The MA International Child Rights & Development (ICRD) programme team invite you to celebrate Children’s Day with us on 20th November.

Our theme is Inclusion and Participation, and we will be hearing about the work that is being done on this in ECS. 

Everyone welcome!

How can we make schools more inclusive and supportive for all young people? Lessons from the Young Lives, Young Futures project - Professor Sharon Gewirtz

In her presentation Sharon will share insights from the first phase of an ESRC-funded longitudinal project which followed the school-to-work transitions of young people in England from the ages of 15-20. The research showed that alienation from school is widespread and that careers support is inadequate especially for those taking non-university routes. After analysing their data, the research team worked with a group of young people who developed a creative response to their findings.

This resulted in a film, premiered to an audience of policymakers and other key stakeholders at the House of Lords last year, which Sharon will show as part of her presentation. Its key message is that young people’s voices need to be heard more and that radical changes are needed to schools and careers services, particularly for those wanting to pursue creative careers and for those who don’t want to go to university. She is looking forward to discussing it with you!

If a child's behaviour is communication, what is our response? A London study exploring management of externalising disruptive behaviours – Dr Ann Lorek

Children in the youth justice system (YJS) are some of the most vulnerable in society. There is a best practice guideline relating to prevention and management of externalising disruptive behaviours and specifically conduct disorder in the National Institute for Clinical and Care Excellence, best practice Guideline NICE CG158) and we did not know if this was being followed. Ann will present evidence from a KCL study exploring primary prevention or preventative practice reported by leads and relevant practitioners from health, mental health, education and social care in London. FOI requests/ surveys had responses from 29 of 33 London boroughs (plus anonymous responses), with individual agency responses covering between 4 and 14 (median 12) named boroughs. Most areas did not have evidence of comprehensive multiagency strategic pathways or services for prevention, assessment or evidence-based psychosocial intervention for these children and families, and most did not have a services consistent with the NICE CG158 guidance. Needs were mostly not identified until entry to the YJS. None had a comprehensive multiagency strategy to address prevention of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which is associated with CD.

This study identifies a gap in strategic multiagency oversight and individual agency actions to both prevent and manage externalising disruptive behaviours, and recommendations are made to improve outcomes for this group of children.