Search

As the number of digital archives increases – both traditional archives that have been digitized and 'born digital' collections – so, too, grows the number of tools and methodologies through which they can be better understood. This article explores how archives can be 'mapped' digitally, using network analysis to examine epistolary networks built on the State Papers archives of England. It will outline some of the core contributors to the archives, while also pointing to smaller actors and collections, whose place in the epistolary network and the archives are best revealed when viewed at scale within this 'mapping' process. This article demonstrates that – as with any other historical dataset – understanding the archives and the ways in which they are constructed is vital to further quantitative analysis, and how this is turn may bolster digital historical narratives. As such, this article not only demonstrates the outcomes of adopting digital methodologies, and how they may shape ongoing historical research and narratives, but also illustrates the ways in which the adoption of these quantitative measures allows for a critical reconsideration of historical sources, their origins and the ways in which they can be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book "Women's Labour and the History of the Book in Early Modern England" edited by Valerie Wayne explores the question of whether women have a book history in early modern England. The book utilizes a range of new original sources and analysis to provide a resounding answer that women did indeed have a significant role in the book trade and cultural life during this period. The book is praised for its successes but also acknowledges its limitations, particularly in terms of its focus on English borders and its definition of "woman." Despite these constraints, the book is considered an essential piece of women's history and book history for future scholars and students. [Extracted from the article]

This paper critically examines the White Paper, Opportunity for all, published by the UK Government's Department for Education (DfE) in March 2022. This has a number of recommendations for schools in an attempt to 'level up'. In particular, there is a promise to deliver 'a fully trust-led system with a single regulatory approach [and] a clear role for every part of the school system'. Such a system provides a serious challenge to the way that Religious Education (RE) structures in England are currently built: in short, when Local Authorities no longer have schools under their control – what is the point of a SACRE? Arguing that the 'local settlement' for RE serves two purposes – a curricular purpose and support and monitoring purpose – this paper will suggest that future RE curricula will be planned at the Trust level, with the monitoring and support functions being moved from the local to the regional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several cross-sectional studies have investigated the incidence of urinary Congo-red dye positivity in women with preeclampsia (PE), compared to unaffected pregnancies, and reported very high sensitivity and low false positive rate in the diagnosis of PE. Objective: To determine the performance of the urinary Congo-red dot paper test at 35–37 weeks’ gestation in the prediction of delivery with PE at ≤2 and >2 weeks after assessment. Methods: This was a prospective observational study in women attending for a routine hospital visit at 35+0 to 36+6 weeks’ gestation in a maternity hospital in England. Urine samples were collected and the Congo-red dot paper test was used to assess the degree of Congo-red dye positivity. The test uses a scoring system from 1 to 8 and the higher the score the greater the degree of Congo-red dye positivity. We examined and compared the degree of Congo-red dye positivity in the groups that delivered with PE at ≤2 and >2 weeks with those that remained normotensive. Reproducibility was assessed by examining the inter- and intra-observer reliability of scoring on stored images with the researchers blinded to previous results. Results: The study population of 2140 women included 46 (2.1%) that subsequently developed PE (2.1%). The urinary Congo-red dot test was positive in 8.3% (1/12) and 2.9% (1/34) that delivered with PE at ≤2 and >2 weeks from assessment and in 0.2% (4/2094) of the unaffected pregnancies when the cutoff for Congo-red dye positivity was ≥5. The respective values when the cutoff used was ≥3 were 66.7%, 23.5%, and 16.5%, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the inter-observer reliability was 0.926 (95% CI 0.890–0.953, p<.0001) and Cohen's kappa coefficient for the intra-observer reliability was 0.904, p<.0001. Conclusions: The performance of the urinary Congo-red dot paper test at 35–37 weeks’ gestation in the prediction of PE is very poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to outline the initial pilot use of the client complexity matrix (CCM), an outcome measure developed for an NHS Adult Intellectual Disabilities Intensive Support Team (IST) in the West Midlands of England. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach was used to report the results and evaluate the use of the CCM within this IST. The CCM was trialled for six months between January 2022 and June 2022. CCM scores pre and post IST intervention were analysed via t-test, and qualitative feedback from clinicians is detailed. Findings: Analysis suggests the CCM captures service success showing a significant decrease in complexity and risk post-intervention. Qualitative comments from clinicians were generally positive; however, there were requested changes regarding specific presentations, use of labels/language and for a digital version. Research limitations/implications: The tool is not co-constructed with the client. Because of this IST's caseload, the sample size was small. Only one clinician was asked to complete the CCM pre and post intervention. Future use of the measure will encourage two clinicians to complete the measure to evidence its inter-rater reliability. Each client's specific presentation was not explicitly analysed here. Practical implications: The CCM will be updated using the feedback from clinicians and from the peer review process. Research that examines the generalisability of this measure to other IST services would be beneficial. Originality/value: The CCM appears to fill a gap in outcome measurements for this IST service which looks at breadth and depth of client complexity and risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In principle, it is possible for a couple to get married in a register office in England or Wales for £127 (including the cost of giving notice and a certificate). In this article, we draw on empirical research to show how limited this option is in practice. Its availability is constrained by the scarcity of register offices limited slots for weddings, and the addition of other fees not provided for in the regulations. Its accessibility is often not obvious from local authorities' websites, and the administration of such a wedding varies hugely, with some local authorities treating it as a no-frills legal procedure, and others regarding it as a significant ceremony that is incomplete without music or a reflective introductory speech by the superintendent registrar – even if the couple wanted neither. With significant numbers of couples having a register office wedding because the marriage ceremony they choose to have to reflect their beliefs is not legally binding, there is a need to address these issues of availability, accessibility and administration so that couples are not put off or discriminated against. Further research is also needed to explore how these issues impact those with limited means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nineteenth century witnessed the creation of a 'paper Panopticon' designed to capture information about offenders in England, especially those who were transported to Australia. This article considers the effectiveness of this new record-keeping system and asks whether convicts had some agency within it. These questions are explored through a macroscopic analysis of the recording of convict ages in nineteenth-century England and Australia, made possible by the Digital Panopticon project. By using the methodological opportunities opened up by digital technologies, we can test the accuracy of historical records in new ways, and in the process develop a better understanding of the encounter between state authority and convict agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper examines three English research papers on self-neglect, from 1957, 1966 and 1975, discussing them in the context of more recent thinking and the statutory framework in England. Design/methodology/approach: In reviewing the three research papers, developments and points of continuity in the field of self-neglect were identified and are discussed in this paper. Findings: In light of the findings of the three articles, the present paper traces some of the classificatory refinements in this field that have taken place since the papers were published, notably in respect of hoarding and severe domestic squalor. Some of the difficulties in making judgements about behaviour thought to breach societal norms are described, and the challenges practitioners face in intervening in cases, particularly where the person concerned is refusing assistance, are examined. Originality/value: By drawing on the historical research context, the paper contributes to our current understanding of the field of self-neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores Digital Poverty (DP) in England by adopting the DP Alliance's theoretical framework that includes both Individual Determinants (individual capability and motivation) and Circumstantial Determinants (conditions of action). Such a framework is interpreted as an expression of Strong Structuration Theory (SST), by situating the connection between social structure and human agency in an intertwined relationship. We focus on new potential vulnerabilities that are connected to DP in England by drawing on a survey conducted on a randomised stratified sample (n = 1988) of parents aged between 20–55 with children at school. Exploring parents' experience in the COVID-19 era, we identified economic factors and having children with disabilities as important predictors connected to Digital Poverty. Additional socio-demographic traits (such as age and education), parental status, lifestyles and digital behaviours also play a role in predicting some of the determinants linked to Digital Poverty. This paper adds to SST by empirically exploring how individuals use the Internet according to their metabolised embodiment of external determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the "signs and tokens" described in alchemical texts relate to colour, from the Crow's Bill signifying putrefaction to the philosophical solvents disguised as Green Lions, Red Dragons, and Grey Wolves. While the process of yellowing, or citrination, often appears in medieval recipes, it seems to have interested commentators less than the more familiar processes of blackening, whitening, or reddening. Yet beyond these canonical colours, yellowness turns out to be ubiquitous in alchemy and its associated craft practices, both in Latin texts and vernacular translations. This paper uses source criticism and experimental reconstruction to interrogate the role of yellowness at the beginning, middle, and end of practice, focusing on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century England. As starting ingredients, yellow vitriol and litharge offered the potential for transmutation but also posed problems for identification and preparation. As an intermediate stage, yellowness offered promising signs of future success, in the form of dramatic colour changes and unexpected products. But yellowness also offered an end in itself, as appears from the many citrination processes attested in recipe collections which aimed to imitate the properties of gold – suggesting that yellowing was prized as a significant indicator of chemical change across diverse areas of craft practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject: Peer research methodologies and methods are increasingly used in research, particularly to benefit from lived experiences.The experiences of peer researchers with severe mental illness are less common, including the impact on them of conducting peer‐led research. What the paper adds to existing knowledge: This paper shares the experience of peer research and suggests in the context of food insecurity, that it is not well understood by some healthcare professionals. What are the implications for practice: Implications include considerations around trauma‐informed care and the need for screening for food insecurity in mental healthcare settings. Research implications include providing training for peer research and needing to consider longevity of peer researcher relationships. Introduction: Food insecurity means that a person does not have access to sufficient nutritious food for normal growth and health. This can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other long term chronic health conditions. People living with a severe mental illness are more likely to experience food insecurity than people without a severe mental illness. Aim: The aim of this paper is to present a lived experience narrative of two peer researchers. Peer researchers conducted interviews with adults with severe mental illness from Northern England as part of a funded research project. These interviews discussed experiences of food insecurity and strategies to tackle it and were conducted between March and December 2022. Thesis: The following paper does not discuss the results of the interviews themselves. Rather the narrative begins with an overview of peer research, before sharing the experiences of the two peer researchers in undertaking this project. Implications for Practice: This includes healthcare professionals understanding food insecurity, what it is and what it is not, thinking about trauma‐informed care, and screening for food insecurity. Peer research implications centre on adequate support and training, considerations to longevity of peer research relationships and reducing unnecessary research burden for peer researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: We know that there are similar rates of borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosed in both men and women; however, some research suggests that BPD is diagnosed later and less frequently in men. Some research suggests that males diagnosed with BPD present differently to women, but not much is known about how this influences the care men receive in inpatient mental health hospitals. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: This paper is the first to specifically ask inpatient staff about men diagnosed with BPD, and to hear about their perceptions and experiences.It identified that some staff do not feel as knowledgeable in identifying and treating BPD in men compared to women. Some staff talked about how emotional difficulties like BPD are often not the first thought when men present with distress compared to women. Staff also talked about needing a safe, open and transparent working culture to be able to ask questions and to be questioned on their own assumptions, biases or lack of training. What are the implications for practice?: This paper suggests that inpatient staff may hold some assumptions about men and their emotions, such as assuming that they are less likely to struggle with emotional difficulties like BPD. Staff anxieties about risk management may influence how they perceive and care for men in inpatient wards. The findings suggest that male‐specific training in identifying and treating BPD should be provided for staff on inpatient wards, to improve knowledge and confidence. Introduction: Research highlights discrepancies in recognition of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in men, despite similar rates of prevalence across genders. Aim: To investigate inpatient mental health professionals' experiences of delivering treatment for males with a diagnosis of BPD. Method: Six mental health professionals working within adult acute inpatient wards completed a semi‐structured interview. All participants were members of the nursing team. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Five themes were identified: Gender Differences, Stereotyping, Facilitators to Care Delivery, Barriers to Care Delivery and Ways to Improve Care. Participants talked of a lack of awareness and understanding of BPD in males impacting both diagnosis and treatment in an acute inpatient setting. Discussion: There may be factors ranging from gender stereotypes, limited knowledge and understanding of gender differences in presentations, and personal/organisational cultures influencing the formulation and treatment of males with a diagnosis of BPD in inpatient settings. Implications for Practice: The findings suggest that gender stereotypes such as masculine norms may influence how male patients' emotional difficulties are understood and managed, and that additional training in male‐specific issues to improve knowledge and care provision. This research will support inpatient staff, service leads and clinical educators to identify ways to adapt care provision for men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Festivals play an important role in improving death and grief literacy, enabling members of the public to engage with these often-sensitive topics. Good Grief Weston festival was co-designed and delivered with the community in Weston-super-Mare, a coastal town in South-West England with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage but rich community assets. It was held in person over 8 days in May 2023. Objectives: To evaluate the reach and impact of Good Grief Weston festival and gather data to inform future festivals. Design: Mixed methods evaluation (survey and focus groups). Methods: Online and paper surveys assessing participants' characteristics and experiences were administrated during and after the festival. Survey participants who indicated their willingness to participate were invited to attend a focus group. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Data were collected by trained community co-researchers. Results: Approximately 3000 people attended the festival. Of 204 completed surveys, 64.5% were from women, age range ⩽15 to ⩾75 years; 88.2% identified as White; 14.9% deaf, disabled/with a chronic condition; 18.9% neurodivergent; 9.0% gay, bisexual or queer. Festival participants were entertained (70.9%), inspired (68.5%), felt part of a like-minded community (54.3%), talked to someone new (49.2%), learnt about grief/bereavement (34.3%), shared or expressed experiences (30.3%) and found out about local support (19.7%). 71.3% reported that they felt more confident talking about grief after attending. Median experience rating was 5 (IQR 0; possible range 1 = poor to 5 = excellent). In free-text comments, participants expressed appreciation for the festival and described benefits in attending. Two focus groups were conducted (n = 8 participants, all women), lasting c.1.5 h. Focus groups added rich descriptions of the festival's value, and data to inform the next festival. Conclusion: Findings suggest festivals of this nature can play a central role in a public health approach. Plain language summary: What was the impact of Good Grief Weston festival? Why was the study done? Previous studies have shown that many people feel unsupported by their community after the death of a loved one. We designed a festival to improve knowledge and support for bereaved people. We did this study to assess how the festival affected the people who attended. What did the researchers do? The team included researchers and people and organisations from the local community. Together, we designed and ran a festival on the topic of death, grief and bereavement in Weston-super-Mare, a coastal town with areas of high deprivation. The festival took place over an eight-day period in May 2023 and included creative, interactive and educational events. The team collected feedback on attendees' experiences of the festival. We did this using online and paper feedback forms, postcards, and focus groups to collect as many opinions as possible. What did the researchers find? We found that a wide range of people attended the festival. Most people who took part in the research rated the festival as 'excellent'. They told us they learnt about grief and bereavement and found out about local support services. Attendees met new people, shared their experiences, and felt that the festival built community spirit. They also made suggestions to improve any future festivals. What do the findings mean? The findings show that in-person festivals can effectively engage the public on the topic of death, grief and bereavement. They can also help develop connections between people and organisations in communities. These connections and learning opportunities may help communities to support their members through bereavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The housing market in England is in crisis, in terms of both availability and costs of housing. Although it is not a solution for everyone, many advocates of the tiny house movement promote developing small houses that are financially affordable and environmentally sustainable. There is limited research on tiny houses, and the hidden costs of developing this type of housing have not been investigated. This paper addresses this gap through exploring the perceived transaction costs associated with developing tiny houses in England, and how these costs can be reduced. It was found that there are considerable transaction costs in different stages of the development process, including searching for information, finding suitable land, obtaining planning permission, and constructing the house. The paper concludes that tiny houses require enabling legislation in planning policy so that planning permission is easier to obtain. Also, awareness of tiny houses needs to be raised so that local planning authorities and the public understand the concept better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an account of the everyday workplace learning of cycle technicians. Derived from an ethnography of working cultures and practices at a bike shop in the North of England, this paper rests on a critical reading of Communities of Practice theory in order to explore the complex and heterogeneous learning of cycle technicians. Drawing on a series of vignettes constructed from the ethnographic data, the paper demonstrates the variety of experiences of both formal and informal learning that characterise the trajectories of new cycle technicians as they enter the industry. In addition to providing an account of a qualified and specialist workforce that is under-represented in extant research literature, the paper also provides an exemplar for ethnographic research as a vehicle for exploring working practices through a Communities of Practice lens, using the paradigmatic theoretical elements of the theory. The paper concludes by arguing that for cycle technicians, and perhaps other occupations as well, Communities of Practice theory can generate rich and complex accounts that do justice to the richness and complexity of the craft and practice being observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving successful multi‐stakeholder collaboration for sustainable outcomes is complex. This paper provides key principles for future co‐design projects aimed at fostering an inclusive approach to research. These have been developed based on a novel methodology that co‐designed the essential components of a long‐term, collaborative agreement for a nature recovery scheme in England. Using an assortment of iterative, deliberative participatory methods, this research engaged a wide variety of stakeholders to produce a template agreement for an agri‐environmental policy. We demonstrate that a flexible, highly reflective approach resulted in positive engagement with previously marginalised stakeholders. The approach also successfully navigated the unequal power dynamics seen both within and between groups. Finally, multiple feedback loops allowed participants to continually build on previous interactions as they developed and reviewed the agreement. By drawing out the complexities of the co‐design process, this paper explains how co‐design efforts can produce potentially transformative outputs. We hope that the principles introduced here offer a useful starting point for those planning to undertake multi‐stakeholder co‐design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs data from the 2021 UK census to initially explore sub-state (English, Welsh) national identities among minority ethnic groups. This shows that these identities remain much more exclusive of people in minority groups than is a British identity, and that this exclusion is particularly marked with respect to English identity. The analysis then builds on this observation using similar data to examine English identification among the White British ‘majority’ in a ‘superdiverse’ city – London. Attributes which are typically shared by London boroughs in which identification as English deviates most from the national average, and multi-variable analysis which considers the ethnic structure of the borough in which an individual lives alongside other key factors (age, education, social class) suggest differences in identification between people living in boroughs that are characterised by more established and extensive ethnic diversity and those in boroughs transitioning from a previously more homogeneous (white) ethnic structure. In exploring how the articulation of a specific national identity might relate to ethnically-diverse or ‘superdiverse’ contexts, the paper uniquely contributes to recent research which calls for a stronger focus on how people who do not belong to migrant-minority groups might respond to living in such contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses how strategic planning for nature can be improved for England's built and natural environment using mainstreaming and landscape-scale concepts. Whilst both concepts feature in academic literature, there has been limited attention on their role as catalytic agents for strategic planning. Addressing this gap, evidence is used from two stakeholder workshops involving 62 senior policy experts managing a range of operational and hypothetical strategic spatial planning challenges. The results reveal a significantly weakened strategic planning arena characterised by policy disintegration, short termism and uncertainty. Key findings highlight the fallacy of pursuing strategic planning for nature in isolation from wider policy integration fusing environmental, economic and social components from the outset. Current barriers to progress include institutional inertia, technocratic vocabularies and neoliberalist priorities exacerbated by a weak underlying theory. Conversely opportunities for mainstreaming processes may help knowledge generation and exchange within transdisciplinary partnerships, whilst landscape scale thinking can improve understanding of issues using natures inherent geometry transforming processes and outcomes. The paper recommends the adoption of strategic planning pathways using mainstreaming and landscape-scale approaches working in tandem. Whilst focused on the English context, our findings are transferable to other planning systems in the Global North, especially those championing neoliberal market led policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During COVID and lockdown, many prisoners have not only been affected by infection transmission in crowded and ill-equipped institutions, they have also been separated from a range of supports, including loss of family and professional supports and support for prisoners with addiction and/or mental health problems has been disrupted. This paper reports on evidence of how peer-based recovery organizations have attempted to mitigate these adverse effects, based on a case study of one prison in the North-West of England, using a range of routine reporting data and original research data. The paper shows how prison-based peer recovery support has not only continued through lockdown but grown both in the prison and in continuing care on release. The key conclusion is that Lived Experience Recovery Organizations (LEROs) have a vital role to play in offering continuing care to prison populations both to support early recovery and to sustain change around release back into the community, in COVID but also more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines three questions: (1) (How) Is democracy promoted in secondary schools in England? (2) How is the promotion of democracy understood in education and teacher education policy? and (3) To what extent does existing education policy benefit the promotion of democracy in schools in England? To explore these questions, we first discuss the policy landscape surrounding democratic education in England. We then outline our data collection and analysis methods, which comprised (a) the coding of ten different policy documents, including curriculum specifications, teaching standards and inspection frameworks, and (b) the utilisation of an original survey of more than 3000 teachers working in approximately 50% of all secondary schools in England. Together, our data allow us to raise three important points. First, education and teacher education policy neglects to specify 'how' democracy should be promoted and by 'whom'. Second, schools are offering scant provision of democratic education. Third, the majority of teachers feel fundamentally underprepared to teach democracy. We conclude this paper by arguing that, if policymakers do wish to promote democracy, there is a need for a cohesive policy and teacher education approach that guarantees democratic education for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes to research that examines how state actors support the financialisation of land via the development process and how planning systems have facilitated the accumulation of privately-owned land-based wealth. The empirical focus is the specialist residential land promoter sector in England. This is a particularly appropriate case study because of how this sector of the land market has become integrated with the planning system via crisis-driven planning reform that has facilitated the commodification of planning risk and the financialisation of land. The paper examines the business models and strategies of land promoters to show how they have been shaped both by the politics of planning reform as well as the financial objectives of their funders. The research is in dialogue with international literature on the relationship between planning and the land market, how this relationship is shaped by risk and uncertainty, and the role of state regulation in reshaping the physical environment in accordance with financial logics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to make a conceptual contribution to the role of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in regard to global education within state global heritage (multicultural) schools – using England as a representative example – in an age characterised by epistemological, historical and cultural securitisation. This paper recruits ideas and concepts taken from Lefebvre and Bourdieu in a discussion focussed on the IBO's potential role in resistance to the dominant neoliberal imaginary and cultural securitisation. However, in order to be a force for democratisation, the IBO must itself democratise through a reconceptualisation of the school spaces it operates in/produces. It will also involve a process of reassessing its notion/positioning of what constitutes symbolic (and therefore valuable) cultural capital. This will mean untethering global education from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. This paper highlights the possibility of a new space for global education, operationalised by moving beyond the 'IB school' to the potential of the more informal IB supported school. It is argued here that the IBO has the potential to galvanise a new wave of inclusive global education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Developments in information and communication technologies have enabled electronic health and seen a huge expansion over the last decade. This has increased the possibility of self-management of health issues. Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of the Baby Buddy app on maternal self-efficacy and mental well-being three months post-birth in a sample of mothers recruited antenatally. In addition, to explore when, why and how mothers use the app and consider any benefits the app may offer them in relation to their parenting, health, relationships or communication with their child, friends, family members or health professionals. Methods: We will use a mixed-methods approach, a cohort study, a qualitative element and analysis of in-app data. Participants will be first-time pregnant women, aged 16 years and over, between 12 and 16 weeks of gestation and recruited from five English study sites. Evaluation plan: We will compare maternal self-efficacy and mental health at three months post-delivery in mothers who have downloaded the Baby Buddy app compared with those that have not downloaded the app, controlling for confounding factors. Women will be recruited antenatally between 12 and 16 weeks of gestation. Further follow-ups will take place at 35 weeks of gestation and three months post-birth. Data from the cohort study will be supplemented by in-app data that will include, for example, patterns of usage. Qualitative data will assess the impact of the app on the lives of pregnant women and health professionals using both focus groups and interviews. Ethics: Approval from the West Midlands-South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee (NRES) (16/WM/0029) and the University of the West of England, Bristol, Research Ethics Committee (HAS.16.08.001). Dissemination: Findings of the study will be published in peer reviewed and professional journals, presented locally, nationally and at international conferences. Participants will receive a summary of the findings and the results will be published on Best Beginnings' website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the difficulties in identifying and tracking paper stocks in London, England. Role of paper in the history of bibliographical scholarship; Difficulties in identifying sheet quality, paper quantity and watermarks; Analogy of author Carter Hailey relevant to identifying tracking paper; Impact of technological innovations on book study and book history.

NHS England’s Five Year Forward View outlines new care models and the need for a workforce that has the skills, values, and competencies to deliver this vision. This is a position paper detailing the context, method, and intentions of a Health Education England funded project led by Manchester Metropolitan University in the North West of England, which the authors see as making a key contribution to addressing issues of illness, crisis, and loss in the changing landscape of health and social care provision in England. Using an action research methodology and drawing together key stakeholders from the sector, the project aims to explore the potential for creating a professional health and social care graduate workforce which meets the needs of an integrated service delivery landscape by identifying key issues to be addressed when redeveloping the undergraduate curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menasseh ben-Israel petitioned to re-admit Jews to England in 1655. Historians have been aware that Menasseh utilized the ideas employed by Simone Luzzatto in Luzzatto’s efforts to avoid the expulsion of the Jews from Venice. Luzzatto employed the humanist language of reason of state, while Menasseh’s writings were all exegetical in nature prior to 1655. How did Menasseh, a messianist whose writings focused on explaining Jewish thought, who had shown no interest in humanist political discourse, come to employ the humanist ideas of reason of state popular in the mid-seventeenth century? Furthermore, Luzzatto’s petition is a meek request to allow Jews to continue to reside in the Venetian ghetto, while Menasseh addresses Cromwell as an ambassador of one nation to the leader of another boldly requesting to be admitted to England without disabilities. How can we explain this dramatic change in tone? This paper traces the links, as well as the crucial differences, between these two petitions by examining several other petitions on behalf of Atlantic Jewry as well as the international developments in the intervening period. This paper argues that these factors were critical in the development of Menasseh’s thought as well as his choice of language and tone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advances debates at the intersection of geographies of children, youth and families, digital geographies, and geographies of home. We argue that social, seasonal and limited time are vitally important for understanding the new landscape between gaming and gambling and have wider analytical purchase for geographers. This paper reveals parenting practices connected to the multi-billion-dollar industry of paid-for currency in digital games used to access gambling style systems and chance-based mechanisms such as loot boxes. We use this timely example to develop new digital geographies of home from original interviews with families based in England on their everyday lived experiences of gambling-style systems in digital games as well as data from video ethnographies with children and young people and interviews with international game designers. This paper challenges current understandings by examining how parents make sense of gambling-related harms and demonstrates the spatial and temporal dynamics of purchasing decisions, rules, and associated conflicts in domestic space. We argue these systems in digital games shape and are shaped by family geographies. This paper concludes by outlining its relevance for the social and health sciences at a time of intense legislative interest in the increasingly blurred space between gaming and gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population Health Management – often abbreviated to PHM – is a relatively new approach for healthcare planning, requiring the application of analytical techniques to linked patient level data. Despite expectations for greater uptake of PHM, there is a deficit of available solutions to help health services embed it into routine use. This paper concerns the development, application and use of an interactive tool which can be linked to a healthcare system's data warehouse and employed to readily perform key PHM tasks such as population segmentation, risk stratification, and deriving various performance metrics and descriptive summaries. Developed through open-source code in a large healthcare system in South West England, and used by others around the country, this paper demonstrates the importance of a scalable, purpose-built solution for improving the uptake of PHM in health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early language delay is exacerbated by social disadvantage. Factors such as parents' low levels of literacy, confidence and self‐perception can affect the capacity to act on advice received, critical to empowerment. Methods used to achieve successful health outcomes in socially disadvantaged clinical populations may need enhancing. Aims: To compare the impact of standard parent‐based intervention (PBI) to enhanced PBI for young children with speech, language and communication needs (SCLN) and their families living in more socially disadvantaged populations. Methods and Procedures: A multicentre clustered blind randomised controlled trial was used to compare the effect of parent‐based group interventions to improve early language development with children (mean age 27.5 months) from more socially disadvantaged populations with an expressive vocabulary of 40 or less single words. Intervention sessions were delivered by a speech and language therapist, over a 20‐week period. Participants received one of two interventions: (1) Standard Care – indirect group PBI – (PBI) (2) Enhanced Care: indirect group enhanced PBI – (EPBI). Both standardised and non‐standardised measures were used as outcomes. Parent engagement in the intervention was captured through analysis of attendance and the Parent Activation Measure – Speech & Language Therapy (PAM‐SLT) (Insignia Health, 2014). The PAM measures a person's knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their own health and well‐being (NHS England, 2018). In this study, activation referred to parents' knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their child's language development. Outcomes and Results: One hundred fifty‐five participants were randomised at baseline. Children in both groups made significant improvements in the outcome on MacArthur‐Bates Communicative Development Inventories Sentence Length, from pre‐intervention to post‐intervention and 6 months post‐intervention (p < 0.05). Changes in vocabulary and expressive language skills were more equivocal, showing wide variation in confidence intervals for both groups. Where parents attended at least one intervention session almost all effect sizes were in favour of the EPBI intervention. Parents' activation levels significantly increased for both groups (EPBI p < 0.001, PBI p = 0.003), with a moderate effect size in favour of EPBI (Hedges' G 0.37, confidence interval –0.02 to 0.76), although wide variation was found. Conclusions and Implications: This trial provides some evidence of facilitating the language development of children with SLCN from more socially disadvantaged areas through supporting caregivers. However, we found variation in outcomes; some children made excellent progress, whilst others did not. Further exploration of parent engagement and its relationship to child language outcomes will be valuable to understanding more about mechanisms of change in interventions that involve parents. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have a knock‐on effect on emotional well‐being, school readiness, literacy and school attainment, putting children at increased risk of long‐term consequences such as poor literacy, mental health problems and unemployment. In disadvantaged areas, the prevalence of language difficulties is higher than elsewhere. Factors such as parents' low levels of literacy, confidence and self‐perception can affect the capacity to act on advice received, critical to empowerment. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: Children with SLCN from more socially disadvantaged areas can make improvements in their language development through parent intervention, although wide individual variation was found. There was some evidence that children achieve better outcomes with EPBI, which employed an interagency collaborative approach. Parent's engagement (activation levels) increased significantly over time with intervention, with the increase twice as big for EPBI. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This trial provides some evidence that it is possible to facilitate the language development of children from more socially disadvantaged areas through supporting their caregivers. Further research would be useful to determine whether increases in parent engagement are related to adherence to intervention and change in child outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex and enduring mental health problems require greater treatment resources, usually in the form of multidisciplinary support, including providing psychological therapies. This paper reports on an NHS, tertiary-level specialist psychotherapy service offering Psychodynamic therapies with longer-term, exploratory transdiagnostic approaches to support complexity and sustained personality functioning. This paper adopts a naturalistic study design evaluating the effectiveness of Psychodynamic therapy using pre- and post-outcomes across a 10-year period. A total of n = 474 participants self-report pre- and post-outcome measures were used as the marker of effectiveness along with therapist assessments during intake and engagement. The findings showed that Psychodynamic therapy was effective in reducing psychological distress based on service-user self-report and therapist assessments. While intake scores varied by socio-demographic factors, the rate of change across most groups was similar. There were several limitations relating to data quality and completeness which reflect the naturalistic design. Despite the limits of a naturalistic design, this study provides evidence of support for the place of Psychodynamic therapies within NHS mental health care, catering to those with complex and enduring mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve education performance at home, countries cross nationally policy-borrow from jurisdictions ranked highly in international league tables. This paper examines a practical example of one such instance of policy borrowing, Teaching for Mastery (TfM). Over a six year period, interviews were conducted with teachers working in primary schools in the East Midlands region of England. The focus of these interviews was to explore informants' experiences of enacting TfM and their analysis of the UK government's motives for undertaking this borrowing. Applying Baudrillard's ideas around hyperreality and image to these data indicated two key themes: 1) TfM discourses masked crucial aspects of the original policy, with the result that 2) TfM became non-relational to the original and thus hyperreal. The paper suggests strategies that might mitigate against policy becoming hyperreal and concludes that government must carefully consider its motives for engaging in the borrowing process from the outset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting individuals' social care needs is a core element of UK social policy. However, the conceptualisation and operationalisation of 'unmet need' remain a challenge. This paper advances our understanding by incorporating a temporal dimension into the conceptual framework on unmet need to investigate the dynamics of met and unmet need for social care over time. Using data from Waves 8 and 9 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, this paper examines five possible trajectories among individuals with a social care need for bathing or dressing at baseline: (a) no longer having such a need; (b) having continued needs met; (c) delayed needs met; (d) newly arisen unmet needs; and (e) repeated unmet needs. The results indicate that amongst those with need at baseline, unmet need has decreased over time – indicating that some needs for social care may be fulfilled with a delay. However, a significant proportion of older people experienced repeated unmet needs, particularly those who were younger, with no spouse or civil partner, and those whose activities of daily living index scores worsened over time. Understanding the dynamics of unmet need can support policy makers in better ensuring that those facing an elevated risk of repeated unmet need over time do not fall through the social care safety net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Emergency departments (ED) are key settings to support and manage suicidal crisis; thus, ED staff are often the first point of contact for people in suicidal crisis. Despite this, some ED staff receive little training and/or education on how to best support such patients. What the paper adds to existing knowledge: Previous research focuses on one staffing role (e.g. triage nurses) whereas this paper includes staff working across the ED pathway. Administrative staff have often been excluded from research, despite representing a key part of the clinical pathway and being a person's initial contact with the ED.Overall findings demonstrate that staff experience a lack of confidence, training and burnout due to regularly supporting people in suicidal crisis. Staff also perceive there to be a negative ED culture, which often leads to poor attitudes towards suicidal crisis. The main challenges reported are an increase in working pressures, unavailability of resources and staff retention.Findings build upon previous research to highlight key challenges different staff face along the clinical pathway and the implications this can have on a patient's journey and follow‐up care provided. What are the implications for practice?: Findings are of particular importance and relevance to ED managers, and more broadly NHS England. Negative ED culture, poor staff attitudes and confidence can have a detrimental impact on both staff health and wellbeing, as well as a patient's journey throughout the ED, resulting in repeat presentations and absconding as appropriate support is not received.Policymakers need to consider staff burnout and lack of resources in mental health care strategies, and training programmes should be developed to improve culture and confidence among ED staff and managers to improve care for people attending EDs in suicidal crisis. Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) are often the first point of contact for people in suicidal crisis. Yet, previous work has tended to focus on only one type of staffing role, failing to account for different staff perspectives along the clinical pathway. Aims: To explore and synthesise the perspectives of ED administrative (i.e. receptionists), medical (triage nurses) and mental health staff (liaison psychiatrists) working with people presenting in suicidal crisis. Method: Qualitative study guided by thematic analysis of semi‐structured interviews with 23 ED staff across six EDs in Cheshire and Merseyside, England. Results: Findings demonstrate that staff experience a lack of confidence, training and burnout due to regularly supporting people in suicidal crisis. The main challenges reported are an increase in working pressures, unavailability of resources and staff retention. Discussion: Staff felt unequipped to deal with suicide‐related presentations. Organisational support is perceived to be lacking, with increased staffing pressures and poor service availability. This lack of support was linked to job dissatisfaction. Implications for Practice: Findings are of particular relevance to individual EDs and NHS England. Addressing the challenges staff are reporting can have positive implications for staff wellbeing, as well as a patient's experience and journey throughout the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of the 'hostile environment' on racialised migrant women's experiences of pregnancy and childbirth in England, arguing that the 'hostile environment' functions as a technology of 'stratified reproduction.' First coined by Shellee Colen, the concept of stratified reproduction describes the dynamic by which some individuals and groups may be supported in their reproductive activities, while others are disempowered and discouraged. This paper locates the stratified reproduction produced by the 'hostile environment' as intertwined with wider gendered and racialised discourses around British citizenship which have been 'designed to fail' racialised residents of the UK. Drawing on interviews with racialised migrant mothers in the north of England, this paper analyses how the proliferation and intensification of immigration controls interacts with gender, race, class, and other social regimes to differentially allocate the resources necessary for a safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and how this is experienced materially by pregnant migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the relationship between religion and football has gained considerable interest during the last twenty years, scant attention has been paid to the relationship between pilgrimage and football. This paper seeks to advance the study of this relationship through an exploration of collective memory about football disasters that throws fresh light on central themes within pilgrimage studies—pilgrimage as both a journey to a sacred place and the performance of diverse rituals at such places. The paper explores, in particular, the ways in which three different tragedies involving English football clubs have been commemorated through journeys to and ritual performance at places seen as sacred to those involved in commemoration—football stadiums and urban spaces, and cathedrals and pilgrimage shrines in England, Germany and Italy. Through this analysis, we seek to show how the commemoration of football disaster is linked to pilgrimage as a process where people seek healing and reconciliation through the public performance of rituals that link the local to the global. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the efforts of Health Secretary John Reid to publish the book "White Paper" in England. Concerns over the need of reducing the prevalence of obesity in the country; Way of responding to several public health issues; Availability of the book.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to argue for a strengthening of the relational aspect of social work and for initiatives that involve local people and local communities.Design/methodology/approach A think piece based on observations of the current situation and supporting evidence.Findings Social work has become distanced from those whom it seeks to help. Case management and risk assessment need to be complemented by a more human approach based on positive relationships between professionals and service users.Originality/value An informed discussion on the future of social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critique of planning and new proposals to reform the English planning system and "rethink planning from first principles" have led to the introduction of rules-based principles into what is regarded as the paradigm of a discretionary planning system, culminating in a recent White Paper, which it is claimed will create a faster and better planning system than the existing discretionary approach. But are these proposals based on an oversimplified understanding of the differences between discretionary and regulatory models, neglecting, for example, the negotiation between stakeholders and the flexibility which also exists in regulatory planning systems? Our contribution will review some of the recent changes of the English planning system and reflect on experiences with zoning in European countries to bust the myth that the planning reform claims to address: the possibility to combine faster decision making with better place making and less interference from local planning authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the policy process around initial teacher education (ITE) during the pandemic of 2020 was experienced by the leaders of ITE programmes across England.Education policies,it is argued, are solutions to perceived problems, revealing latent values that drive action. Group interviews with leaders of ITE programmes across the education sector, focused on the lived experience of ITE policy developments during the first wave of the COVID-19 period (March to July 2020). The analysis drew upon three policy drivers derived from an examination of teacher education policy (prior to the pandemic) in four 'high performing' English-speaking countries (according to PISA). The three policy drivers: the economy and global competitiveness (the rationale for change); accountability and regulatory framework (the technologies for change); and the core purpose of schooling and teacher professionalism (the values underpinning change); show how the temporary policy shift soon reverted back to previous priorities. Agency and autonomy were experienced by teacher educators which enabled them to exercise expert judgment, but there were also the significant 'gaps' in the expertise of policymakers. The research reveals how values influences policy formation, creating divisions within England's ITE community, and isolating it from international policy trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: What Is Known on the Subject?: Mental health care can be delivered remotely through video and telephone consultations.Remote consultations may be cheaper and more efficient than in person consultations. What the Paper Adds to Existing Knowledge: Accessing community mental health care through remote consultations is perceived as not possible or beneficial for all service users.Delivering remote consultations may not be practical or appropriate for all clinicians or community mental health teams. What are the Implications for Practice?: Remote consultation cannot be a 'one‐size‐fits‐all' model of community mental health care.A flexible approach is needed to offering remote consultation that considers its suitability for the service‐user, service and clinician. Introduction: Responding to COVID‐19, community mental health teams in the UK NHS abruptly adopted remote consultations. Whilst they have demonstrable effectiveness, efficiency, and economic benefits, questions remain around the acceptability, feasibility and medicolegal implications of delivering community mental health care remotely. Aim: To explore perceived advantages, challenges, and practice adaptations of delivering community mental health care remotely. Methods: Ten community mental health teams in an NHS trust participated in a service evaluation about remote consultation. Fifty team discussions about remote consultation were recorded April–December 2020. Data analysis used a framework approach with themes being coded within a matrix. Results: Three major horizontal themes of operations and team functioning, clinical pathways, and impact on staff were generated, with vertical themes of advantages, challenges, equity and adaptations. Discussion: Remote consultation is an attractive model of community mental healthcare. Clinical staff note benefits at individual (staff and service‐user), team, and service levels. However, it is not perceived as a universally beneficial or practical approach, and there are concerns relating to access equality. Implications for Practice: The suitability of remote consultation needs to be considered for each service‐user, clinical population and clinical role. This requires a flexible and hybrid approach, attuned to safeguarding equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject: Mental health wards can feel unsafe. We know that patients and staff have different ideas about what makes a hospital ward safe or unsafe.Patients are often the first to know when the atmosphere on a ward becomes tense, but often, no one asks them for their views.Patients and staff are experts and should be included in discussions about how to make wards safer. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: We got together with some service users and staff, and made an app that helps patients to tell staff when they are not feeling safe on a mental health ward. We tried it out on six wards and we asked patients and staff what they thought.The app was easy to use and most people liked the look of it.Patients said staff did not talk with them enough and so they liked using the app. However, some staff said they could tell how patients were feeling without an app and so they did not need it. Ward managers told us that staff were often very busy and did not always have time to use the app. What are the implications for practice: This app could help staff know straightaway when patients do not feel safe on the ward, so that they can act quickly to calm things down.To make the most of the app, staff need to get used to it and bring it into ward routines. Introduction: Safety improvement on mental health wards is of international concern. It should incorporate patient perspectives. Aim: Implementation and evaluation of 'WardSonar', a digital safety‐monitoring tool for adult acute mental health wards, developed with stakeholders to communicate patients' real‐time safety perceptions to staff. Method: Six acute adult mental health wards in England implemented the tool in 2022. Evaluation over 10 weeks involved qualitative interviews (34 patients, 33 staff), 39 focused ethnographic observations, and analysis of pen portraits. Results: Implementation and evaluation of the WardSonar tool was feasible despite challenging conditions. Most patients valued the opportunity to communicate their immediate safety concerns, stating that staff had a poor understanding of them. Some staff said the WardSonar tool could help enhanced ward safety but recognised a need to incorporate its use into daily routines. Others said they did not need the tool to understand patients' safety concerns. Discussion: Foreseeable challenges, including staff ambivalence and practical issues, appeared intensified by the post‐COVID‐19 context. Implications for Practice: The WardSonar tool could improve ward safety, especially from patients' perspectives. Future implementation could support staff to use the real‐time data to inform proactive safety interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Mental health services report adverse incidents in different ways and the relationship between adverse incidents and the workforce is uncertain. In England, there are national datasets recording all incidents and workforce statistics though there is no peer‐reviewed evidence examining recent trends. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: Although there has been an overall increase in the number of mental health nurses, more are working in the community and the number of nurses relative to adverse incidents has decreased. There have been service‐provision changes but the role of mental health nurses has not significantly changed in this period, and we can therefore assume that their current practice is saturated with risk or increased reporting. To help understand the relationship between nurses and incidents, we need to transform how incidents are recorded in England. What are the implications for practice?: English mental health services report greater levels of patient‐related factors such as self‐harm or aggression rather than missed or erroneous care. This makes it difficult to understand if a rise in incident frequency is linked to reporting behaviour, patient risk, unsafe/ineffective care or other reasons and therefore planning workforce deployment to improve care quality is problematic. Introduction: There is a paucity of empirical data examining incidents and mental health nurses and the relationship between the two remains uncertain. Aim: Comparison of English national data for incidents and nursing workforce to examine recent trends. Method: Descriptive analysis of two national datasets of incidents and workforce data for England between 2015 and 2022. Results: A 46% increase in incidents was found; the leading causes are self‐harm and aggressive behaviour. Despite the rise in adverse incident reporting, a 6% increase in mental health nurses was found, with more nurses in community settings than hospitals. Discussion: Current services are incident reporting at greater concentrations than in previous years. Patient‐related behaviour continues to be most prominently reported, rather than possible antecedent health services issues that may contribute to reporting. Whilst staffing has increased, this does not seem to have kept pace with the implied workload evident in the increase in incident reports. Implications for Practice: Greater emphasis should be placed on health service behaviour in reporting mechanisms. Self‐harm and aggression should continue to be considered adverse outcomes, but causal health service factors, such as missed care, should be present in pooled reporting to help reduce the occurrence of adverse outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: High variation in clinical practice may indicate uncertainty and potentially low-value care. Methods to identify low value care are often not well defined or transparent and can be time intensive. In this paper we explore the usefulness of variation analysis of routinely-collected data about surgical procedures in England to identify potentially low-value surgical care. Methods: This is a national ecological study using Hospital Episode Statistics linked to mid-year population estimates and indices of multiple deprivation in England, 2014/15-2018/19. We identified the top 5% of surgical procedures in terms of growth in standardised procedure rates for 2014/15 to 2018/19 and variation in procedure rates between clinical commissioning groups as measured by the systematic component of variance (SCV). A targeted literature review was conducted to explore the evidence for each of the identified techniques. Procedures without evidence of cost-effectiveness were viewed as of potentially low value. Results: We identified six surgical procedures that had a high growth rate of 37% or more over 5 years, and four with higher geographical variation (SCV >1.6). There was evidence for two of the 10 procedures that surgery was more cost-effective than non-surgical treatment albeit with uncertainty around optimal surgical technique. The evidence base for eight procedures was less clear cut, with uncertainty around clinical- and/or cost-effectiveness. These were: deep brain stimulation; removing the prostate; surgical spine procedures; a procedure to alleviate pain in the spine; surgery for dislocated joints due to trauma and associated surgery for traumatic fractures; hip joint replacement with cemented pelvic component or cemented femoral component; and shoulder joint replacement. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that variation analysis could be regularly used to identify potentially low-value procedures. This can provide important insights into optimising services and the potential de-adoption of costly interventions and treatments that do not benefit patients and the health system more widely. Early identification of potentially low value care can inform prioritisation of clinical trials to generate evidence on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness before treatments become established in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article builds on the foundations provided by the History of Parliament Trust, utilising previously unconsidered documents from the papers of the Dukes of Hamilton to chart and analyse the conduct of parliamentary elections in later eighteenth-century Lancaster. It shows that these elections were more contentious than previously thought; the full range of political issues at play in these elections, and the engagement of the freemen electorate with these; and forms of electoral management and organisation in use that were not known in the borough until now. It places these new insights in the context of Lancaster's electoral politics through the long eighteenth-century, and draws out developments in this period that played an important role in the borough's nineteenth-century elections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been considerable policy and academic interest in the existence of ethnic inequalities in the Criminal Justice System. A large body of sentencing research has been dedicated to exploring whether ethnic minority defendants are treated more harshly than similarly situated white defendants. This paper extends this research utilizing Ministry of Justice linked criminal justice datasets and multilevel models to assess the effect of ethnicity and other defendant case and contextual factors on sentencing outcomes in the Crown Court. The analysis shows that legal characteristics such as plea, pre-trial detention, offence type and severity are important factors determining sentencing outcomes although they do not fully explain disparities in these outcomes between ethnic groups. Ethnic disparities in imprisonment persist and, in some cases, become more pronounced after controlling for defendant case and court factors. In contrast, ethnic disparities in sentence length are largely explained by legal factors, and after adjusting for other predictors of sentencing outcomes, observed differences between most (but not all) ethnic minority groups and the white British disappear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Documented inequalities in access to eye care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are caused by poor uptake of primary eye care services, poor identification of eye problems, lack of signposting and reasonable adjustments of existing services, concerns about costs of care and the low priority historically given to these issues in eye care policy at a regional and national level. In 2019, the charity SeeAbility employed four eye care champions (ECCs) with lived experience of learning disability and/or autism to work in local communities in London and the Northwest of England. They provided peer‐to‐peer support on understanding the need for good eye health and engaged with policy makers, and learning disability, autism and eye care professionals at the local, regional and national levels to influence both the clinical practice of individual practitioners (within existing service/pathway models) and more widely to influence the commissioning of the Easy Eye Care pathway. This study explores the experiences of these ECCs. Methods: The study was conducted in April and May 2023. A case study approach was used to describe the experiences of the ECCs from March 2019 to March 2023. Data from structured interviews with the four ECCs and workload analysis were triangulated to provide a multifaceted understanding of this novel health promotion project. Findings: The ECCs found the role useful and reported that confidence in their practice and impact grew with time but they required ongoing support in the role. A good understanding of the promotional messages was reported. Developing a good network of contacts at an early stage, both people with learning disabilities and healthcare professionals, was key. Relationships with professionals were supportive and positive and a positive emotive response to their lived experience was reported in these interactions. Conclusions: From the perspective of the ECCs, the role is useful and beneficial. The work suggests some key recommendations for future development which include planning to build networks, support in presentation and communications skills and defining key messages and knowledge. Confidence of the ECCs builds with time in the role but also needs support the emotive impact of their lived experiences on audiences is highlighted. There is a need to evaluate how the programme is perceived by those who interact with it and how it changes behaviours which leads to better health outcomes. Accessible Summaries: People with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely than other people to have a problem with their eyes but less likely to get the eye care they need.This paper explains how people with a learning disability and/or autism are employed to tell other people with learning disabilities and/or autism, their supporters, health and care professionals and people who plan services about how important it is to get regular eye care. This job is an 'Eye Care Champion'.We share what the eye care champions did in their role, what worked well and what did not.We discuss how what we have learnt can help other people with learning disabilities and/or autism work as eye care champions and perhaps as champions for other areas of healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secure children's homes are locked institutions that deprive children of their liberty. The government are investing significantly in these homes, yet there remains a lack of clarity about their nature and purpose. Drawing on data generated through a substantial ethnography in one secure children's home in England, this paper uses Goffman's (1961) theorising as a conceptual lens to view the institution. It concludes that ambiguity and confusion about what these institutions are, and what they seek to achieve, impacts negatively on the experience of everyday life within. Clarity is needed urgently to improve experiences and to enable the assessment of outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophy for Children is a pedagogical approach practised worldwide. Although well known for its contribution to democratic teaching and learning its contribution to critical research is relatively unknown. In this paper we present the use of a Community of Enquiry (CoE), as conceptualised in Philosophy for Children, as a qualitative research method that foregrounds participant voice. Framed through Freirean critical pedagogy and social transformation, we present research undertaken with primary pre-service teachers in England, exploring their emerging teacher identity, and detail the method of how a CoE was enabled. We conclude and advocate that a CoE aligns with a research axiology concomitant with ethical critical practices and argue for an environment that enables the researcher, and participants, to generate data collaboratively and collectively through democratic dialogue. Finally, our findings show that a CoE can have much to offer qualitative critical scholars beyond its originally intended pedagogical contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]