Director Of Children Research Articles

ADCS presidency to be shaped by trio of children's services reports

Steve Crocker, director of children's services at Hampshire and Isle of Wight councils, explains how his ADCS tenure looks set to be shaped by reviews of special needs services, schools and children's social care

Programme prepares the future leaders of children's services

On average, a third of all councils change their director of children's services each year. Now, a new training programme aims to help aspiring leaders understand the realities of the role so they are better prepared

Cinema in the ‘local perfect position’: children and education in the documentary work of Xhanfise Keko

Xhanfise Keko, the sole woman director of communist Albania, has recently been discovered by the international academic and critical community, and her films are, for the first time, reaching global audiences. To date, such recognition has focused on her fiction films made between 1972 and 1985, which were most noted for the director’s subtle work with child actors. Often deemed a director of children’s films, Keko managed to work safely within the system, yet transcend its confines. Situating her non-fiction work within the historical context of the Albanian documentary, this article will explore her career as a documentarian and director of newsreels from the time of her studies in Moscow in the early 1950s through 1971, prior to her emergence as a director of fiction films. Its approach to her work will be mediated in part by a 2017 documentary by Mevlan Shanaj, Koha e pelikulës: Xhanfise Keko/Xhanfise Keko: A Woman Director in the Time of Celluloid, a work that reveals the importance of Keko, not only for contemporary Albania, but also for today’s international audiences. Keko’s documentaries comprise vivid depictions of what was arguably the most closed society of the 20th century. Although highly conventional in structure and thematics, they are clear forerunners of the innovative ways in which she fought for authenticity in her fiction films. Keko’s quest as an artist was to learn more about her craft and the children whom she depicted and with whom she worked.

Developing cultural competence in children's services organisations

Paper from former director of children's services highlights lack of progress in developing leadership skills of black, Asian and minority ethnic professionals, and provides tools to help create culturally competent organisations

'Learn from the people you meet'.

Dawn Jarvis qualified as an enrolled nurse in 1987, converting to a registered nurse in 1993 and then a registered sick children's nurse in 1995. She has held many clinical and managerial roles as a children's nurse, including lead nurse in a paediatric high dependency unit, and programme director for children's and maternity services. She is now nursing programme lead for NHS England.

See to Read!

In 2013, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3000, the Children’s Vision Screening Act, requiring all children entering public school kindergarten to have a vision screening. As the lobbyist for the Oregon Academy of Ophthalmology, Nan worked in support ofthis legislation. Joannah Vaughn, director of children’s vision screening at Oregon Health and Science University’s Elks Children’s Eye Clinic, also supported the legislation. She and her staff were already screening several thousand children at Head Start programs every year. One day at the Capitol, she and Nan were discussing how to get thousands of more children screened each year. Joannah had an idea. “Don’t you represent the Oregon Library Association?” she asked. “Public libraries would be a great place to have children’s vision screenings. If libraries provide the space, we’ll provide the staff to do free children’s vision screenings!” Since then, the OLA Board has endorsed free children’s vision screenings as a project for public library participation. Pam North and Jane Corry have met with the Clinic staff at OHSU. And See to Read has become a reality.

A “new” response to anti-social behaviour: early reflections on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the “new” approach to tackling anti-social behaviour outlined in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Despite it being difficult to ascertain whether such measures will be more inclusive and appropriate than those previously introduced – certainly at this early stage – the authors set out to evaluate the strengths, limitations and challenges of this “new” agenda and in doing so drawing upon the propositions insights from radical moral communitarianism in order to inform the discussion. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a conceptual analysis of government policy. The authors draw on the work of a number of key academics and commentators to enhance the discussion. Findings – In many respects, the authors have rehearsed some familiar lines of argument and analysis. Indeed, many of New Labour's anti-social behaviour measures were in many cases counterproductive, particularly in the case of children and young people invariably increasing the likelihood of offending rather than curtailing it. Understanding this, the authors propose that it would appear logical where at all possible to deal with anti-social behaviour informally, that is, outside the formal anti-social behaviour framework and through the comprehensive balanced intervention proposed from a radical moral communitarian perspective which seeks to avoid formal criminalisation except as a last resort. With regard to the “new” anti-social behaviour measures the authors argue that rather than punishing the actions as a contempt of court practitioners need to devise suitable, more appropriate ways of dealing with the matter before them. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act (2014) provides practitioners with the space to do this particularly with the process being streamlined and much of the previous bureaucracy removed. Practical implications – By focusing on the introduction of the “new” anti-social behaviour measures the paper will be of use to local decision makers (i.e. Youth Offending Team practitioners, Police and Crime Commissioners, and Directors of Children's Services). The paper highlights some potential issues and ambiguities that practitioners working within the new anti-social behaviour framework may face. Originality/value – The authors set out to critically reflect on the “new” powers set out in the recent Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act (2014). Nevertheless, the authors are not offering the paper as an alternative blueprint for dealing with anti-social behaviour but rather seeking to provoke further discussion on some of the potential issues and ambiguities the authors have identified within the new legislation. At the same time, the authors incorporate insights from the radical moral communitarian perspective which promotes a fairer, more equal world, based on mutual respect between all citizens, founded on the notion of commitment to and involvement in society.

Co-producing early years policy in England under the Coalition Government

During the first half of the current Coalition Government, co-production – a form of participatory governance – was implemented widely in the conceptualization, design and implementation of early years policies. Seen as a revolutionary approach to public service reform, resulting in more effective and more cost-effective public services, the joint approach to co-production by the Department for Education and the Department of Health built on the Labour Government’s strategy to involve ‘active citizens’ as stakeholders in public policy development. Local authority early years managers, directors of children’s services and education trade union officers were among education sector stakeholders involved in this process. Co-production is defined here as sharing features of two models of participatory governance identified by Skelcher and Torfing (2010) in their institutional taxonomy of this concept. The actual experience of co-producing early childhood policy suggests that politics may trump policy-making, despite a high-level commitment to co-production.

Inspections future tops agenda

Children's directors' chief outlines vision for a two-tier inspection system at the ADCS annual conference

Advancement of children’s rights in Africa: A social justice framework for school psychologists

The United Nations Convention on Children’s Rights and the subsequent African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child together with the Bill of Children’s Rights and numerous other policies and regulations in many African countries have set the precedent for children’s rights to be respected and implemented across the African Continent. However, little is known about the actual advancement of children’s rights within Sub-Saharan Africa; hence, the purpose of this study was to explore the advancement of children’s rights within an African context. This qualitative study included a sample of eight respected leaders on different aspects of children’s rights, including academics; policy analysts; directors of children’s centres; legal experts; and members of national, regional, and international committees on children’s rights issues. Data were collected through individual interviews, a questionnaire and the analysis of instruments on children’s rights. The findings indicate there have been considerable improvements in terms of the development of policies and instruments concerning children’s rights. However, challenges around implementation were vividly conspicuous. It is argued here that school psychologists should adopt a social justice framework embedded within a rights based approach to promote children’s rights within the African context.

All about the role of … Director of children's services

All about the role of … Director of children's services

What next for children's services? Can policy at a local or national level have any significant impact on the outcomes for children and their families?

In England at both strategic and operational levels, policy-makers in the public sector have undertaken considerable work on implementing the findings of the Every Child Matters report and subsequently through the Children's Act 2004. Legislation has resulted in many local authorities seeking to implement more holistic approaches to the delivery of children's services. At a strategic level this is demonstrated by the creation of integrated directorate structures providing for a range of services, from education to children's social care. Such services were generally under the management of the Director of Children's Services, holding statutory responsibilities for the delivery of services formally divided into the three sectors of education, health and social services. At a national level, more fundamental policy developments have sought to establish a framework through which policy-makers can address the underlying causes of deprivation, vulnerability and inequality. The Child Poverty Act, 2010, which gained Royal Assent in 2010, provides for a clear intention to reduce the number of children in poverty, acknowledging that ‘the best way to eradicate child poverty is to address the causes of poverty, rather than only treat the symptoms’. However, whilst the policy objectives of both pieces of legislation hold positive aspirations for children and young people, a change of policy direction through a change of government in May 2010 seems to be in direct contrast to the intended focus of these aims. This paper explores the impact of new government policy on the future direction of children's services both at the national and local levels. At the national level, we question the ability of the government to deliver the aspirations of the Child Poverty Act, 2010, given the broad range of influences and factors that can determine the circumstances in which a child may experience poverty. We argue that poverty is not simply an issue of the pressure of financial deprivation, but that economic recession and cuts in government spending will further increase the number of children living in poverty.

Addressing the challenges of leading children's services in England: leadership in a changing environment

PurposeFollowing the passage of the Children Act, 2004, the leadership of children's services in England has been unified through the appointment of Directors of Children's Services. The role is demanding as it requires leading a range of services in each local authority, which are often subject to a high degree of public and political scrutiny. The change of government in May 2010 shifted the nature of these challenges by reforming the guidance to local authorities and by placing restrictions on local authority expenditure. This paper aims to explore the skills required by leaders in this complex and changing environment.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on the findings of a scoping study conducted for the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services and describes and analyses the skills and capabilities required by leaders of children's services in England.FindingsThe paper offers a view of what might constitute “effective” leadership, and the skills needed to meet the requirements of improving the lives of children and young people.Originality/valueThe paper offers an analysis of the way in which interventions to enhance leadership in this area might contribute to better outcomes for children and young people in the future in an era of significant change following the formation of the UK Coalition government in May 2010.

Building Organizational Knowledge and Value: Informed Decision Making in Kansas Children’s Community-Based Mental Health Services

Knowledge is managers' principal asset and knowledge building is managers' primary work. This qualitative study explores knowledge building by directors of children's community-based mental health services in Kansas. Of the state's 27 directors, 25 completed a survey about knowledge building, in their preference of online or telephone format. Fourteen participants took part either in preliminary interviews for study development, or in follow-up interviews for further detail and member checking. Study findings indicate that with requisite resources, directors inform their decision making with streams of information, which they manage and generate to build organizational knowledge and value for local practice effectiveness.

Work matters - Business Development: Let's keep up the good work on training

Support for training and professional development among the workforce has made a huge difference to the way nurseries operate and the quality they deliver. This must continue under a new Government, says Karen Walker, director of Children's Place nursery chain.

Trolling for Useful Data in an Automated Information Management System: Experiences of Kansas Community Mental Health Managers

The State of Kansas community mental health system uses an automated information management system for state and federal accountability and for local quality improvement. Researchers interviewed 25 of the state's 28 directors of children's community-based mental health services to learn about the automated system's local applications. Two-thirds of the directors used the automated system for either programmatic decision making or staff supervision, when they were supported by time and personnel for looking at data and an organizational culture of trust in data-informed decisions. Directors additionally wanted technology that allows local access to their data.

Assessing Family Problems: An Evaluation of Key Elements of the Children’s Review Schedule

The importance of providing consistent methods for the assessment of need for practice and research in child and family social work has been accepted for some considerable time. One feature identified by key stakeholders, such as Directors of Children’s and Social Services, is the need for rigour in the development of such instruments. This paper reports on an evaluation of the Children’s Review Schedule, an instrument developed in collaboration with one Children’s Department. It focuses on a key aspect of the assessment of need: the measurement of the nature, range and severity of family problems.

Out of Athens, looking forward

At the first international congress on paediatric nursing, hosted by The International Paediatric Association (IPA) as part of their 1998 congress meeting in Amsterdam, the nurses there launched the International Association of Paediatric Nurses (IAPN). The Dutch Association of Pediatric Nurses, with the support of the International Pediatric Association (IPA), was highly instrumental in developing the IAPN and subsequently the Paediatric Nursing Association of Europe, which was established in April 2003 as a regional group of the IAPN to encourage collaboration between professional organizations for nurses caring for children and young people in Europe. Prime movers in these initiatives have been JCYPN board members Corry van den Hoed-Heerschop, from the Dutch Association of Paediatric Nursing, and Dr Imelda Coyne, newly appointed associate professor and director of children’s nursing research at Trinity College Dublin. This is highly significant, not only because it demonstrates the growing maturity of a profession dedicated to the care of sick children everywhere, but also because of these individuals’ willingness to actively collaborate with other professionals in the pursuit of this goal.

A conversation with Michael Longaker, director of children's surgical research at Stanford University Medical Center

A conversation with Michael Longaker, director of children's surgical research at Stanford University Medical Center

My job Director of Children’s Workforce Devlopment, NCMA – Charles Rice

I have a real passion for working with children, and immense respect for the childcarers who look after them. I started out as a graphic designer, but when I became a single dad, it became impossible to find childcare to fit in with my working hours. I decided to become a childminder in 1977, so that I could look after my children and make a living at the same time. I found I really enjoyed working with children, I started working in a playgroup as well as childminding. I then went on to establish a mobile Toy Library – I wanted to work with childminders to promote their understanding of play-based learning.