influential monograph, and it is published as a hardback volume for the first time.

Covering a wide range of themes from leadership style to unconscious dynamics of leadership, this is a personally argued account of the critical role of the manager or head of home, focusing also on the leader’s  needs for support and consultation. The author illuminates his writing with examples of real life incidents in residential child care.

Although focused very much on the child care setting, the book also has a resonance for those in leadership roles in other professional settings.

Writing about the book Professor Jim Anglin of the School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria BC, Canada, says, “Finally we have a book on leadership that is fully congruent with the principles and practice of therapeutic residential child care. It contains an immense amount of insight, wisdom and real life examples in a deceptively concise fashion. It is an instant classic. For managers, directors and supervisors it will be like having an expert personal consultant at your side at all times – this is a GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO OUR FIELD”.

The author and the publishers have insisted on creating  a beautifully bound hard back volume. It can only be purchased through the publishers Smokehouse Press at http://smokehousepress.co.uk at the price of £18 plus p & p.