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Based on ethnographic fieldwork, we explore the rural-urban migration of 27 girls and young women who leave their rural communities and move to the city to pursue their secondary education, in the ethnically diverse Southern Region of Ethiopia. We consider the nature and extent of the inequalities that they face in rural areas which limit their education opportunities and outcomes and underpin their expected entry into marriage. We compare their experiences in their rural communities with their lives in the city, where they have greater access to resources and greater freedom and decision-making power and the opportunity to continue their secondary education, although their futures are still uncertain. Through our analysis we reveal some of the tensions between the promise of girls' secondary education promoted at the international and national level and the lived realities of rural girls and women, many of whom are unable to realise this promise.

Summary: It is widely recognised that young people in out-of-home care are often involved in a complex process of culminating disadvantage and exclusion. Investing in the core ingredients of social inclusion (participation and interpersonal relationships) while still in care can counterbalance ongoing exclusion processes. In this article, we explore how early work experiences (before the age of 18) can play a role in this. Findings: A thematic analysis was performed on interview data from 74 young adults in six countries. Several elements promote community participation (gaining financial autonomy, gaining a feeling of independence, and being able to contribute as a worker) and help to develop a sense of belonging (striving for normality and building long-lasting social connections). Early work experiences also contribute to personal growth (building capabilities and shaping the future). Applications: This article highlights how early work experiences have the potential to promote social inclusion for out-of-home care-experienced young people and serve as gateway experiences for both educational and work trajectories. Entry into the world of work should not be postponed until the age of 18. Caregivers can play a role in motivating young people to work while still being in care and helping them to find a job. The experiences gained during these early work experiences can also have a place in the care process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing numbers of rural girls and young women in Ethiopia are migrating to urban towns and cities and taking up employment as domestic workers, some of whom continue their education by attending evening classes. For urban households, rural migrants help to fill the domestic work gaps created by the entry of urban women into employment. For rural young women, migrating as a domestic worker is an important strategy for achieving social mobility and empowerment. However, domestic workers are vulnerable and largely hidden in the city and we know little about their lived experiences. In this paper, we start to address this gap, drawing on interviews with eight rural female migrants who are working as domestic workers in the city and attending evening classes in urban secondary schools. Informed by a critical framing of empowerment, we explore the extent to which intersecting inequalities in rural areas disempower these young women, and how migration and education become important strategies for improving their lives. We show how the support of social network members is crucial in enabling participants' migration, yet how this also leads to power asymmetries and exploitation. We reflect on how the ability of rural young women to achieve better futures is limited due to their status as poor, rural, female migrants, yet how many wait in the city in the hope of a better future. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of critical approaches to female empowerment that includes a focus on structural inequalities and power imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws attention to the relevance of young care leavers' exercise of agency as one possible key ingredient in overcoming barriers to engagement in work. Several previous studies show difficulties in entering adult life, both in relation to higher and further education as well as entrance into work life. The article analyses interviews with young adults from six countries, who have spent at least part of their childhood and youth in out‐of‐home care and the results indicate that the care leavers have the ability to make plans and set up goals for the future that they in many cases are able to achieve or at least are striving for over time. In many instances, they show a strong motivation, for example, to educate themselves pursuing their goals. To support this transition of young care leavers, it is important to listen to 'successful' cases such as the ones presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult care leavers who have spent time in 'out-of-home care' during childhood face many educational challenges. While some care leavers may manage to adhere to 'normal' timelines within their educational progression, others may experience delays in their educational journey or a longer-term 'resignation' from education during their care/post-care journey. In this paper, we offer a fuller understanding of what drives underachievement in this population, as well as what helps care leavers to re-engage with education. Using a case study approach, we explore the potential of the life course principle 'linked lives' for better understanding barriers to re-engagement and the processes through which key actors may promote the (re)development of learner identity, and educational re-engagement among adult care leavers, over time. We draw on analysis of data from two studies of positive educational outcomes for adult care leavers - one in education, one in the workplace. Using a linked lives lens, this theoretically-informed paper presents the concepts of support, learner identity, and educational memories as candidates for deepening our understanding of educational re-engagement of care leavers – and comparable populations facing educational challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on ethnographic fieldwork, we explore the rural-urban migration of 27 girls and young women who leave their rural communities and move to the city to pursue their secondary education, in the ethnically diverse Southern Region of Ethiopia. We consider the nature and extent of the inequalities that they face in rural areas which limit their education opportunities and outcomes and underpin their expected entry into marriage. We compare their experiences in their rural communities with their lives in the city, where they have greater access to resources and greater freedom and decision-making power and the opportunity to continue their secondary education, although their futures are still uncertain. Through our analysis we reveal some of the tensions between the promise of girls' secondary education promoted at the international and national level and the lived realities of rural girls and women, many of whom are unable to realise this promise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While serious adversity is often associated with educational under-performance or failure, this is not necessarily always the case. There is evidence that in certain circumstances vulnerable people may display resilience thanks to academic or social achievement in the domain of education. Young people in care have typically endured significant adversity in their lives, leading to the decision to admit them to care, and perhaps also during their time in care. This cumulative adversity may affect their educational attainment. Yet at least some young people in care make good educational progress. Doing well in care seems linked to doing well in education. It is argued that those concerned with the progress of young people in care need to recognize the importance of their education, and what may support or impede their educational progress.

The article explores how homelessness may impact on the educational participation of children and young people in families living in emergency accommodation in Dublin. Many difficulties arise in terms of maintaining consistent schooling for children when they are part of a homeless family, including problems getting to and from school if living at a distance from their original schools, frequent changes in school and inadequate facilities and overcrowding in their temporary accommodation. Despite the many difficulties involved in maintaining children's regular school attendance, it is evident that school may represent the only stability for a child in an otherwise insecure and changing routine.

Highlights the value of resilience as a key concept in work with young people in need and considers implications of a resilience-led approach for policy and practice. Discusses social and developmental factors influencing a child or young person's degree of resilience, with particular reference to the resilience enhancing potential of school experiences and spare time activities. (Author/KB)

Examines the increasing demands on social workers to provide services to children in state care and the need for policy and service delivery changes in this area. Suggests changes in government and agency initiatives to improve staffing levels, renewed training, and adequate support for social work services to children in state care. (JPB)

This article explores the disability related identity experiences of young people with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Using a narrative inquiry methodology, 25 young people between 18 and 29 years participated in in-depth interviews. Their narratives highlighted growing perceptions of difference and how the negative actions and attitudes of a few people in their past continued to shadow their current lives. Influenced by perceived negative attitudes of others to disability and their own internalisation of these, the young people conceptualise a binary of normalcy and difference, finding themselves liminally positioned, somewhere in between, and mostly seeking to avoid a disability association. In new social situations, the young people reported engaging in disability identity management work, while often resisting having disability as part of their identity. These can be conceptualised as acts of resilience and of resistance in the face of oppressive social forces. There is a powerful counter narrative in a sub group of the participants who were actively engaged with peers with experience of disability. For these young people, the inclusion of disability within social identities became possible. The findings of this study have implications for our understandings of managing identities in young lives, particularly for those in marginal positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on a school-based case study carried out in Scotland with 11–12-year-olds reflecting on their views and experiences of school before transitioning from primary to secondary school. Drawing on Honneth's recognition theory, and the dimensions of love, rights and solidarity, the findings show that school was seen by children as a place of dialogue, reciprocity and recognition; the learning and knowledge activities cannot be separated from the relational and emotional aspects. When misrecognition happens, subjects' identity and sense of self-respect can be deeply violated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the lenses of agency and precarity, this article examines how young migrants and refugees negotiate legal and social marginalisation growing up along the Thailand-Myanmar border. It explores the pervasive insecurity, vulnerability and uncertainty characterising the young people's worlds, and the ways they strive to manage their circumstances and protect themselves from despair. The study on which the article is based involved 44 semi-structured qualitative interviews with 35 young men and women who were either born in Thailand to migrant or refugee parents, or had arrived from Myanmar, with their families or alone, before the age of 12. A social constructionist epistemology and qualitative case study methodology underpinned the research, chosen to facilitate a bottom-up, person-centred approach, and prioritise the young people's perspectives within their cultural contexts. The findings capture the everyday precarity of the young people, living as 'illegal aliens' under Thai law. Arrest, detention, abuse, labour exploitation, and restricted access to state services, including accredited education and affordable healthcare, are daily challenges. However, the young people are far from passive victims of their circumstances, and resist reduction to those terms. As agentic social actors, they are both cognisant of their constraints and actively – relentlessly – engaged in managing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research highlights the role of key actors and relationships in supporting the educational attainment and progress of children in care and care leavers. We know less about how relationships influence the educational journeys of people with care experience over time and how to support the educational progress and engagement of adults with care experience. The principle of "linked lives" is central to the life course perspective referring to the interdependence of human lives throughout the life course. This paper explores how the principle of linked lives can illuminate our understanding of how relationships positively influence the educational journeys of adults with care experience over time. Educational life history interviews were conducted with 18 care‐experienced adults (aged 24–36) in Ireland. Findings suggest that the principle of linked lives is a valuable conceptual tool for providing new insights on this issue. Four key themes were identified: (a) opportunities for educational support are present across the life course; (b) "family" is a central source of educational support; (c) there is intergenerational capacity for educational support; and (d) relationships beyond the "family" are supportive of education. Implications for practice, policy, and research are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining the low educational attainment of children in care and care leavers tends to underuse social theory (Berridge, 2007). To contribute to addressing this gap, we use life course theory to explore the role of agency in shaping the educational pathways of 18 Irish adults (aged 24–36 years) with care experience. Findings suggest that agency is a valuable conceptual tool for examining the nuance and complexity of how individual actions shape the education of care‐experienced adults throughout the life course and interact with contextual and structural factors over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a pilot study on the sensitive issue of how children and young people experience family contact in foster care, and the views of key adults in their lives on the same issue. There is a special focus on the children's experiences, opinions, and feelings. The study is a response to the relative scarcity of literature on family contact based on the experiences of children and adults in caring roles. This is a qualitative and exploratory study, with a sample of 10 children and young people in care in the district of Porto, aiming to identify key issues and areas for further examination. The results allow us to conclude that the possibility of maintaining contact is positively evaluated. However, perspectives on the relationships involved, and on the reactions to and difficulties associated with visits, revealed considerable disagreement among the actors. A possible set of implications drawn from the findings pointed out to the importance of developing a monitored cooperation that improves communication processes in order to take into account the children's and young people's views in the decision‐making process; and to develop more attentive and open working relationships with parents throughout the foster care placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there has been considerable policy attention given to educational disadvantage in the Irish context in recent years, evidence on the educational experiences, attainment, and progression of young people with experience of living in alternative care settings (e.g. foster care, residential care) remains limited. International literature suggests that young people with such 'care-experience' typically have lower attainment and progress to higher education at lower rates than their majority population peers. This brief paper focuses on one of these issues, the question of how care-experienced young people in Ireland fare in accessing opportunities in higher education. It presents some very preliminary evidence from an initial analysis of a small dataset related to care-experienced applicants to the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) programme, a higher education access scheme that offers places on a reduced-points basis to school leavers under the age of 23 from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The findings highlight a number of features of the experience of this group in accessing higher education. In our conclusion, we argue that there is an urgent need to collect, and draw on, data related to the educational attainment and progress of both children in care and those who have left care in Ireland, in order to effectively inform policy and practice, and to demonstrate a commitment to understanding and addressing this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater awareness internationally of the special needs and circumstances of young people leaving care settings has led to growing policy interest and innovation in recent years. This paper draws attention to a small sample of policy approaches and developments in certain jurisdictions in this area. The case is argued for the value of a cross national comparative approach in studying provision for care leavers. Potential elements of a framework for analysing relevant policy are discussed. An invitation is extended to join a continuing international 'conversation' on the themes covered in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on children’s friendship in culturally diverse contexts has shown that children are more likely to choose friends from their own ethnic or racial group than others. This article examines this tendency from the perspective of 10- to 12-year-old girls attending ethnically mixed primary schools in Dublin, Ireland. It argues that both the emotional challenges involved in encounters across divides and the dynamics of all children’s friendships have a significant role to play in the manner in which boundaries are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this component of a preliminary cross-national study (Ireland and Catalonia) of care leavers' experience in the world of work is to explore how carers may influence the entry of young people in care into the world of work and how they may also influence the young people's progress in that world. A total of 22 care leavers, aged 23-33 years, were recruited on the basis of their having substantial employment experience since leaving care. Evidence from the interviews reveals the importance of the role of carers in the work-related progression of the young care leavers, especially in relation to gaining work experience while they were still in care. The qualitative analysis shows that carers were influential in promoting (and sometimes hindering) progress in work and education. Carers were often reported to play an important role in opening up opportunities, giving support (modelling skill development, giving practical help, etc.), being role models and cultivating the young person's agency. On the basis of these findings, we propose an initial conceptualization of carer roles in positive work support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the consensus statement on therapeutic residential care developed jointly by an international consortium of experts on residential care. It highlights the efforts of British Prime Minister David Cameron in reviewing the role and purpose of residential placements within the wider child welfare system. Information about the working definition of therapeutic residential care is also offered.

The role and impact of male foster carers in the lives of foster children is under-explored.This article reviews relevant research evidence (based on searches of Web of Science and PubMed and other sources) in relation to the particular contribution men as foster carers can make to a sense of ‘secure base’ for children in their family's care. It also includes attention to how men as foster carers may play a special role in helping to cultivate valuable social capital for the young person in their care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the experiences of a sample of residential social care staff working with young people who self injure. Initially, a phone survey was conducted with residential centres caring for young people aged between 12-18 years located in Dublin, to identify centres where self injury had occurred within the twelve months prior to data collection in February 2008. Questionnaires were then sent to the centres where confirmed self injury had occurred and follow up interviews were thereafter conducted with ten residential social care workers. Each of the workers interviewed had been involved in managing the most recent incident of self injury in their centres. The article highlights important issues that are relevant to social care workers and other professionals who work with young people who engage in self injurious behaviour. The study suggests the need for specialised training on self injury to be provided to residential social care workers. The study also highlights the importance of supportive supervision and incident debriefing to reduce the personal and professional impact on workers of managing incidents of self injury in their work. Finally the study indicates that staff with different career experience seem to respond differently in managing incidents of self injury which, in turn, can impact upon how they meet the needs of young people in their care exhibiting self injurious behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay discusses policies of the Irish government regarding public child care. The author notes public opinion regarding public child care following reports of child abuse in reformatory schools and orphanages and the management of institutional care by the Catholic Church. The Reformatory and Industrial Schools Systems Report, known as the Kennedy Report, promoted child care reform and deinstitutionalization. The promotion of foster care and adoption in Ireland is noted.