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In recent years, various social services in the UK have piloted using social pedagogy – a broadly education-based approach to bringing about social change originating in mainland Europe – as a way of improving practice, particularly in residential childcare. Pilot evaluations of initiatives to introduce social pedagogy to children’s services have produced generally positive results, although the evidence remains modest and the studies are affected by a range of methodological limitations. In this article, we critically review existing evaluations, supplemented by insights from our experience as independent evaluators for a social pedagogy pilot for services supporting people with learning disabilities, to present an account of the challenges and opportunities of evaluating social pedagogy in the UK. We argue that some of the main challenges relate to defining social pedagogy, measuring the baseline prior to implementing social pedagogy training, understanding individual and organisational change, measuring outcomes and applying an appropriate approach for the evaluation. We conclude with recommendations for those intending to evaluate social pedagogy, and similar initiatives, in the future.

We report the results of a study of the processing of youths at the Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida, Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) involving the preliminary screening, assessor staff service recommendations and service utilization outcomes of 143 youths processed at the Tampa JAC. The relationships between the youths' potential problems identified during the preliminary screening process and assessor recommendations for follow-up services are examined. The outcomes of youths referred for further services are described. The policy and service delivery implications of the findings are drawn.

We report the results of a study of substance use, measured by self-reports and hair test results, and delinquency among arrested youths entering a service intervention program. The results highlight important relationships between their alcohol and other drug use and involvement in delinquency in the year prior to their interviews. The research and service implications of these findings are discussed.

11 pH Associates Limited, Marlow, UK Background: Patient survival in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) can be improved if patients with metastases confined to the liver are able to undergo liver resection. Resectability of liver metastases was improved in clinical trials of downsizing with chemotherapy plus cetuximab. This study describes the liver resection rate achieved in normal UK clinical practice using chemotherapy plus cetuximab in patients whose tumours were originally deemed inoperable by a Hepatobiliary Multi-disciplinary Team (HPBMDT). Methods: A multi-centre retrospective observational study was conducted in 7 UK hospitals with specialised liver surgical services. Included patients had mCRC with metastases confined to the liver, defined locally as unresectable at first review by the

Changes in the expression of the differentiation antigen TL were studied in a cell-transfer model which segregates thymocytes on the basis of their ability to recirculate. The maturational steps which lead to the acquisition of recirculation are accompanied by a decreased expression of TL suggesting that the loss of this cell surface antigen normally occurs within the thymus prior to emigration to the periphery of “thymus-derived” lymphocytes. However, artificial peripheralization is inimical to the TL phenotype and rapid loss of detectable antigen occurs within 24 hrs. The mechanism underlying this in vivo change is unknown.

Lymph node and splenic lymphocytes arising during immunization with transplantation antigens were labeled in vivo with 125I uridine deoxyriboside. These specifically sensitized and labeled cells were subsequently injected into syngeneic recipients which had received skin isografts on the right and skin allografts on the left. The skin allografts were either from the same donor used for sensitization or from third party strains. An aliquot of the cell suspensions was also labeled with 51Cr and injected into recipients as above. Localization of the cells was determined 24 hr after injection. 125IUDR labeled splenic or lymph node lymphocytes showed a marked tendency to localize in the specific skin graft. This localization was far in excess of that found for skin isografts or for third party skin allografts. No specific localization was found in the lymph nodes draining either isografts, specific or nonspecific skin allografts. No significant differences were observed for the localization of 51Cr labeled cells. It is concluded that a specific subpopulation of lymphocytes arises during the sensitization phase of skin allograft rejection, that these cells can be found in both the lymph node and spleen, and moreover, these cells will home selectively to a second skin allograft of the proper specificity.

Use of the technique of acquired tolerance suggests that epidermal cells contain distinctive transplantation allo-antigens—antigens not also possessed by marrow and lymphoid cells.