Search

The magnitude of the issue of child homelessness tends to be muted because homeless families rarely live on the streets; when living in temporary accommodation, families can be invisible to the public eye (Hallett, Miller & Skrla, 2015). In comparison to the vast quantitative research that has examined pathways to homelessness, and the impact of homelessness on health, social and educational outcomes, the experiences of homeless children have received little attention, especially in the UK. The aim of this thesis was to conduct sensitive child voice research with homeless children, to explore how they make sense of their experiences, and their education. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to allow for an in-depth exploration of children's lived experiences. Four participants, aged 12-13, living in temporary accommodation with their families each participated in one semi-structured interview; one interview took place virtually due to the outbreak of the global pandemic. Children were asked questions about the places they have lived and about school. Data was analysed according to the six stages recommended by Smith, Flower and Larkin (2009). Findings indicated that children made sense of their relationships with their families, and through comparisons to their lives in the past. Participants' experiences of school were polar, with factors relating to the distance they lived from their schools and experiences of feeling supported and cared about by adults impacting on their school experiences, and their sense of belonging. The research highlights several opportunities for developing Educational Psychology practice, and school support, to better meet the needs of homeless children. In light of the limited field of research this thesis contributes to, there are several directions for future research.

Co-working is a unique approach to addressing employment inequalities for people with learning disabilities. It involves a dyad comprising a person with and person without learning disabilities, with equal employment arrangements in terms of status and pay, working together, providing mutual support and skill sharing. Currently, co-working is mainly only seen in disabled people's organisations that champion the rights of people with learning disabilities. However, this employment set up has potential to increase the numbers of people with learning disabilities in paid work and also in positions of influence both inside and outside disabled people's organisations. This study sets out to examine how the co-workers' interactions impact on equality in co-working and how they both contribute to decision making in the course of their work. Four pairs of co-workers from four different disabled people's organisations across the UK were videoed whilst undertaking their work and Conversation Analysis (CA) was used to perform a fine grained analysis of their interactions as they proceed, turn by turn. The findings show that despite having a strong context for equal working, co-workers at times replicated asymmetries and inequalities seen in supporter-service user relationships. However, the co-workers without a learning disability largely displayed an orientation towards ensuring that the voice of their colleague was a central part of any work they produced. At different times, both co-workers exercised authority, but each were deferred to as having specific deontic domains. The co-worker without a learning disability largely had authority to decide upon the work task and the co-worker with a learning disability had authority about matters within their epistemic domain. Some of the approaches to promoting quality in co-working are each co-worker having access to all aspects of work, avoiding replicating established disempowering interactional practices, equal access to IT equipment and accessible information.

The transition to primary school is the first significant transition in children's lives (Dunlop, 2018). For families with children who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), this experience brings additional challenges, and many parents report feeling apprehensive and conflicted (Podvey et al., 2010). Parental choice is crucial to promoting positive outcomes for children with SEND (McGrew et al., 2016) and key to legislation and policy (Department for Education, 2015). However, research exploring parents' experiences with children with SEND about selecting primary school placements and planning for transitions to school is limited within the UK literature. This study explored the experiences of 8 families with children with SEND starting primary school in a South-West Local Authority. One of the children transitioned to a special school, and seven transitioned to mainstream schools. A qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews to capture the parents' voices regarding selecting an appropriate school and planning for the transition. Thematic analysis was applied to the data (Braun & Clarke, 2019). The findings indicate parents feel apprehensive about the process and rely on their knowledge to inform their decisions. Parents felt that inclusive attitudes, staff knowledge of SEND and social inclusion were important. Parents also highlighted that understanding their child's individual needs was crucial to choosing a suitable school. Parents sought support from family and professionals in Early Years services. Parents expressed empathy towards others navigating SEND systems. Some parents encountered non-inclusive attitudes in mainstream schools, which led them to request specialist provisions, although stigma remained around the behaviours of children attending special schools. Several parents who requested specialist provisions had been unsuccessful in securing a place. Consequences of the coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on transition planning and the research process, with interviews conducted remotely. Parents deemed early transition planning with multiple transition activities, developing positive relationships with staff and gradual exposure to the school environment for their child beneficial for a successful transition to school. This study makes recommendations for policy and practice in supporting parents through the process of requesting a primary school for their child with SEND and encourages best practices for transition arrangements.

Adults with an autism spectrum condition (ASC) experience a range of socio-economic disadvantages across the life course including; social isolation, low educational attainment, unemployment, and poverty. These outcomes are also risk factors for homelessness. Whilst emerging research in the UK suggests a disproportionate amount of autistic adults experience homelessness, little is known about what predisposes autistic people to homelessness and how best to support them. Additionally, it is likely that many homeless autistic adults are undiagnosed and unable to access suitable support. Therefore, in order to examine the relationship between autism and homelessness, it is first imperative to explore how ASC is defined and diagnostic criteria applied. This thesis presents a multi-causal, social interpretational model of autism which posits that ASC has no singular biological marker and that diagnostic boundaries are historically and socially constructed. From this position, the label of autism still has meaning, as it describes a set of behaviours which sit outside of normative ideals. Using this model as a framework, study recruitment involved identifying adults with a clinical diagnosis of autism, or those who self-identified as autistic, who had experienced homelessness. Ten participants were accessed through homelessness services and consented to take part in the study. Each participant took part in two to three narrative interviews which centred on their life history and experiences of homelessness. Thematic analysis revealed complexity of life experience, with participants reporting abuse in childhood, multiple co-occurring conditions, historic or current substance dependency, or imprisonment. The majority of participants experienced episodic homelessness, sometimes from childhood, which was usually triggered by relationship breakdown coupled with lack of financial and social support. Participants found it difficult to navigate support systems and statutory accommodation provision was insufficient when considering social and sensory needs. In terms of contributors to homelessness, analysis of narratives revealed social rejection across the life course which impeded participants' ability to do well at school, find and maintain employment, access welfare and expand support networks. Participants responded to this exclusion in two distinct ways; by attempting to mask autistic behaviours in order to fit in, or by rejecting social expectations and withdrawing from society. Whilst neither strategy mitigated against homelessness, the majority of participants went on to renegotiate their autistic identities which enabled them to become self-advocates, challenging discriminatory practice and exclusion. This thesis reinterprets study findings using a critical realist framework. Exclusion across the life course is explained through the lens of Critical Disability Studies, wherein disabled persons are rejected for not meeting normative ideals. This thesis goes on to engage with Dis/human Theory, explaining how the labelling of individuals as autistic can be utilised as a position from which to challenge structural inequities. Study findings suggest a need for increased awareness of autism and flexibility of provision in education, employment, welfare, and homelessness services. Whilst some adaptations can be made within existing frameworks, significantly reducing risk of homelessness for autistic adults requires deeper structural changes and the repositioning of accepted forms of personhood and normalcy.

In the UK, Young People (YP) leaving Alternative Provision (AP) at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) are more likely to have negative post-16 outcomes than their mainstream peers. Government reports and wider literature suggest that AP pupils may find the transition to post-16 difficult, however a review of the literature revealed few studies which specifically explored YPs’ experience of this. The overarching aim of the present research was to understand YP’s experiences of KS4 in AP, their perceptions of transitioning to post-16 and the perceived impact that attending an AP has had on them. The study was located in one Local Authority (LA) in the North West of England. An Interpretative Phenomenological methodology was adopted which involved a two-part approach to data collection and analysis. Part one involved interviews with Year 11 pupils from two APs which were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Part two involved focus groups (FG) with staff from three APs which were analysed using Thematic Analysis (TA). Findings from both analyses were drawn together in the discussion to address the research aim. The analyses indicated that the YP experienced a ‘fundamentally different’ environment in the AP, compared to mainstream. This was characterised by their relationships with staff, a sense of belonging and an understanding of mental health (MH), which had a largely positive impact on the pupils. However, there was divergence in how the YP perceived their transition to post-16 and the notion of a ‘trade off’ (between qualifications and MH support) was identified in their accounts. Perceived barriers to transition were considered from both pupil and staff perspectives. Staff perceived that more could be done to support pupils’ transitions. To respond to this, the study concludes by offering a model to support YP in their transition to post-16. The implications for practice are discussed.

'Reintegration' has been used to describe the efforts to support pupils on their full-time return to mainstream or specialist provision, following exclusion from school. Statistics published by the Department for Education indicate an increase in exclusion rates across all state-funded primary, secondary and special schools from 2014/15 to 2015/16 (DfE, 2017). Consequently, the topic of positive reintegration experiences is a pertinent issue within education. Secondary school pupils, their parents/carers and educational practitioner views have been the main focus of existing literature concerning school exclusion and reintegration. A lack of research regarding reintegration into provision other than mainstream settings was also identified. This study aimed to address such gaps in the literature by using the 'Write, Draw, Show and Tell' (WDST) creative method (Noonan et al, 2016), to explore primary aged pupil's perceptions of reintegration into mainstream or specialist provision, including support they felt would be beneficial. Eight male pupils aged 7-11 from two separate Local Authority Pupil Referral Units took part in an ice-breaker and drawing activity, followed by a semi-structured interview. Data from these multiple sources was triangulated and analysed according to Braun and Clarke's (2006) stages of thematic analysis. This indicated five themes related to participant's anticipated and actual experience of reintegration, as well as what contributed to positive reintegration experiences from their perspectives. It was concluded that reintegration experiences were impacted on by participant's levels of self-awareness and perceptions of a new beginning. Specific concerns related to reintegration were dominated by thoughts concerning a sense of belonging and to feel fully included within their receiving settings. Factors perceived to support reintegration included; relationships and support provided through friendships, family members and teaching staff, the school environment and procedural factors as part of the reintegration process. Findings were discussed in relation to the existing literature and through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) eco-systemic perspective and social model of disability. Consideration was given to participant's level of involvement in decision-making and the extent to which their voice was present during their reintegration. Implications for school staff and Educational Psychologists as a means to further support reintegration processes were provided. This included a focus on the methods by which children and young people's views were elicited and through the development of a proposed checklist to support reintegration planning. Strengths and limitations of this study, alongside possible directions for future research were proposed.

Young people (YP) transitioning to adulthood with experience of parental substance misuse (PSM) are an overlooked group. This is partly due to the secrecy and stigma around the topic. Research has demonstrated the impact that PSM can have for many outcomes for children (social, educational and psychological) however young adults have received relatively little attention. The study aims to explore issues YP face in terms of identity, how they make sense of their experiences and how they cope. In this context parental substance misuse refers to alcohol and illegal substances while parental can refer to biological, step and foster parents. A qualitative approach was used to explore the nuance of individual's accounts and to ease conversations that were anticipated to be sensitive. The 'Life Grid' (Parry et al, 1999) and a visual collage making activity (Dowling, McConkey & Sinclair, 2018) was used alongside semi-structured interview questions concerning YP's transitions and historical experiences. Analysis of the results indicated that young people had complex feelings towards their parents (e.g. worry, shame, anger) and that individuals made sense of their experiences relative to their peers. Additionally, parentification left YP feeling as though they had leapt ahead of their peers and then been left behind. It is recommended that educational psychologists could usefully intervene at multiple levels within individual casework, joint conceptualisations and training of frontline staff.

Education is one of the dimensional indices used to calculate Human development. In the last 10 years, the quality of education in Tanzania has rendered a large number of children finishing basic primary education unable to read or and in some cases being required to repeat a class. In Tanzania, class repetition is considered to be a strategy that assists literacy in children by availing them another opportunity to participate in lessons and re-sit examinations for the failed year. The concept is contested in other parts of the world where studies suggest that withholding children has negative consequences on children’s future academic and socio-emotional outcomes thus further affecting educational performance. This study looked at the experience of young people of repeating a class in a society where education is given great emphasis as means of social mobility. It looked at the experience of the young people in Tanzania, in the context of the various systems surrounding them and interacting with them (both directly and indirectly) such as their families, schools, neighbourhoods, communities, education policies and laws; and how such systems either fostered or hindered their resilience when repeating a class. Using responses from young people who were this study’s key informants and comparative approaches based on resilience and ecological framework, the study highlights how the process of decision making impacted and influenced the perception of young people of repeating a class as well as influenced these young people’s overall experience of repeating a class. Young people’s participation and consultation in the process of decision making was given great significance and as such, a model has been developed to emphasize children’s voices, approaches and interventions that are child-centred.