LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN

Looked After Children



Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION3

EDUCATION AND LOOKED-AFTER CHILDREN7

OFFICIAL STATISTICS11

CONCEPTUALIZING EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGE13

INFLUENCES ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT15

SOCIAL (IM)MOBILITY16

SOCIAL WORK AND EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT17

CONCLUSION19

REFERENCES22

Looked After Children

Introduction

It is occasionally said that much empirical progeny welfare study is undertheorised or even theoretical. If a major aim of communal study is to develop idea - utilised here in a general sense to signify interpretations and interpretations of communal phenomena (Waters 2004:85) - then this is a prominent shortcoming. Applied, policy-related progeny welfare study in the UK is arguably amidst the strongest in the world, but its communal research bases need to be robust. Rutter (2000:25) has contended that we need to move away from descriptive investigations of services for young children dwelling away from dwelling and laments that this area of study has stayed rather distinct from mainstream communal sciences. In a more hard-hitting investigation of methodological advances, Trinder (2006:236) admonished much empirical social work study, particularly that which is government-funded, as 'pragmatist'. As an approach, 'pragmatism':

. . . combines a dream of an organised and understandable world with a transient glimpse to plurality and communal constructionism . . . (Trinder (2006:236)

as a study form it is nearly connected to the anti-intellectual customs of mainstream social work . . . Difficult epistemological inquiries and tough substantive study inquiries are avoided. Research agreements with exterior not deepness comprehending, interpretation or causation . . . (Howe et al. 2009:238)

The major present thoughtful leverage on empirical progeny welfare study, and social work with young children and families more usually, would emerge to arise specifically or implicitly from psychology and, in specific, attachment theory (Howe et al. 2009:237). Attachment theory is a significant learned custom, focusing on the value of connections with parents and carers, the significance of a protected groundwork and their leverage on children's development. It permits interpretations of children's and adults' changes and behaviour. Attachment theory has been broadened to incorporate alternate advances to parenting in distinct heritage and the influence of broader communal components on parenting (Rashid 2000:85). However, the technical cornerstone of addition theory has lately been disputed (Barth et al. 2005:74).

Social research theories are not inevitably 'right' or 'wrong' but contemplate a specific outlook of the world. They boost certain kinds of inquiries to be impersonated and for outcome to be understood in distinct ways. What is apparent in present empirical progeny welfare study is the general non-attendance of broader sociological and communal principle perspectives. The significances of this are advised subsequent for the area of the education of looked-after children. This non-attendance of communal perspectives is inquisitive granted the sources of social work and the thoughtful interconnectedness of the disciplines. Indeed, there have been laudable efforts to convince the Economic and Social Research Council that social work is really a distinct learned locality, distinct from sociology and communal principle, and that social work study should be financed more amply (Shaw et al. 2004:74). These complementary disciplines are nearly aligned in the government's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE - a gaze reconsider method that leverages how study funding is assigned to universities), and social work scholars are educated them in a try to express ...