Northern England Research Articles

“Try to keep them dumb and under the thumb”: exploring the “darker side” of psychological contracts in “overly embedded” immigrant enterprises

PurposeThis paper investigates the employment dynamics of immigrant enterprises by examining psychological contract (PC) relationships between immigrant entrepreneurs (IEs) and their workforce within immigrant enclaves in Northern England. By integrating psychological contract theory (PCT) with the mixed embeddedness framework, the study explores how informal employment relationships lead to inadvertent PC violations and their operational and competitive consequences.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 43 Pakistani IEs and 68 employees between March 2022 and August 2023. The data were analysed using template analysis, allowing for a structured examination and comparison of themes and patterns across participants’ narratives.FindingsThe study reveals distinct PC dynamics, illustrating how different relationship “types” within immigrant enterprises are related to varying competitive and operational risks. Kinship-based relationships foster loyalty but introduce operational risks related to role misalignment and limited skill development. Second-level relatives pose the highest competitive threat by leveraging their positions for skill acquisition and future competitive behaviour. Co-ethnic employees present moderate competitive risks, often exhibiting counterproductive behaviours or leaving to start their businesses. Non-co-ethnic employees, though rare, pose the lowest competitive threat but can introduce legal and compliance risks due to transactional PC breaches. These findings illustrate the complex interplay between relationship types, competitive pressures and operational stability within immigrant enterprises.Practical implicationsThis study offers practical implications for IEs, business support agencies and policymakers. Immigrant entrepreneurs are encouraged to formalise employment practices by defining roles and expectations to reduce misunderstandings and operational risks. Business support agencies can provide training on compliance, financial management and formal business practices, helping immigrant businesses achieve sustainability. At the policy level, increasing access to business mentoring and financial support can foster structured management approaches within immigrant enterprises, thereby enhancing their contributions to local economies and reducing competitive tensions within immigrant enclaves.Originality/valueThis study uniquely combines PCT with the mixed embeddedness framework to provide a nuanced perspective on immigrant entrepreneurship within Northern England’s immigrant enclaves. By focusing on the unintended consequences of over-embeddedness, this research challenges the traditional view of ethnic networks and social capital as uniformly beneficial, illustrating how excessive reliance on informal agreements can undermine business sustainability. The study highlights the importance of formalised management practices, offering new insights into the discourse on immigrant entrepreneurship theory and practical implications for workforce management within ethnic enclave enterprises.

Multiple targeted grassland restoration interventions enhance ecosystem service multifunctionality

The need to combat widespread degradation of grassland ecosystem services makes grassland restoration a global sustainability priority. However, simultaneously enhancing multiple ecosystem services (i.e. ecosystem service multifunctionality) is a major challenge for grassland restoration due to trade-offs among services. We use a long-term multifactor grassland restoration experiment established in 1989 on agriculturally improved, species-poor grassland in northern England, to assess how increasing the number of restoration treatments, including addition of manure, inorganic fertiliser, a seed mixture, and promotion of a nitrogen-fixing legume (Trifolium pratense), affects ecosystem service multifunctionality, based on 26 ecosystem service indicators measured between 2011 and 2014. We find that single interventions usually lead to trade-offs among services and thus have few positive effects on ecosystem service multifunctionality. However, ecosystem service multifunctionality increases with the number of restoration interventions, as trade-offs are reduced. Our findings highlight the significant potential for combined use of multiple targeted interventions to aid the restoration of ecosystem service multifunctionality in degraded grasslands, and potentially, other ecosystems.

Late Viséan (Mississippian) ammonoids (Cephalopoda) from the Central Moroccan Meseta

Late Viséan (Mississippian) ammonoids (Cephalopoda) from the Central Moroccan Meseta are described monographically for the first time. Several localities have yielded low-diversity assemblages, consisting mainly of species already known from southern Portugal, Ireland, northern England and the Rhenish Mountains. This clearly places the Moroccan Meseta within the Rhenohercynian-Subvariscan Province. The assemblages from the Moroccan Meseta are confined to a narrow stratigraphic interval, likely representing the Goniatites crenistria Zone, Goniatites sphaericus Zone, Goniatites spirifer Zone and Arnsbergites gracilis Zone. The new species Goniatites amarensis sp. nov. is described.

‘I’ve never been in a situation with guys talking like this before in my life’ understanding the impacts of a university-based, male student, peer support group, on its facilitators

ABSTRACT There is a plethora of research exploring males’ reluctance to seek support for mental ill-health. At the same time, ever rising numbers of university students experiencing mental ill-health are being reported. Researchers are now looking to generate knowledge of what works for male students in terms of improving their mental health. This study reports on a small-scale evaluation of a male-only peer support group: ‘Talk Club’ (TC), based in one university in northern England, in order to understand the impacts on its male student peer facilitators: ‘Captains.’ A focus group was conducted with the three TC Captains. Data was analysed using a thematic codebook approach aligned with two research questions addressing the impacts on the Captains and the enabling factors. Findings reveal that the student Captains experienced positive outcomes which they ascribed to undertaking their role in TCs, including improved relationships, validation of interests and emotions, and skills for the future. The Captains also encountered challenges related to establishing boundaries and navigating unexpected attendee revelations. This research offers a unique contribution to knowledge, by reporting on the impacts of the TC group on the male students who acted as peer facilitators.

Strong polar vortex favoured intense Northern European storminess in February 2022

February 2022 was an unusually stormy month over Northern Europe, including three extratropical cyclones impacting the United Kingdom and Ireland within a single week. The month also experienced an exceptionally strong stratospheric polar vortex; however, the role of this in preconditioning the risk of extratropical cyclone hazards has not been explored. Here we use constrained subseasonal forecasts to isolate the effect of the strong stratospheric polar vortex on the North Atlantic storm track in February 2022. We estimate the strong polar vortex led to a 1.5-3-fold increase in the likelihood of a cyclone with comparable intensity to the most intense storm that impacted the United Kingdom. We also show an increased likelihood of 3 or more storms reaching the United Kingdom in a single week by ~80% compared to if the polar vortex had been of average intensity. Using a storm severity index, we estimate a 3-4-fold increase in wind gust hazards over Scandinavia and Scotland and increases in monthly precipitation over Scotland, northern England and Ireland, and Scandinavia. The results show that the strengthened stratospheric polar vortex enhanced the risk of extreme North Atlantic extratropical cyclones, serial cyclone clustering, and their associated impacts over northern Europe in February 2022.

Influence of military preventive policy for recruit training on COVID-19 seroconversion: the IMPACT-COVID-19 study

IntroductionRecruitment and training is vital to maintaining the size, deployability and effectiveness of armed forces, but was threatened early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports suggested asymptomatic seroconversion driving SARS-CoV-2 transmission...

‘Reimagining rugby league’ and performative masculinities: the politics of rugby league fan spaces in Northern England

Rugby league has been witnessing changes that could decentre its perception as a sport played and followed by ‘hard gritty men’ in mill towns and (ex)-mining communities in Northern England. In this exploratory study, we offer a snapshot into English rugby league terraces and interrogate whether the stereotypes of rugby league as a sport that has struggled to reinvent its northern, (de)-industrial, white, working-class, and (hetero)-masculine image still hold true. We found that rugby league remains predominantly white and working class. Nonetheless, we also found that there are incremental changes taking place whereby there is more diversity in terms of fans’ gender and age, but not their ethnicity. We observed signs of decreasing homophobia yet instances of heteronormativity being reinforced; the performance of diverse masculinities by men fans that, at times, shifted within a short period of time; and humour utilised to police ‘acceptable’ forms of masculinity and to connect fans and players with one another. We argue that rugby league must do more to contend with the changes taking place within the game itself as well as with wider shifting notions of masculinity, race, and whiteness which could potentially disconcert its relationship to its traditional communities.

Putting the English Flooding of 2019–2021 in the Context of Antecedent Conditions

ABSTRACTEngland experienced a sequence of extreme flood events between June 2019 and April 2021. To understand the severity and likelihood of the events, a set of over 300 flow and river level stations was investigated for key events (identified by Environment Agency Area Teams), focusing on frequency analysis of peak flow, peak level and cumulative flow volume. In addition, groundwater, soil moisture and seasonal total rainfall were analysed to understand the antecedent conditions affecting the impacts of the rainfall experienced. While the period contained some of the wettest months on record, there were few extreme short‐duration rainfall events. Record‐breaking flows and river levels were seen across the country, in part due to the extreme antecedent conditions where many parts of England had record groundwater levels and soil moisture content preceding the events. A kernel density approach was used to identify statistically significant clusters of events over the study period (compared with a Poisson process) and found that most stations in northern and western England experienced a cluster during the study period. Urbanisation was investigated as a possible driver of these trends, but urban increase was not seen to be a significant driver.

Completeness and accuracy of national cancer and death registration for outcome ascertainment in trials—an ovarian cancer exemplar

This article consists of a citation of a published article describing research funded by the Health Technology Assessment programme under project number 16/46/01, and is provided as as part of the complete record of research outputs for this project. The original publication is available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04968-x Background There is a trend to increasing use of routinely collected health data to ascertain outcome measures in trials. We report on the completeness and accuracy of national ovarian cancer and death registration in the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). Methods Of the 202,638 participants, 202,632 were successfully linked and followed through national cancer and death registries of Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Women with registrations of any of 19 pre-defined ICD-10 codes suggestive of tubo-ovarian cancer or notification of ovarian/tubal/peritoneal cancer from hospital episode statistics or trial sites were identified. Copies of hospital and primary care notes were retrieved and reviewed by an independent outcomes review committee. National registration of site and cause of death as ovarian/tubal/peritoneal cancer (C56/C57/C48) obtained up to 3 months after trial censorship was compared to that assigned by outcomes review (reference standard). Results Outcome review was undertaken in 3110 women on whom notification was received between 2001 and 2014. Ovarian cancer was confirmed in 1324 of whom 1125 had a relevant cancer registration. Sensitivity and specificity of ovarian/tubal/peritoneal cancer registration were 85.0% (1125/1324; 95% CI 83.7–86.2%) and 94.0% (1679/1786; 95% CI 93.2–94.8%), respectively. Of 2041 death registrations reviewed, 681 were confirmed to have a tubo-ovarian cancer of whom 605 had relevant death registration. Sensitivity and specificity were 88.8% (605/681; 95% CI 86.4–91.2%) and 96.7% (1482/1533, 95% CI 95.8–97.6%), respectively. When multiple electronic health record sources were considered, sensitivity for cancer site increased to 91.1% (1206/1324, 95% CI 89.4–92.5%) and for cause of death 94.0% (640/681, 95% CI 91.9–95.5%). Of 1232 with cancer registration, 8.7% (107/1232) were wrongly designated as ovarian/tubal/peritoneal cancers by the registry and 4.0% (47/1172) of confirmed tubo-ovarian cancers were mis-registered. In 656 with death registrations, 7.8% (51/656) were wrongly assigned as due to ovarian/tubal/peritoneal cancers while 6.2% (40/645) of confirmed tubo-ovarian cancer deaths were mis-registered. Conclusion Follow-up of trial participants for tubo-ovarian cancer using national registry data will result in incomplete ascertainment, particularly of the site due in part to the latency of registration. This can be reduced by using other routinely collected data such as hospital episode statistics. Central adjudication by experts though resource intensive adds value by improving the accuracy of diagnoses. Funding This publication was funded by the Health Technology Assessment programme as a part of award number 16/46/01. This article reports on one component of the research award Long term impact of screening on ovarian cancer mortality in the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). For more information about this research please view the award page [https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/16/46/01] DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04968-x

Dying in residential care homes during the early COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

BackgroundEarly in the COVID-19 pandemic, care homes (long-term care facilities) globally were severely impacted in many ways, including end-of-life care and death of residents. They experienced significantly elevated mortality rates amongst residents, compounded by restrictions on support from external healthcare and specialist palliative care providers. Family access to dying residents was often severely restricted. This paper explores experiences of deaths, dying and end-of-life care in care homes during the first year of the pandemic (Spring 2020–2021).MethodsAs part of a wider study of experiences in care homes in Northern England during the early pandemic, we conducted semi-structured interviews with care home staff (16), residents (3), family members (5) and health service staff (10). Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, this secondary analysis focusing on experiences of death and dying over the period.ResultsThematic analysis generated three key themes: (1) Preparing for large scale deaths: Care home staff reported a sense of foreboding at requirements to prepare for large scale resident deaths, sometimes feeling left with minimal external support to manage this, and uneasy about the rapid roll-out of emergency care planning to residents; (2) Balancing support and policing visiting during the terminal phase: The requirement to restrict access for family members when their relatives were dying was experienced as distressing for both family members and care home staff; and, (3) Distress surrounding deaths for staff and families: Care home staff were distressed by the frequency and speed of deaths that they witnessed when their care home had a COVID-19 outbreak. Family separation near time of death was a source of distress for everyone involved, with suggestions that this led to regrets in bereavement for family members, and moral distress in staff.ConclusionsThe experience of death and dying in care homes in the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely challenging for care home staff and family members. Our analysis suggests that the ramifications of stringent visitation policies and the consequent distress may shape experiences in bereavement. Monitoring for longer term consequences, such as prolonged grief and moral injury, should be a priority.

Revisiting the black shale depositional enigma: Transport processes and contrasting sediment sources in a heterolithic basin fill – Bowland Basin, England

ABSTRACTFactors that control the accumulation of organic‐rich shales are keenly debated and include basin redox variations, sediment provenance and diverse depositional processes. The relative importance of hemipelagic settling versus sediment gravity flows has been especially contentious in recent years. This study examines the Bowland Shale, a thick succession of organic‐rich mudrock with subsidiary facies, from the late Mississippian Bowland Basin of northern England that records a broad range of depositional processes. Interbedded amongst the mudrocks are several elongate, calciturbidite fans ca 10 km in length, sourced from a small carbonate platform to the south‐east of the basin, whilst a turbidite body of siliciclastic sand entered the basin from the east. An intrabasinal high in the north‐west of the basin deflected the progradation of the turbidite sandstones and was likely also responsible for the reflection of the carbonate‐carrying sediment gravity flows generating combined flow structures in the calciturbidite fans. Abundant, fine calcareous detritus was also sourced from the south‐east, forming an apron of calcareous mudstone delivered by low‐strength debris flows. Interbedded amongst these diverse facies types, the Bowland Shale primarily consists of hemipelagic, organic‐rich shale with a fabric consisting of compacted clay lenses (0.05–0.4 mm in width), hemipelagic components (including larval shells of bivalves, goniatites and syngenetic framboids) and organic filaments (marine snow). The lenses are interpreted to be faecal pellets formed above the redoxcline before settling to the seabed. An alternative idea, that has gained much traction in mudrock studies, is that the clay lenses are transported intraclasts and that black shales are substantially the product of deposition from traction currents sourced from adjacent basin margins. This idea is problematic because it fails to address why basinal shales have a euxinic geochemical signature rather than recording the well‐oxygenated conditions of the purported source area.

A perspective on Paul Younger’s work on the Newcastle Science Central Deep Geothermal Borehole and new developments from the NetZero GeoRDIE project

Paul Younger, to whose memory this issue is dedicated, was an early advocate of a geothermal energy renaissance in the north of England. This paper offers background to the experience gained with the Eastgate BH1 and Eastgate BH2B boreholes, focused on exploring the geothermal potential of the Weardale Granite, followed by what has subsequently become known as the Newcastle Science Central Deep Geothermal Borehole (NSCDGB), which found a sequence of (presumed) Fell Sandstones. These efforts represent not only a legacy piece of the energy infrastructure in the UK, but also a legacy of Paul Younger. While the NSCDGB has not been developed using conventional geothermal methods, it has proved invaluable in providing data and a modelling test-bed for the geothermal potential of northern England and it is hoped that in future years it can serve as a testing facility for deep geothermal research. Research carried out as part of the recently concluded NetZero GeoRDIE has confirmed that it could still be converted to a Deep Borehole Heat Exchanger (DBHE), with an indicative total continuous heat yield of >50 kW for a lifetime of 25 years if repurposed to c.920 m depth.

Fair food futures UK: Protocol for a mixed methods study exploring what approaches adopted by community food organisations are more likely to prevent the need for emergency food in two multicultural communities in Northern and Southern England.

Food insecurity reduces people's chances to live healthy and active lives and places a significant burden on healthcare systems. Levels have significantly increased in the UK since 2010, due to the impact of austerity and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis. This increase is projected to continue. Households with children are amongst those at highest risk for food insecurity. A variety of community food organisations (CFOs), such as community gardens, community kitchens, food banks and social markets, have been essential in responding to rising food insecurity, including providing emergency food and other types of support such as welfare advice. However, beyond food banks, little is known about differing approaches to food aid in the UK, including how these organisations provide additional services to address the underlying issue that has led someone to seek emergency food support. To understand what approaches used by community food organisations are most likely to help prevent the need for emergency food in two multicultural communities in the North (Bradford) and South (Tower Hamlets, London) of England, with high levels of ill-health and food insecurity. This is a mixed methods study informed by complex systems theory. Methods include participatory systems mapping and qualitative longitudinal research. We will map the availability and type of help with food, and produce a typology of CFO approaches, using a survey, multiple local and national participatory system mapping workshops and interviews with local and national stakeholders (WP1). Then, we will conduct a longitudinal qualitative research using a 'researcher in residence' approach in up to 10 CFOs purposively sampled to reflect the diversity of prevention strategies adopted by CFOs. Research will include: a) a 12 month ethnographic study; b) three waves of 'go along' interviews with up to 35 families; and c) a visual study where the same families are invited to share photos and videos about their food thoughts via Indeemo research app. Outputs will include: a) a toolkit on CFOs to support local and national policy and implementation decisions, b) a travelling exhibition with visual representations of people's lived experiences c) publications in academic journals, d) blog posts, e) public talks, and f) policy briefs. Findings will help decision makers to invest in the most accessible, beneficial and culturally appropriate resources for communities.

The influence of HARP (The Health Access for Refugees’ Project) on vaccine hesitancy in people seeking asylum and refugees in Northern England

ABSTRACT Background Evidence suggests that people who are asylum seekers and refugees experience poorer physical and mental health compared to the general UK population and poor outcomes from COVID-19 if unvaccinated. However, this population can experience vaccine hesitancy and other barriers inhibiting their up-take of the COVID-19 vaccine. Objectives This study explored the influence of HARP (Health Access for Refugees’ Project) workshops on the intention to have the vaccine in people who are asylum-seekers and refugees. Methods A qualitative study including clients (asylum-seekers and refugees), volunteers and HARP staff was undertaken to explore perceptions of HARP workshops and their influence on the barriers to the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine including vaccine hesitancy. Semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with 10 participants, HARP clients (n = 1), HARP volunteers (n = 6, of whom 4 had been clients) and staff (n = 3). Data were thematically analysed. Results Intention to have the vaccine was influenced by trusted sources including peers and health professionals. Tailoring evidence-based information to individuals and challenging misinformation were important influencers on vaccine uptake. HARP activity increased the uptake of vaccines in large accommodation centres and hotels. Grassroots-level interventions such as HARP workshops appear to increase intention to take up the COVID-19 vaccine in asylum seeking and refugee communities. Conclusion This model could be adopted for health screening such as breast cancer and other vaccinations within asylum seeking and refugee communities.

'They Take the Mum Off You When You Come In': An Ethnographic Study of Parent Experiences of Medicines Safety Systems in English Hospitals.

Medication safety in healthcare settings is a persistent problem, and children may be at greater risk of harm than adults. Most existing research examining medication safety for hospitalised children is from the perspective of healthcare professionals and organisations. This study aimed to ethnographically explore parent and staff perspectives on the role of parents in medication safety in the paediatric hospital setting. 230 h of ethnographic observation and 19 semi-structured interviews with clinical staff and parents were conducted over paediatric wards in three acute hospitals in Northern England between October 2020 and May 2022. Data was organised and coded using NVivo and analysed thematically. Three main themes were identified: (1) Capacity and Capability: Parents were often assumed to be incompetent by organisational policies and managers but at the same time were co-opted to undertake medication processes to meet operational needs. Parental experience was often ignored or judged negatively. When things went wrong parents were sometimes blamed. (2) Communication: parents were seldom meaningfully involved in decisions about their children's medication or provided with appropriate information unless requested. Parental medication histories were treated with suspicion and validated against inaccurate records. (3) Agency and Autonomy: parents often wanted to participate in their child's care but were expected to be passive observers. Medication safety for children is a social phenomenon involving healthcare professionals and parents. However, parents are often relegated to a passive role by healthcare staff. We posit that this represents an example of epistemic injustice in the way parents are assumed to be incompetent outsiders with no understanding of the medical care of their children, despite them offering resilience for medicines safety. We recommend further exploration of how parents contribute to resilience and safety for children in hospital and the barriers to this, and how health services can safely support increased engagement and involvement of parents in the care of their children while in hospital. Parents contributed to the analysis and interpretation of the data collection and have contributed to the preparation of the manuscript.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of speleothem growth and glaciation in the British Isles

Abstract. Reconstructing the spatio-temporal dynamics of glaciations and permafrost largely relies on surface deposits and is therefore a challenge for every glacial period older than the last due to erosion. Consequently, glaciations and permafrost remain poorly constrained worldwide before ca. 30 ka. Since speleothems (carbonate cave deposits) form from drip water and generally indicate the absence of an ice sheet and permafrost, we evaluate how speleothem growth phases defined by U series dates align with past glacial–interglacial cycles. Further, we make the first systematic comparison of the spatial distribution of speleothem dates with independent reconstructions of the history of the British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) to test how well geomorphologic ice reconstructions are replicated in the cave record. The frequency distribution of 1020 U series dates based on three different dating methods between 300 and 5 ka shows statistically significant periods of speleothem growth during the last interglacial and several interstadials during the last glacial. A pronounced decline in speleothem growth coincides with the Last Glacial Maximum before broad reactivation during deglaciation and into the Holocene. Spatio-temporal patterns in speleothem growth between 31 and 15 ka agree well with the surface-deposit-based reconstruction of the last BIIS. In data-rich regions, such as northern England, ice dynamics are well replicated in the cave record, which provide additional evidence about the spatio-temporal distribution of permafrost dynamics. Beyond the Last Glacial Maximum, the distribution of speleothem dates across the British Isles offers the opportunity to improve chronological constraints on past ice sheet variability, with evidence for a highly dynamic Scottish ice sheet during the last glacial. The results provide independent evidence of ice distribution complementary to studies of surface geomorphology and geology, and the potential to extend reconstructions into permafrost and earlier glacial cycles. Whilst undersampling is currently the main limitation for speleothem-based ice and permafrost reconstruction even in relatively well-sampled parts of the British Isles, we show that speleothem dates obtained using modern mass spectrometry techniques reveal a higher spatio-temporal resolution of glacial–interglacial cycles and glacial extent than previously possible. Further study of leads and lags in speleothem growth compared to surface deposition may provide new insights into landscape-scale dynamics during ice sheet growth and retreat.

A Familiar Sight: ‘Dutch Type’ and the First Printer of Norwich

AbstractAnthony Solempne, the first printer of Norwich, was among the many Dutch Protestants to flee religious persecution in the Southern Netherlands in the late 1560s and seek refuge in the Northern Provinces, France, and England. Dutch immigrants arrived in such numbers they soon formed around half the population of Norwich, the local inhabitants distinguishing themselves from the ‘otherness’ of these new arrivals by dubbing them ‘Strangers’. Solempne marketed many of his works to this growing community of displaced Dutch refugees through his use of vernacular and possibly his choice of type. This article considers how typography can embody aspects of ‘foreignness’ and familiarity on the printed page. A typographical analysis of Solempne's works forms the foundations for discussions on attributable works and the broader network of Dutch printers in England and the Continent who used a distinctive ‘Dutch type’ that would have been readily familiar to the ‘Strangers’ of Norwich. In doing so, it recognises the potential contribution of typographical studies to our understandings of ‘nationhood’ in northern Europe during the early modern period.

An Asset-Based Examination of Contextual Factors Influencing Nutrition Security: The Case of Rural Northern New England.

Rural communities face a disproportionate burden in terms of diet-related health challenges and have been identified as a target for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrition security initiatives. In this paper, we adopt an asset-based approach and use the Community Capitals Framework to examine the characteristics that support nutrition security in rural communities, using rural northern New England as a case study. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 32 food and nutrition professionals in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in 2023 and 2024 to explore the contextual factors that influence nutrition security in rural communities. We coded the data for community assets and mapped the identified assets into the seven dimensions of the Community Capitals Framework: built capital, cultural capital, financial capital, human capital, natural capital, political capital, and social capital. The participants described assets in all dimensions of the Community Capitals Framework except built capital. The specific assets discussed were related to local food production (natural and cultural capital), coordination between food system stakeholders and strong social networks (human and social capital), regional political commitments to food security and nutrition (political capital), and the strong seasonal tourist economy present in some communities (financial capital). Rural communities remain under-studied in the literature regarding nutrition, and little is known about how to advance healthful eating in rural contexts. An asset-based approach was helpful for identifying existing resources that enhance rural nutrition security and may provide an opportunity to characterize and disseminate strategies to advance rural health equity.

Academic Libraries in Northern England Support Mental Health and Wellbeing

Academic Libraries in Northern England Support Mental Health and Wellbeing

Exploring staff experiences of formulation processes in a secure children’s home

PurposeThis study aims to explore experiences of the Framework for Integrated Care's team formulation process within a secure children’s home in northern England, from the perspective of care and education staff.Design/methodology/approachFour focus groups were facilitated, with a total of 25 participants. The focus groups discussed a number of key areas, including: staff experiences of team formulation; the usefulness of the process; the wider impact of the process; and ways the formulation process could be developed. The data set was analysed using Rapid Qualitative Analysis (Hamilton, 2013).FindingsSix overarching themes and a number of accompanying subthemes were developed. The six themes were: (i) new ways of understanding; (ii) enabling communication; (iii) young person should be at the centre; (iv) practical considerations; (v) developing accessibility: a systemic lens; and (vi) developing the focus.Practical implicationsTen implications for practice within secure children’s homes and wider establishments are outlined. These relate to various aspects of the formulation process, including the preparatory work, meeting attendance, the focus of the formulation and dissemination.Originality/valueResearch within the context of secure children’s homes is expanding and has included the direct involvement of young people. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study utilising a qualitative, focus group method to consider the experiences of team formulation from the perspective of the wider care and education staff team in a secure children’s home.