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This study explores the ways in which African Caribbean families communicate with each other and the outside world in the context of post migration. The Big and Small Story in narrative inquiry was used to make sense of the data as it pays attention to the manner and style in which this story is told, and what identities are being claimed post migration. The key findings are set out using three archetypal positions: the trickster, passer/conformer and resister/revolutionary. These were used to capture different ways people responded to power and identities claimed within their daily life. Findings in part of reflect Du Bois' concept of double consciousness to consider the way black people carry out their negotiations with power. These African Caribbean participants were having to think about what is acceptable to the power base and how can this be negotiated. This paper is intended to be helpful to practitioners interested in indigenous knowledge of self and its clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore negative peer interactions in foster care. Looked after children and young people have highlighted the impact of negative peer interactions, and especially peer violence and intimidation, on their care experiences. However, to date, no specific fostering research has addressed this important issue. In response to this gap, we undertook focus groups with 32 foster carers in the South West of England. Group discussions were semi-structured based around the issue of negative peer interactions in foster care. The analysis revealed five main associated themes: the impact on the carers' birth children; a lack of placement planning; inadequate referral information; a negative view of social work support; and insufficient external interventions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Negative peer interactions, particularly violence, were a major concern for foster carers, especially if they negatively impacted on the welfare of carers' birth children., An absence of pre-placement referral information on negative peer interactions was commonly reported and placed all children in the fostering household at risk., Associated social work support and external interventions were often perceived as lacking and inadequate., Fostering procedures, review and decisions need to recognise the impact of peer violence on all members of the fostering household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early help or early intervention is increasingly recommended for safeguarding children living with domestic violence, but little is known about what is effective. This article discusses findings from an evaluation of a pioneering early help service in North West England. This new service aimed to improve the safety and wellbeing of families (mothers and children) who were assessed as below the level of 'high risk' domestic violence and below the threshold for a child protection order. Between January 2014 and March 2015, families (473 mothers and 541 children) were identified within multiagency safeguarding hubs and referred to the early help service. The service that emerged was somewhat different to the service expected. This article discusses findings from qualitative data gathered from 39 participants (mothers, children and service providers) involved in the programme. Three main issues emerged as themes from the interviews: the benefits of having any service at all for children living with domestic violence who slip off the agendas of professionals working with child protection and high‐risk domestic violence; the importance of flexibility of key worker‐led service delivery; and the suitability of current group work and therapeutic models for meeting the varied needs of families affected by domestic violence. Key Practitioner Messages: Children, mothers and service providers reported both a perceived need for early help and a positive impact from domestic violence early help services on child health and emotional wellbeing.The ability of services to flex their delivery model in response to the needs of families is important for supporting engagement of, and fostering a sense of control for, families receiving support.Confidentiality, reliability, respect and trust are key factors in developing an effective key worker‐family relationship. 'Discusses findings from an evaluation of a pioneering early help service in North West England' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: This is a case study about a man with learning disabilities who has mental health issues.The case study describes the way that he told a researcher about his life.Thirty years of his earlier life were spent in a long‐stay hospital in England, UK and more recently he has lived in a community setting with five other people.This research is important as it assists us to understand the experiences of people with learning disabilities who have mental health needs. Background: Historically, the emotional lives and mental health needs of adults with learning disabilities received scant attention, especially when the policy of institutionalisation was at its zenith in the UK. Materials and Methods: This case study employed biographical narrative interviews based on a psychosocial approach. The main sources of data production were two loosely structured, audio‐taped, interviews with a man with learning disabilities. This approach uses free association to elicit an individual's stories about his lived experiences. Additional information was acquired from consultations with key care staff and clinical records maintained by the man's service provider. Results: Data revealed insights into the biography of this man who had a diagnosed mental health disorder. These data recall his personal journey through the care system which took place during an important historical period encompassing both long‐term institutionalisation in segregated settings, and the subsequent implementation of the policy of community care in the UK. He recalls positive and negative experiences while residing in a long‐stay hospital, and the related thoughts and feelings about his life in a community setting in more recent years. Conclusion: This case study contributes to an increasing body of studies that perceive the use of in‐depth interviewing of individuals with learning disabilities as having high ecological validity in the development of authentic knowledge, not readily available through other methods used in the co‐production of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A common factor in the abuse of people with intellectual disabilities in residential settings has been the failure of care staff and frontline managers to recognise poor practice at an early stage and prevent its development into a culture of abuse. In this context, staff understandings of abuse and poor practice in residential services for people with intellectual disabilities were explored. Method: Semi‐structured interviews (n = 56) were undertaken with care staff and frontline managers working across England. Interviews included the use of vignettes, based on real‐life experiences of people with intellectual disabilities, to prompt discussion. Results: Staff struggled to define either "abuse" or "poor practice", focussing more on individual acts or omissions than on institutional practices. When faced with vignettes, staff demonstrated a lack of agreement regarding what constitutes either abuse or poor practice. Conclusions: The implications for practice in residential care settings and for safeguarding training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been suggested that the mental health impacts of living with long‐term conditions are greater in young adulthood compared to older adulthood, due to greater disruption to identity and routine life events. Objectives: To explore the impact of living with long‐term conditions in young adulthood on mental health and identity, and what helps living well with these conditions. Methods: Fifteen in‐depth interviews with young adults with various conditions were conducted and analysed thematically. Results: Themes related to the impacts on mental health and identity include the following: negative mood and depression; anxiety and fear for the future; and identity as 'ill'/abnormal compared to former self and 'normal' others. Themes related to suggestions for addressing negative impacts include the following: promotion of positive thinking; support reaching acceptance with altered identity and limitations (through stages of denial, anger, depression, then acceptance); and more professional mental health support. Discussion: In order to promote mental health and a positive sense of self/identity, young adults with long‐term conditions should be offered advice and support on positive thinking; the long and difficult process of reconstructing identity; and reaching acceptance. This is particularly important for young adults for whom the identity reconstruction process is more complex and psychologically damaging than for older adults, as this life stage is associated with health/vitality and illness represents a shift from a perceived normal trajectory to one that appears and feels abnormal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]