Forty Years of Research, Policy and Practice in Children's Services: A Festschrift for Roger Bullock
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: by Nick Axford, Vashti Berry, Michael Little and Louise Morpeth (eds) Chichester : Wiley , 2005 ISBN 0470012196 , 224 pp , £65 (hb ) Books such as this, which are written in honour of an individual, need to be judged in at least two ways. Does the work form an appropriate tribute to the dedicatee? Is it worth reading in its own right? On the whole this volume succeeds on both counts. The editors have made considerable and creditable efforts to provide comprehensive coverage of the field for the sake of the second goal, while inviting each author to specify connections to the career of Roger Bullock. At the heart of the book are chapters about central themes in his work: residential care, attempts to modify young people's criminal and other negative behaviour, schooling and the family connections of looked after young people. Reflecting Roger's own commitment to what would now be called evidence-based policy and practice, and his analytical contributions to that field, the chapters are mainly about conclusions to be drawn from research. Most of the contributors are eminent and several like Roy Parker merit a Festschrift in their own right. Many have worked closely with Roger or know him well. All make explicit connections between their chapters and his work, usually with conviction and affection but occasionally in a rather forced manner by people whose area of expertise has little overlap with his. Several chapters highlight the value of key theoretical innovations developed by Roger, often in partnership with colleagues at Dartington. These include concepts such as career and life route as well as his whole-system approach to the interaction between young people, professional organisations and educational/treatment institutions. The breadth of Roger's work combined with the editors’ concern to fill the few gaps mean that the book as a whole offers an up-to-date and often incisive account of many key issues in the children's services field in the UK, with one chapter focusing on youth justice developments elsewhere in Europe and a few others drawing on sources from further afield. The organisation of the book is mostly logical, with helpful introductions and concluding chapters, though one of the three chapters on youth justice is placed well away from the other two for a not entirely convincing reason (it looks forward more than the other two). Perhaps because the writers have seen their remit as more personalised than a conventional edited text, some have exploited the freedom to offer fascinating meta-messages or speculations based on their extensive understandings of the subject matter. For example, in a carefully argued and witty chapter on foster care, Ian Sinclair poses thought-provoking questions about the value of family contacts and return home for looked after children. While acknowledging that there are no easy answers, he notes that present assumptions in favour of maximising contact and speedy restoration home — themselves a reaction to the earlier ‘clean break’ ethos of permanency planning — appear to underestimate the risks of re-abuse and poor outcomes. With commendable honesty, David Berridge confronts the discrepancy between the abuse in residential care evident from personal testimonies or enquiries and the fact that so many researchers, including himself, failed to uncover ill-treatment when observing residential establishments and talking to residents. This raises important questions about access, sampling and methods for studying interactions that are secret or hidden. Berridge notes that the skills deployed to abuse a child can equally be used to deflect research scrutiny. Unusually for a Festschrift, a chapter has been included by Roger Bullock himself — at the editors’ behest, not his own. In many ways this deviates from the rest of the book in nature and style, but is a lively, amusing and self-deprecating gem. The chapter considers the parallels and potential for mutual learning between social research and several other of Roger's Renaissance interests — mainly in the arts but also sport and humour. Many interesting insights result, for instance from the shared tensions between structure and improvisation in both music and social science. In general, then, this is a well-written book, which for older readers provides a valuable distillation of familiar themes spiced with novel angles and for younger readers offers a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom accumulated by academics with distinguished careers. As more than one contributor points out, earlier books written by Roger and his collaborators have been characterised by memorable and evocative titles, such as After Gracen — Teeth, Lost in Care and Going Home. In contrast, the title of this volume is accurate but dull, reminiscent of the advert proclaiming ‘It does what it says on the can’. The price is also very high for an individual to commit to a purchase, so it will mostly be read on loan from libraries. However, these are minor blemishes and the book deserves a wide readership and quick availability as a cheaper paperback. In a year when Roger's beloved West Bromwich Albion were relegated (again!), it is to be hoped he is consoled by the quality and usefulness of this publication which captures and builds on the spirit of his own work.
Source: Children & Society
Author: Malcolm Hill
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Language: English
Topic: Child Welfare and Adoption
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1998720295