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Background: The 2022/23 influenza season in the United Kingdom saw the return of influenza to prepandemic levels following two seasons with low influenza activity. The early season was dominated by A(H3N2), with cocirculation of A(H1N1), reaching a peak late December 2022, while influenza B circulated at low levels during the latter part of the season. From September to March 2022/23, influenza vaccines were offered, free of charge, to all aged 2–13 (and 14–15 in Scotland and Wales), adults up to 49 years of age with clinical risk conditions and adults aged 50 and above across the mainland United Kingdom. Methods: End‐of‐season adjusted vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates against sentinel primary‐care attendance for influenza‐like illness, where influenza infection was laboratory confirmed, were calculated using the test negative design, adjusting for potential confounders. Methods: Results In the mainland United Kingdom, end‐of‐season VE against all laboratory‐confirmed influenza for all those > 65 years of age, most of whom received adjuvanted quadrivalent vaccines, was 30% (95% CI: −6% to 54%). VE for those aged 18–64, who largely received cell‐based vaccines, was 47% (95% CI: 37%–56%). Overall VE for 2–17 year olds, predominantly receiving live attenuated vaccines, was 66% (95% CI: 53%–76%). Conclusion: The paper provides evidence of moderate influenza VE in 2022/23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paid carers play an important role in helping older adults with care needs to remain living in their own homes. This paper examines changes in the home care field, specifically the emergence of self‐employed care entrepreneurs ('microentrepreneurs'). To do this, it employs Bourdieu's concepts of field, capital and habitus. Drawing on 105 semi‐structured interviews with stakeholders working in home care, the paper describes how the interaction of changes to field structures, and altered practices of care have challenged the taken‐for‐granted acceptance of traditional, transactional forms of care provision. This process has been highly dependent on local state actors, their ability to mobilise relevant forms of capital and the factors which shaped their habitus. It should be seen within the context of changes to local field structures and the hierarchical classification processes which underpin them. These changes threaten the distribution of capital in the home care field in ways that are beneficial to microentrepreneurs. Bourdieu might categorise these developments as 'partial revolutions', which do not challenge the fundamental axioms of the field. However, for care entrepreneurs, formerly employed as low‐paid home‐care workers, a revolution that is only partial may be better than none at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Devolution to Scotland and Wales was a central pillar of the legislative agenda of the Labour government elected in 1997, yet despite the constitutional significance of this programme it was undertaken without particular enthusiasm by the then prime minister, Tony Blair. Nowhere was this blend of significant change, yet pervasive lack of passion (or interest) more apparent than devolution to Wales. Drawing upon recently released archival documents, this article will explore the New Labour government's approach to devolution in Wales. These papers provide fresh evidence of the second order nature, and treatment, of Welsh devolution compared to the attention provided to Scottish devolution, as well as of the narcissism of small details which pervaded Whitehall's discussions of Welsh devolution (with considerable energy, for example, dedicated to questions about the titles which leading figures in the Assembly would be given). These papers also bear testament to the struggles which Ron Davies, the then secretary of state for Wales, faced in securing even a minor scheme of devolution and the tensions he experienced with the centre of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a pregnancy ends in England and Wales, statutory time away from paid employment is limited to circumstances where there is a live birth or stillbirth. Forms of leave, such as Maternity Leave or Paternity Leave, depend on parental status derived from the civil registration of a new person or a post‐viability stillbirth. Other early pregnancy endings, such as miscarriage or abortion, do not provide specific time off work after pregnancy. This paper uses the concept of reproductive governance to analyze current and shifting biopolitical truth discourses, strategies of intervention, and modes of subjectification around post‐pregnancy leaves. It shows how different inclusions and exclusions are generated by the classificatory boundaries which act as political technologies in this field. Contributing to an area that is under‐researched in the literature, we provide a review of post‐pregnancy statutory employment leave entitlements in this context. We then consider proposals for change presented in the United Kingdom political system in relation to more inclusive leave benefits offered by some employers and different pregnancy ending leaves offered in other jurisdictions. We argue that current arrangements and proposals do not adequately reflect the complexity and diversity of pregnancy endings. We conclude with a call to policymakers in all contexts to carefully assess the consequences of new ideas around leaves for pregnancy endings and to formulate inclusive and fair proposals for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the spaces through which legal trials take place shape attitudes towards justice. There has been a growing academic interest in the role of courts in configuring the relationships between trial participants and consequently reproducing pre‐established hierarchies of power. This paper builds on this work to consider the spatiality of trials from the perspective of a particular group of court users: defendants. Drawing on qualitative data drawn from a longitudinal study conducted in prisons in England and Wales, the paper examines how defendants perceive trial spaces, exploring in particular how such insights expand beyond the narrow focus on the courtroom to draw in experiences of transportation, holding cells, bodily restrictions, and the provision of food. In doing so, we seek to contribute to debates concerning penal consciousness, whereby the subjectivity and embodiment of individual participants illuminate differential experiences of the material and legal nature of trial processes. The paper concludes by emphasising how a focus on penal consciousness can help to address perceptions of the injustice of trial outcomes while improving the accessibility of courts. There has been a growing academic interest in the role of courts in configuring the relationships between trial participants and consequently reproducing pre‐established hierarchies of power. This paper builds on this work to consider the spatiality of trials from the perspective of a particular group of court users: defendants. Drawing on qualitative data drawn from a longitudinal study conducted in prisons in England and Wales, the paper examines how defendants perceive trial spaces, exploring in particular how such insights expand beyond the narrow focus on the courtroom to draw in experiences of transportation, holding cells, bodily restrictions, and the provision of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing evidence of mental disorders among people going through the criminal justice system suggests the potential benefit of courts adding a Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) when sentencing an offender to a Community Order (sentence) in England and Wales. Although available since 2003, MHTRs have not been widely used, and there is little evidence on outcomes. Aim: To conduct the first large‐scale evaluation of mental health outcomes of people with an MHTR as part of their community sentence across multiple sites in England and Wales. Methods: Data were collected from 14 sites in England and Wales about individuals who were given an MHTR as part of a community sentence. They were assessed before and after this. During the MHTR, they received a psychotherapeutic intervention by assistant psychologists in a primary care framework. Measures of psychological distress (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder‐7) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) were completed before the MHTR was implemented and after completion. Results: Where paired sample t‐tests and Wilcoxon signed ranked tests were used, with samples ranging between 309 and 447 individuals, clinically significant changes were obtained for all measures. Most individuals (63%) were identified as experiencing a reliable change in at least two out of the three scales. Finally, a negative linear relationship, between measures at the start of the intervention and reliable change, was identified with higher pre‐measures, indicating that more initial distress, anxiety and/or depression were associated with more sizeable changes. Conclusions: This paper provides the first substantial evidence in support of the MHTR within a primary mental healthcare framework as an effective pathway to reduce mental health problems among individuals under probation supervision as part of a sentence after conviction for a criminal offence. This supports the expansion of the provision across England and Wales. Future research should take account of the non‐completers and explore the relationship between the MHTR, mental health improvements and reoffending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite predominantly lower social class origins, the second generation of established immigrant groups in the UK are now attaining high levels of education. However, they continue to experience poorer labour market outcomes than the majority population. These worse outcomes are often attributed in part to their disadvantaged origins, which do not, by contrast, appear to constrain their educational success. This paper engages with this paradox. We discuss potential mechanisms for second‐generation educational success and how far we might expect these to be replicated in labour market outcomes. We substantiate our discussion with new empirical analysis. Drawing on a unique longitudinal study of England and Wales spanning 40 years and encompassing one per cent of the population, we present evidence on the educational and labour market outcomes of the second generation of four groups of immigrants and the white British majority, controlling for multiple measures of social origins. We demonstrate that second‐generation men and women's educational advantage is only partially reflected in the labour market. We reflect on the implications of our findings for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term value‐based healthcare (VBHC) describes an approach to the organization and delivery of care that emphasizes reducing the cost of care while improving outcomes. This involves increased investment earlier in the care pathway e.g., in the prevention, timely diagnosis, and screening for complications in order to maximize the overall impact of care. Key elements of VBHC include the collection and interpretation of relevant data to drive quality improvement and appropriateness of care, a focus on a continuum of care from prevention through to complications, an awareness of the financial drivers of the cost of care and a recognition that meaningful outcomes of care are those that are important to patients. Although VBHC has its origins in North America and has mostly been applied to private health systems, the principles can also be applied to national health services. In publicly funded health systems, where resources are finite, VBHC initiatives aim to eliminate ineffective care that has no beneficial impact or added value for patients and to optimize patient outcomes by delivering care that meets the changing healthcare needs of a population over time. The National Health Service in Wales has established a VBHC Office and has begun to realize the benefits of adopting VBHC approaches. The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) can learn from the approaches used in Wales. In this paper we explore some of the principles of VBHC through case studies from Ireland and Wales highlighting how national health services are using VBHC to achieve improvement in outcomes for people living with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly (BBF) in Great Britain study was conducted during 2017–2019 comprising three country studies: BBF England, Wales and Scotland. It was part of an international project being coordinated during the same period by the Yale School of Public Health across five world regions to inform countries and guide policies to improve the environment for the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. This paper reports on the application of the BBF process that is based on an implementation science approach, across the countries that constitute Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). The process involves assessing 54 benchmarks across eight interlocking gears that drive a country's 'engine' towards a sustainable policy approach to supporting, promoting and protecting breastfeeding. It takes a consensus‐oriented approach to the evaluation of benchmarks and the development of recommendations. This paper provides a critical overview of how the process was conducted, the findings and recommendations that emerged and how these were managed. We draw on critical theory as a theoretical framework for explaining the different outcomes for each country and some considerations for future action. Key messages: Undertaking an international, comparable approach to develop evidence‐based policy recommendations for scaling up the breastfeeding environment can provide useful data on which to draw explanations and conclusions on national variation.The findings from the BBF process across England, Scotland and Wales suggest that improving breastfeeding in Great Britain is dependent on the degree of political will and having a coordinated national breastfeeding strategy in place or not, along with access to robust breastfeeding data.A critical theory lens helps to bring to light some differences in the research and policy process that can explain differences between countries in the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public responses to an 'upward trend' in recorded dog theft offences in England and Wales led to the creation of the Pet Theft Taskforce in May 2021, followed by a policy paper recommending the development of a new 'pet abduction' offence. Despite this, the experiential nature of dog theft, what impact this has on victims, and how they go about searching for their stolen dogs have been overlooked. Building on interdisciplinary research on dog theft, and wider literature on the impact of absence and loss on human victims, this paper explores the experiential dimension of this crime and the spatial and temporal practices of search/ing. Drawing on 15 semi‐structured interviews with victims of dog theft (10) and community resolution groups (5), key themes emerged from our analyses: (i) more‐than‐human families and (ii) spatial and temporal practices of search/ing. The dogs in this study occupy an absent presence, their bodies not visibly present but occupying a space in the minds and words of their humans. From the realisation of loss through to ongoing searches to possible reunite, participant experiences are filled with emotions that reflect a traumatic experience and 'ambiguous absence'. With expectations of police support rarely met, victims started physically searching themselves, moving from the local to regional and national, while connecting with animal professionals and community resolution groups. Virtual space was seen as vital, with social media amplifying the virtual presence of specific stolen dogs. Conceived as a more‐human‐focused animal geography, the research brings together an empirical example at the potential intersection of animal geographies and policing. The experiential evidence in this paper suggests changes to organisational practices (standardised police approach; centralised microchip database; mandatory microchip‐scanning by animal professionals) and national government policy interventions ('pet abduction' offence) might have a positive impact on victim experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on research that explored the experiences of secondary Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) professionals' simultaneous negotiation and implementation of the new Curriculum for Wales (CfW) Health and Well‐Being (HWB) Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE) and policies focused on the transformation of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Wales. The study was an exploratory case study of PETE professionals working within one university's ITE programme. Data were generated through documentary analysis of PETE and ITE programme materials and semi‐structured interviews with staff involved in programme management and delivery. Data analysis employed Ball and colleagues' conceptualisation of policy actors and contexts to critically examine the varied policy positions that PETE professionals adopt in navigating and negotiating enactment of the HWB AoLE within their ITE provision. Attention is drawn to the significance of historical and culturally situated dimensions of secondary physical education and PETE in Wales, and significant changes to the professional culture of ITE, in shaping PETE educators' engagement with the HWB AoLE. The paper concludes by contending that ITE institutions in Wales need to further consider how PETE (and other) educators can be actively supported to engage in sophisticated policy work within their institutions and across policy and professional networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Long‐acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB) is a new treatment for opioid use disorder that is generating positive outcomes. Negative effects are typically mild and transient, but can occasionally be serious, resulting in treatment discontinuation/non‐adherence. This paper aims to analyse patients' accounts of how they felt during the first 72 h after initiating LAIB. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted (June 2021–March 2022) with 26 people (18 males and 8 females) who had started LAIB within the previous 72 h. Participants were recruited from treatment services in England and Wales and were interviewed by telephone using a topic guide. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed and coded. The concepts of embodiment and embodied cognition framed the analyses. Data on participants' substance use, initiation onto LAIB and feelings were tabulated. Next, participants' accounts of how they felt were analysed following the stages of Iterative Categorization. Results: Participants reported complex combinations of changing negative and positive feelings. Bodily experiences included withdrawal symptoms, poor sleep, injection‐site pain/soreness, lethargy and heightened senses inducing nausea ('distressed bodies'), but also enhanced somatic wellbeing, improved sleep, better skin, increased appetite, reduced constipation and heightened senses inducing pleasure ('returning body functions'). Cognitive responses included anxiety, uncertainties and low mood/depression ('the mind in crisis') and improved mood, greater positivity and reduced craving ('feeling psychologically better'). Whereas most negative effects reported are widely recognized, the early benefits of treatment described are less well‐documented and may be an overlooked distinctive feature of LAIB. Conclusions: During the first 72 h after initiating long‐acting injectable buprenorphine, new patients report experiencing a range of interconnected positive and negative short‐term effects. Providing new patients with information about the range and nature of these effects can prepare them for what to expect and help them manage feelings and reduce anxiety. In turn, this may increase medication adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) is a longitudinal study following a cohort of twins born 1994-1996 in England and Wales. Of the 13,759 families who originally consented to take part, over 10,000 families remain enrolled in the study. The current focus of TEDS is on mental health in the mid-twenties. Making use of over 25 years of genetically sensitive data, TEDS is uniquely placed to explore the longitudinal genetic and environmental influences on common mental health disorders in early adulthood. This paper outlines recent data collection efforts supporting this work, including a cohort-wide mental health assessment at age 26 and a multi-phase Covid-19 study. It will also provide an update on data linkage efforts and the Children of TEDS (CoTEDS) project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rights that guarantee public passage across private land are known as rights of way. In this paper, we argue that rights of way are a literal manifestation of a politics of space. The paper's purpose is to suggest rights of way are central to issues surrounding social and spatial inequality, specifically with regards to public access to urban and rural space. They are a neglected topic in geographical research, despite their relevance to many sub‐branches, including landscape studies, urban natures, GIS, and open‐source geospatial research. Rights of way in England and Wales are currently facing their biggest legal threat to date. On 1 January 2026, unregistered rights of way are set to be extinguished. Path extinguishment threatens thousands of kilometres of footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways, and byways open to all traffic. The paper concludes by examining how geographical approaches help reveal the cultural and historical value of two at‐risk footpaths in Coventry, England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a rapid response analysis of the changing geographies of ethnic diversity and segregation in England and Wales using Census data covering the last 30 years (1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021), a period of significant social, economic and political change. Presenting the first detailed analysis of 2021 Census small area ethnic group data, we find that the growth of ethnic diversity at the national level is mirrored across residential neighbourhoods. Increasing numbers of neighbourhoods are home to a substantial mix of people from different ethnic groups, and this growing neighbourhood ethnic diversity has been spatially diffusing across all regions of England and Wales. We argue that to understand the ethnic mosaic across England and Wales, it is more illuminating to consider mix than majority: places labelled as 'minority‐majority' are, in fact, ethnically diverse spaces, home to sizable proportions of people from many ethnic groups. Increasing ethnic diversity is matched by decreasing residential segregation, for all ethnic groups—majority and minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memorialisation of specific individuals necessitates processes of remembering and forgetting, memory work, and obfuscation. The African American Paul Robeson is considered an "honorary Welshman" and a "Welsh achiever." How could Robeson, erased from the history books in his own country, be appropriated by popular vote as a Welsh national hero? This paper questions how Robeson's philosophies, evident in his arts and actions, were memorialised into those of a Welsh hero through the theoretical lens of absent presence and geographies of biography. I explore this relationship between Wales and Robeson further to understand his influence and commemorative presence in Wales via the material memorial landscape of Robeson and how he is represented within broader Welsh memorialisation and nationalism. Through the discourse of the memorial landscapes of Wales, elements of his philosophy may be over‐ or under‐represented. For example, he connected with the strong socialist history in Wales, but the complexity of Robeson's philosophical framework remains absent. Why were only some of his philosophical beliefs transmitted into Welsh society and the memorial landscape? This paper reveals both the presence and absence of Paul Robeson's complex biography in the material memorial landscape in Wales. As a case study on the inclusion of (auto)biographical knowledge in the context of complex geographies and landscapes, this work frames biographical inclusion and exclusion as vital geographic concerns, particularly in the precarious Black geographies of Paul Robeson in Wales. In so doing, it further reifies the indelible connections between geography, biography, and the socio‐political contexts from which memorial landscapes emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on embodied and de‐colonial approaches to geopolitics, this paper examines the relationship between forms of governance in municipal cemetery and crematorium provision and the needs of established minorities, arguing that inadequate infrastructure and services can constitute harm. Crucially, it is contended that forms of governance impact not only on the living, but also on perceptions of the wellbeing of the dead. Grounded in a study of four towns in England and Wales, the paper identifies firstly how intersectional identity fundamentally shapes people's experiences of deathscape governance; secondly, the possibilities of infrastructural benefits of inclusive services; and thirdly, the harms done by non‐inclusive forms of governance, implicit territoriality and inadequate infrastructure. This is evidenced in the negative impact of poor municipal cemetery organisation and management on specific minority groups, such as inadequate burial space, high burial costs, hindrances to timely rituals, and reduced access to services as a result of government austerity measures; as well as protracted local planning processes. The conclusion calls for a wider conceptualisation of necropolitics, based on a critical‐feminist‐decolonial geopolitics of deathscapes in multicultural societies, and offers insights for the practical governance of inclusive cemeteries and crematoria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Burial grounds and secular settlements in early medieval Wales (fifth to eleventh centuries AD) are understood to have been in geographically separate locations. In contrast, it is known that in England and on the Continent during this period burial began to be integrated within settlements. Changes in burial practice also occurred in Ireland, where early medieval 'cemetery settlements' with integrated burial and non‐funerary activity are a relatively recent discovery. This paper presents a reassessment of the archaeological evidence from five published early medieval Welsh cemeteries and one recently‐excavated example. It will demonstrate that these Welsh cemeteries share a number of attributes with Irish cemetery settlements and will critically evaluate the significance of this for our understanding of early medieval Wales. The paper will conclude that such sites are better conceptualized as 'multifunctional cemeteries', rather than 'cemetery settlements'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Successful communication is vital to quality of life. One group commonly facing speech and communication difficulties is individuals with intellectual disability (ID). A novel route to encourage clear speech is offered by mainstream smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Alexa and Google Home). Smart speakers offer four factors important for learning: reward immediacy, spaced practice, autonomy/intrinsic motivation and reduced social barriers. Yet the potential of smart speakers to improve speech intelligibility has not been explored before. Aims: To determine whether providing individuals with intellectual disabilities with smart speaker devices improved ratings of speech intelligibility for (1) phrases related to device use and (2) unrelated words via a semi‐randomized controlled trial. Methods & Procedures: In a semi‐randomized controlled trial, an intervention group of adults with ID (N = 21) received smart speakers, while a control group (N = 22) did not. Before and after about 12 weeks, participants were recorded saying smart speaker‐related phrases and unrelated words. Naïve participants then rated the intelligibility of the speech recordings. Outcomes & Results: The group that received smart speakers made significantly larger intelligibility gains than the control group. Although the effect size was modest, this difference was found for both smart speaker‐related phrases and unrelated words. Conclusions & Implications: While the mechanism of action remains to be determined, the presence of smart speakers in the home had a demonstrable impact on ratings of speech intelligibility, and could provide cost‐effective inclusive support for speech and communication improvement, improving the quality of life of vulnerable populations. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectSpeech intelligibility is a key obstacle for social relationships and quality of life across several vulnerable populations (children with speech difficulties, older adults with dementia, individuals with ID). Anecdotal reports suggest mainstream smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Home), could improve speech intelligibility.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeWe used a semi‐randomized controlled trial to show that using a smart speaker for about 12 weeks could improve ratings of speech intelligibility in adults with ID for both smart speaker‐related phrases and unrelated words.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?These initial findings suggest that smart speaker technology could be a novel, and inclusive, route to improving speech intelligibility in vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report findings from a qualitative, multidisciplinary analysis of 20 Child Practice Reviews (CPRs) (previously Serious Case Review) in Wales. The reviews were analysed from three different disciplinary perspectives: law, criminology and practice (social work). The following cross‐cutting themes were identified from our coding of the reviews: (i) hierarchy of knowledge, where certain sources of knowledge were privileged over others; (ii) information sharing/recording, where deficiencies of sharing or recording of information were evident; (iii) partial assessment, where certain assessments were not always holistic; and lastly, (iv) voice of the child, where the experience or perspective of the child was not always considered. In addition, our analysis revealed a range of challenges to the CPR process as implemented. This paper is the first to explore themes emerging from (Welsh) CPRs and is also the first to do so from a multidisciplinary perspective. We conclude by highlighting the recommendations for practice, such as the need for greater learning pan‐Wales, regular publication of the major themes emerging from CPRs and the need for deposit of CPRs in a central repository to facilitate learning from reviews. 'Report[s] findings from a qualitative, multidisciplinary analysis of 20 Child Practice Reviews... in Wales' Key Practitioner Messages: There is an urgent need for multidisciplinary training on contemporary data protection requirements as per the General Data Protection Regulation for all safeguarding boards.Creative methods are required to disseminate the messages from Child Practice Reviews more widely.Child Practice Reviews should be deposited and indexed in a central repository to facilitate learning across Wales.Guidance and training for Child Practice Reviews should be revisited, so that the child is repositioned at the centre of the process and the voice of the child is heard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the link between the language in which pupils take the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test and the scores they achieve in this assessment, focusing upon the case of Wales. Using five rounds of PISA data and an instrumental variable approach, we show how pupils who took the test in Welsh score around 0.3 standard deviations (30 PISA test points) lower in reading, mathematics and science than their peers who took the test in English. This finding is robust to different model specifications and statistical approaches. We argue that this may indicate that the academic performance of teenagers in Wales may be underestimated in PISA – particularly amongst those who take this test in Welsh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having a good understanding of one's origins and history is known to be significant in identity development. Drawing on a large‐scale online survey of looked after children's subjective well‐being, this paper demonstrates that a significant number of children and young people (age 4–18 years) did not fully understand the reasons for their entry to care. The paper explores the effect of this lack of knowledge on children's well‐being and on their feelings of being settled in their current placement. The study reiterates the need for professionals to be honest and open with children in out‐of‐home care and the need to specifically address, perhaps repeatedly, why a child is not living with their birth family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper outlines fieldwork procedures for Wave 4 of the COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study in the UK during November–December 2020. Methods: Respondents provided data on socio‐political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours, and mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress). In Phase 1, adults (N = 2878) were reinvited to participate. At Phase 2, new recruitment: (i) replenished the longitudinal strand to account for attrition; and (ii) oversampled from the devolved UK nations to facilitate robust between‐country analyses for core study outcomes. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure the longitudinal panel was representative of the baseline sample characteristics. Results: In Phase 1, 1796 adults were successfully recontacted and provided full interviews at Wave 4 (62.4% retention rate). In Phase 2, 292 new respondents were recruited to replenish the panel, as well as 1779 adults from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, who were representative of the socio‐political composition of the adult populations in these nations. The raking procedure successfully re‐balanced the longitudinal panel to within 1% of population estimates for selected socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The C19PRC Study offers a unique opportunity to facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research addressing important public health questions relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores tensions in the articulation of progression in learning across the Humanities disciplines. Informed by our review of research in the Humanities disciplines, international curricula on progression in these areas and reflections from professional activity within the newly defined Humanities 'Area of Learning and Experience' in the new Welsh curriculum, this paper describes how learning progression in Humanities has been conceptualised within the new curriculum and then delineates and critically reviews four challenges that emerged when identifying and describing the progression in learning in the new Humanities curriculum. Tensions include the relationship between disciplines; the balance between knowledge, skills and values; the differences between underlying models of progression in Humanities; and balancing the complexity of learning with practical considerations for a national curriculum. Underpinned by the Integrity Model of Change, this paper makes a contribution, through providing new insights on broad aspects of learning progression in Humanities and highlighting the potential benefits and challenges of taking particular decisions within each of these four tensions. Implications for curriculum planning and future research are offered, including the fundamental role of professional learning in curriculum development and enactment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curriculum integration is a feature of many new curricula that have emerged in different countries since around the turn of the millennium. It focuses on removing the boundaries between traditional subject specialisms, to enable more holistic and 'joined‐up' learning opportunities. This study draws on the experiences of a group of primary and secondary teachers in Wales, engaged in creating a framework for an integrated curriculum for expressive arts. Whilst the teachers are united in their ambition for establishing a curriculum that gives greater status to the arts, curriculum integration presents significant challenges, notably in how subject knowledge is understood and presented within an integrated curriculum. The teachers take different approaches to curriculum integration, with primary teachers favouring a transdisciplinary approach, with child‐led learning and themes taking precedence, and secondary teachers opting for multidisciplinary approaches, where the themes are organising devices but where subjects take priority. Differing practices suggest differing conceptions of subject knowledge and mastery within an integrated curriculum. Drawing, in particular, on Bernstein's concepts relating to knowledge discourses, this paper suggests that the danger of an integrated curriculum is weakened disciplinary knowledge. Whilst this paper relates to the arts, the messages about curriculum integration might be applied more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current curriculum reform in Wales provides an opportunity for teachers to have greater freedom to develop pedagogical approaches that meet the needs of their pupils. The Successful Futures report recommends that teachers should have a greater autonomy in choosing how to deliver the curriculum, and ensuring it is done so in a manner that is meaningful and relevant to their pupils. Strengthening teachers' agency in relation to pedagogy, however, can sometimes be difficult to achieve because, for example, of perceived issues around workload and accountability. There are many 'off‐the‐peg' or ready‐made solutions to the challenges of curriculum reform, and in many cases, schools are responding to such challenges using ready‐made or bespoke approaches. This paper explores the nature of the tensions between the drive to empower professional contributions to curriculum reform, and increase autonomy for teachers, and the existing professional practices. In particular, as an example of the tensions, the paper considers how and why one school selected a commercial mindfulness package to contribute to the newly defined Health and Wellbeing Area of Experience, and the implication of this choice on teacher autonomy and pedagogical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates the applicability of GIS tools for investigating the implications of changes in public service provision following a prolonged period of economic austerity in the UK. Using the example of geographical accessibility to public library service points in Wales, levels of provision are estimated for two cross‐sections in time to gain an understanding of the potential implications of changes in service delivery models. Accessibility scores for small areas, generated using sophisticated floating catchment area (FCA) methods, enable complex spatial interactions between library service capacity and potential demand to be evaluated within realistic geographical service areas. Extending these models, we demonstrate how indicators of library service "quality" can be incorporated into access measures using the example of library operating hours for sites in three bordering Welsh local authorities, each of which have experienced differing policy responses to library service reconfiguration. Overall, the level of geographical accessibility to public library provision in Wales was found to have declined, on average, between 2011 and 2018, coinciding with a notable reduction in public library funding over the same period. While this finding is not unexpected, given an overall decrease in public library service points, this study reveals spatial inequalities in provision with areas of declining provision coinciding with pockets of greater economic deprivation. From a policy perspective, this paper demonstrates how network‐based GIS tools can aid scenario/sensitivity modelling to inform public service decision‐making processes. Our future research will extend these techniques to examine the implications of service reconfiguration strategies on potentially disadvantaged groups such as the elderly and the unemployed who rely on public libraries for access to e‐government and broader IT services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the United Kingdom, policy and guidance changes regarding the role of dental therapists (DTs) were implemented in recent years with a view to changing dental care to a more preventive‐focussed, teamwork approach. However, success in the adoption of this model of working has been varied. Aims: Adopting a realist approach, our aim was, to examine the use of DTs in general dental practices in Wales, exploring what works, why, how and in what circumstances. Materials and Methods: The research comprised two stages. (a) A structured literature search, dual‐coding papers for high‐level factors describing the conditions or context(s) under which the mechanisms operated to produce outcomes. From this, we derived theories about how skill‐mix operates in the general dental service. (b) Six case studies of general dental practices (three with a dental therapist/three without a dental therapist) employing a range of skill‐mix models incorporating semi‐structured interviews with all team members. We used the case studies/interviews to explore and refine the theories derived from the literature. Results: Eighty‐four papers were coded. From this coding, we identified seven theories which reflected factors influencing general dental practices within three broad contexts: the dental practice as a business, as a healthcare provider and as a workplace. We tested these theories in interviews with 38 dental team members across the six care studies. As a result, we amended five of the theories. Conclusion: Our analysis provides theory about outcomes that DTs may facilitate and the mechanisms that may assist the work of DTs within different contexts of general dental practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Intensification (SI) has been popularised in recent years as an approach seeking to balance the potentially conflicting demands of enhancing agricultural outputs with reducing the negative impacts arising from the current food system. Proponents have argued that SI can benefit from collaboration between farmers, but understanding is limited by a lack of data on current collaborative practices. Questions have also been raised as to whether the SI agenda pays sufficient attention to social sustainability as part of a fully integrated conception of SI. Tackling these issues, this paper reports on mixed methods data collection from seven case areas across the UK, with a particular focus on the experience of upland livestock farmers in north Wales. We evidence: (1) The extent, forms and preferences associated with farmers' collaboration; with findings demonstrating higher levels of collaboration than anticipated and a preference for informal forms of co‐working. (2) The underpinning and mutually reinforcing role of social interconnectedness in the delivery of diverse outcomes from collaboration. (3) How SI is perceived to threaten social sustainability, and thus work against a more integrated model of delivery. The paper concludes by arguing for a genuinely integrative model of SI to secure collaborations going forwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, flood frequency has increased over the last three decades. Natural Flood Management (NFM) is considered a progressive holistic flood management approach, using "natural" hydrological processes to slow and store water, delivering multiple benefits including water quality, biodiversity and amenity improvements. Although there are existing evaluations of NFM, they remain insufficient for drawing conclusions as to its effectiveness at catchment scales. However, without this evidence base and because of the domination of the natural sciences in the framing and research agenda, catchment‐wide interventions have not been implemented. In acknowledging the importance of understanding and data gaps (and attempts to fill them), this paper argues that there is an opportunity to deliver NFM more widely by capitalising on widespread interest in different land and water management sectors, supported by interdisciplinary policy‐relevant research. This paper illustrates how multi‐stakeholder collaborative partnership is suited to the dynamic complexity of NFM delivery. It is proposed that, through championing NFM delivery at catchment scales and the work of established catchment partnerships in England and Wales, there is the opportunity to more widely deliver NFM as an integrated component of flood risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the British NHS the principle of exceptionality involves assessing whether a patient is sufficiently different from the generality of patients to justify providing a treatment, such as an expensive cancer drug, not approved for routine funding. In England, individual requests for certain high‐cost treatments are considered by local panels that examine exceptionality alongside treatment efficacy and cost as the main criteria for funding. This was also the case in Wales until September 2017. Our paper draws on audio recordings of panel meetings and interviews in a Welsh Health Board to investigate how exceptionality was constructed in discussions. It focuses on the problematic combination of different decision criteria in meeting talk, particularly regarding the discourses associated with efficacy and exceptionality. Exceptionality is a fluid category that raised questions about the evidence‐based nature of panel decision making. In particular, the paper discusses the use of subgroup data from RCTs and the difficulty of deciding how small a subgroup of patients should be before it is deemed exceptional. Determining exceptionality has been an important mechanism for deciding that a minority of NHS patients can still receive high‐cost treatments not routinely provided for all. As a neglected rationing mechanism it warrants sociological examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The professed aim of any social welfare or legal intervention in family life is often to bring about "better outcomes for the children." But there is considerable ambiguity about "outcomes," and the term is far too often used in far too simplistic a way. This paper draws on empirical research into the outcomes of care proceedings for a randomly selected sample of 616 children in England and Wales, about half starting proceedings in 2009–2010 and the others in 2014–2015. The paper considers the challenges of achieving and assessing "good outcomes" for the children. Outcomes are complex and fluid for all children, whatever the court order. One has to assess the progress of the children in the light of their individual needs and in the context of "normal" child development, and in terms of the legal provisions and policy expectations. A core paradox is that some of the most uncertain outcomes are for children who remain with or return to their parents; yet law and policy require that first consideration is given to this option. Greater transparency about the uncertainty of outcomes is a necessary step towards better understanding the risks and potential benefits of care proceedings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, first responders and health care workers faced elevated virus‐related risks through prolonged contacts with the public. Research suggests that these workers already experienced lower levels of psychological well‐being linked to occupational risks. Thus, the pandemic's impact might have particularly affected mental health in these groups. This paper analysed data from a large‐scale Welsh population study (N = 12,989) from June to July 2020. Levels of psychological distress were compared across various occupations, including police, fire and rescue, and NHS health care workers. Resilience was also indexed, and its role considered as a protective factor for psychological distress. Surprisingly, health care workers reported lower distress levels than the general population. Further, fire and rescue and police groups had lower distress than most groups and significantly higher resilience. Within police officers, higher resilience levels were protective for distress. Fire and rescue workers were half as likely as others to report distress, even accounting for demographic factors and resilience. The findings offer an optimistic view of psychological resilience in these critical occupations. They illustrate potential benefits to one's mental health of playing a crucial societal role during crises and reiterate the importance of enhancing resilience within groups who encounter high‐risk situations daily. Practitioner points: Our findings provide evidence that health care workers and first responders showed lower levels of psychological distress than the general population during the first period of lockdown due to the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. This may indicate that playing a critical role in society during an episode of crisis, and acting to help others, may be protective of one's own mental health.The research also provides an optimistic view of the psychological resilience of critical first responders and health care workers during a period early on in the COVID‐19 pandemic (June–July 2020). This highlights the benefits of fostering resilience in those working within high‐risk first responder and health care occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is overwhelming evidence that human lifestyles have impacted the earth's planetary boundaries, with profound impacts for generations to come. Without concerted action to shape a better future, children will bear the burden on their health and well-being throughout their lifetimes. Yet government priorities are frequently dominated by short-term concerns, and an over-reliance on economic indicators as a measure of human progress. To give today's - and tomorrow's - children the best chance of leading flourishing lives, a new approach is needed, which overcomes the 'presentist' bias in political decision-making and values measures of well-being beyond gross domestic product (GDP). The potential building blocks of such an approach can be seen in the promising early steps being taken by several countries, including Wales and New Zealand. This paper provides an overview of these efforts in the context of the recommendations of the WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission report 'A future for the world's children'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There is a growing interest in how people living with dementia may achieve good outcomes and be resilient despite their health challenges. Understanding what might be important for resilience in this population is largely untested theory.Methods: The analysis draws a subsample with cognitive impairment (N = 579) from two waves of the Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies Wales study, a nationally representative study of community-dwelling people aged 65+ in Wales. We constructed a measure of mental health resilience (MHR) defined as no depression, no anxiety and high well-being. Drawing on a resilience framework, we tested univariate and cumulative effects models of the factors that enable MHR, and then examined whether MHR is important for reducing loneliness over time.Results: Across both waves of data 22% (n = 121) met the criteria for MHR. The cumulative effects model found the odds of MHR were greater for male gender, higher self-esteem, greater social resources and no subjective memory complaints. Controlling for these significant predictors, MHR significantly predicted lower total and sub-scale scores for loneliness at wave 2. Sensitivity analysis shows these effects held at lower levels of cognitive function when the Mini-Mental State Examination score was <25, but not at <23.Conclusions: This paper addresses a gap in research regarding the conceptualisation and measurement of resilience when facing cognitive impairment. Understanding what aspects of a person's life might enable good mental health despite cognitive impairment-to be resilient-could inform effective strategies for friends and families, along with health, and social policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic, management authorities of numerous Protected Areas (PAs) had to discourage visitors from accessing them in order to reduce the virus transmission rate and protect local communities. This resulted in social–ecological impacts and added another layer of complexity to managing PAs. This paper presents the results of a survey in Snowdonia National Park capturing the views of over 700 local residents on the impacts of COVID‐19 restrictions and possible scenarios and tools for managing tourist numbers. Lower visitor numbers were seen in a broadly positive way by a significant number of respondents while benefit sharing issues from tourism also emerged. Most preferred options to manage overcrowding were restricting access to certain paths, the development of mobile applications to alert people to overcrowding and reporting irresponsible behavior. Our findings are useful for PA managers and local communities currently developing post‐COVID‐19 recovery strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically explores how survey and routinely collected data could aid in assessing the generalisability of public health evidence. We propose developing approaches that could be employed in understanding the relevance of public health evidence, and investigate ways of producing meta‐analytic estimates tailored to reflect local circumstances, based on analyses of secondary data. Currently, public health decision makers face challenges in interpreting global review evidence to assess its meaning in local contexts. A lack of clarity on the definition and scope of generalisability, and the absence of consensus on its measurement, has stunted methodological progress. The consequence of failing to tackle generalisability means that systematic review evidence often fails to fulfil its potential contribution in public health decision making. Three approaches to address these problems are considered and emerging challenges discussed: (1) purposeful exploration after a review has been conducted, and we present a framework of potential avenues of enquiry and a worked example; (2) recalibration of the results to weight studies differentially based on their similarity to conditions in an inference population, and we provide a worked example using UK Census data to understand potential differences in the effectiveness of community engagement interventions among sites in England and Wales; (3) purposeful exploration before starting a review to ensure that the findings are relevant to an inference population. The paper aims to demonstrate how a more nuanced treatment of context in reviews of public health interventions could be achieved through greater engagement with existing large sources of secondary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that an estimated 5-10% of the worldwide population is said to have dyslexia, it is of great importance that teachers have an accurate understanding of what dyslexia is and how it effects their students. Using results from a large-scale survey of teachers in England and in Wales (N ≈ 2,600), this paper demonstrates that teachers held a basic understanding of dyslexia, based on the behavioural issues that it is associated with. Teachers lacked the knowledge of the biological (i.e., neurological) and cognitive (i.e., processing) aspects of dyslexia. Moreover, a number of teachers mentioned visual factors in their description of dyslexia, despite there being inconclusive evidence to suggest a direct relationship between visual functioning and dyslexia. Further findings demonstrate the importance of good-quality teacher training in increasing teachers' confidence working with those with dyslexia, while increasing their knowledge of the cognitive aspects of dyslexia. This paper argues that evidence-based teacher training, which informs teachers of the up-to-date research on the biological, cognitive, and behavioural aspects of dyslexia, is essential to combat misconceptions and ensure that teachers have more nuanced and informed understandings of dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Support groups available to parents/carers of children with a disability or developmental delay (DDD) are predominately attended by women. Limited data exists reporting experiences of the few male‐only support groups. This paper examines experiences of fathers of children with DDD attending a male‐only support group from South Wales. Method: All fifteen members from a support group for fathers/male carers of children with DDD were invited to take part in qualitative interviews and seven participated. The data were analysed following Braun and Clarke's (Qualitative research in psychology, 2006, 3:77) thematic framework. Results: Within the group, fathers felt understood by similarly situated men, and a sense of connectivity and belonging. Fathers perceived exclusion elsewhere, including mixed‐gender groups. Fathers felt permission to talk in a way consistent with their male identities, and valued receiving, and giving, support. Conclusions: Mixed‐gender support groups may not meet the needs of fathers, and there are potential benefits in providing male‐only groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Continence is a key moment of care that can tell us about the wider care of people living with dementia within acute hospital wards. The spotlight is currently on the quality of hospital care of older people across the UK, yet concerns persist about their poor treatment, neglect, abuse, and discrimination within this setting. Thus, within hospitals, the care of people living with dementia is both a welfare issue and a human rights issue. The challenge of continence care for people living with dementia can be seen as the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for the unravelling of dignity within the acute setting. This paper draws on an ethnographic study within five hospitals in England and Wales, selected to represent a range of hospital types, geographies and socio‐economic catchments. Observational fieldwork was carried out over 154 days in acute hospitals known to admit large numbers of people living with dementia. This paper starts to fill the gap between theory and data by providing an in‐depth ethnographic analysis examining the ways in which treatment as a person is negotiated, achieved or threatened. We examine how the twin assaults on agency of a diagnosis of dementia and of incontinence threaten personhood. The acute threats to this patient group may then act to magnify perils to treatment as a person. Our findings suggest that personal dignity and the social construction of moral personhood are both threatened and maintained in such a setting. We show how empirical ethnographic data can lend weight to, and add detail to, theoretical accounts of moral personhood and dignity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wales has a long history of migration; however, the introduction of dispersed asylum seekers in 2001 has led to Wales becoming a more superdiverse nation. Wales has often been positioned as a more “tolerant nation” than England; however, the increasingly superdiverse nature of Wales in a postdevolution era may now be calling this tolerance thesis into question. Models of refugee and asylum seeker integration suggest that the absence of racism plays a key role in integration. This paper reports the findings of research that centres on refugee and asylum seeker integration in Wales. Nineteen interviews were conducted with refugees and asylum seekers who had been living in Wales for between 1 month and 12 years. Each interview was analysed using a discursive psychology approach. In this paper, I show that the interviewees appeared to negotiate a dilemma when talking about experiencing potentially racist incidents within the interviews, constructing them as trivial so as not to appear critical of the protection they have received in Wales. The findings also highlight the more everyday and banal forms of racism that are regularly experienced by refugees and asylum seekers living in Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper discusses some key findings taken from a qualitative study conducted with gay and lesbian adopters and foster carers in England and Wales. The study examined the experiences of 24 self‐identified lesbians and gay men, who had been involved in adoption or fostering processes since the introduction of the Adoption and Children Act, 2002. This article will explore why participants chose to adopt or foster and their approach to relationships generated through these routes. Findings indicate that gay and lesbian applicants troubled dominant conceptualisations of family and kinship and revealed both heteronormative and nuclear constructions of parenting within adoption and fostering social work. In contrast, participants often demonstrated a reflexive and creative approach to caring for looked after children. This paper will therefore consider how professionals can recognise nuanced or complex relationships, situated beyond traditional frameworks, through drawing upon wider concepts within sociological literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trans‐identifying individuals experience unique barriers and challenges in negotiating health‐care systems due to the cisnormative attitudes and practices which obstruct the receipt of trans‐inclusive care. To date, there has been little exploration of older trans consumers' experiences of contemporary health‐care services when seeking to transition medically in later life. Objectives: Qualitative findings are presented from a study of trans ageing and trans‐related health and social care needs in Wales, UK (2016‐18). The objectives are to (1) examine supportive and obstructive points of interaction with health‐care professionals, and (2) identify key learning messages for improving trans‐related health care from the perspectives of trans‐identifying adults in later life. Design: Trans‐identifying participants self‐selected to take part in two interviews—a life‐history interview and a semi‐structured interview. Interview data were analysed thematically using the framework method approach. Setting and participants: This paper focuses on the accounts of 19 participants (50‐74 years of age) who identified as trans and were seeking to transition medically in mid‐ to later life. Results: Findings indicate how older trans patients are positioned as reluctant educators for GPs in primary care settings and illustrate the transphobic practices and cisnormative assumptions encountered across health‐care interactions and systems that impede their journey of transitioning in later life. Discussion and conclusions: Messages from this study speak to the importance of improving professionals' knowledge of gender identity diversity across the life course and making changes at a systemic level in redressing cisnormative assumptions and systems that reinforce inequities on the basis of gender identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New Welsh Curriculum sets itself apart from its predecessors through the use of explicit aims; these are the Four Purposes of the New Welsh Curriculum. At the same time, it sets out six Areas of Learning and Experience which incorporate traditional school subjects and emphasise the importance of providing a broad and balanced education. In this paper, I ask whether these two strands, the Four Purposes and the six Areas of Learning and Experience, can be united into a single coherent curriculum. I argue that if the curriculum is entirely driven by the Four Purposes, then much of the content associated with traditional school subjects in the Areas of Learning and Experience is redundant. On the contrary, if the Areas of Learning and Experience are prioritised, then the Four Purposes are unlikely to be met. In response, I propose that the content associated with Areas of Learning and Experience can be understood a prerequisite for meeting the Four Purposes, but the content is not sufficient on its own. This reconciles some of the tension between the two curriculum strands, but means that the Areas of Learning and Experience will need to be supplemented by additional activities in order for the New Welsh Curriculum to achieve its purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports teacher and learner perspectives on how assessment and reform influences pedagogical practices and behaviours. The research was conducted in a context of policy reform, at a time when Wales' revised General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) specifications had been implemented, and learners were preparing for their assessments; but, also during the period of debate on the development of Wales' new curriculum, which has taken a distinct and contrasting position on assessment to the assumptions underlying the reform of Welsh GCSEs implemented from 2015. These data, therefore, offer unique insights into the affordances and limitations of two sharply contrasting systems at a time of considerable change, offering reflections on the current curriculum and its attendant assessment practices, and also a prospective analysis of how the principles embedded in the new curriculum could challenge these existing assumptions and conventions. Findings suggest that teachers and learners currently inhabit an assessment‐driven system, which encourages performative practices in pedagogy and is governed by external accountability; and that these practices are at odds with the principles of assessment articulated in Successful Futures. Consequently, teachers in this study expressed uncertainty about how assessment for certification purposes at GCSE could be compatible with the principles of the Curriculum for Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the implications of the transformative student‐centred curriculum being developed in Wales for tackling educational inequalities. Informed by long‐standing debates within the sociology of education about the role of school knowledge in social and cultural reproduction, our research outlines some of the challenges that those implementing the new Curriculum for Wales need to address if it is to offer 'successful futures' for all. Drawing on interview and survey data from those schools tasked with developing the new curriculum, and the evaluation of a very similar curriculum reform for early years and primary education in Wales, we outline the demands the new curriculum will place on material and human resources and the risks of increasing flexibility. We argue that there will need to be significant investment and some form of external accountability to ensure that disadvantaged students receive a curriculum experience that opens up avenues to 'powerful knowledge'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following trends across the developed world to devolve power and responsibility for public services to more local agencies, curriculum reforms in several countries have been characterised by policies designed to increase teacher agency and professionalism as a means of achieving successful change. In Wales, this approach has been promoted through adoption of a principle of subsidiarity. Four interconnected reasons are presented for its use within the development of a new curriculum. These can be summarised as follow: that it will encourage teacher professionalism; stimulate improvements in teaching; enhance the responsiveness of schools to local and national needs; lead to increased confidence in the reforms. This paper explores the extent to which these four justifications are reflected in teachers' experiences of curriculum development in schools involved in leading the reform process. Drawing on data from 10 in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with teachers and a survey of over 600 teachers, data reveal that although the principle of subsidiarity is broadly welcomed, whether or not its application fulfils the justification criteria presented is far from clear. Questions about the application of a subsidiarity principle in relation to curriculum reform are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines state that anticipated impacts must be considered in wildlife reintroduction, including the impacts on humans. Further, since reintroduction projects can be halted by resulting human–wildlife conflicts or human–human conflicts about wildlife, the perceptions of stakeholders and publics are of great importance. Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction is being debated in Great Britain at a devolved level. A decision has already been taken in Scotland to allow beavers already present to remain, while a number of reintroduction trials are taking place in England (both fenced and unfenced). There are also proposals for a reintroduction trial in Wales. We use a sub‐set of results from a nationwide survey (n = 2,759) to identify four social areas that we propose decision‐makers should consider in the debate: key stakeholder perceptions; engagement methods; attitudes towards legal protection and management responsibilities; and support for management techniques. In this paper, we investigate the complex social dimensions of wildlife reintroduction and we argue that emphasis should be placed on the need to recognise societal perceptions of potential management solutions, beyond perceptions of reintroduction itself. This is paramount in order to develop a management strategy that is more likely to garner social support and reduce potential future conflicts, should beaver reintroduction proceed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional identities are important in defining workers' roles, and are concerned with attributes relating to those roles and how they are performed. Evidence shows mental health nurses undertake many different roles as part of their work. Yet, the roles of mental health nurses are insufficiently understood by healthcare staff, service users, and nurses themselves. Mental health nursing work has been deemed invisible and lacking in role clarity. Poor understandings about professional identity of mental health nurses result in difficulties recruiting to the profession, nurses lacking confidence articulating the value of their work, with misunderstandings apparent with service users about the specific role of mental health nursing in their care. The primary focus of this study, conducted in Wales, United Kingdom, was to examine how talk about mental health nursing was handled by participants from multiple perspectives. Data consisted of 17 individual interview transcripts with mental health nurses and 13 interview transcripts from mental health service users, and three focus groups with nursing students. Participants' talk was analysed using thematic analysis. This paper reports how participants described mental health nursing work to have significant role overlap with other multidisciplinary team members. Participants highlighted that mental health nurses often have an 'in the middle' label because the complexity of their work can be hard to describe. The implications are pertinent for nurses because if they are considered to be in a liminal position, they risk being perceived as neither one role nor another, resulting in nurses struggling with professional identities and role confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In boundary line analysis a biological response (e.g., crop yield) is assumed to be a function of a variable (e.g., soil nutrient concentration), which limits the response in only some subset of observations because other limiting factors also apply. The response function is therefore expressed by an upper boundary of the plot of the response against the variable. This model has been used in various branches of soil science. In this paper we apply it to the analysis of some large datasets, originating from commercial farms in England and Wales, on the recorded yield of wheat and measured concentrations of soil nutrients in within‐field soil management zones. We considered boundary line models for the effects of potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) on yield, comparing the model with a simple bivariate normal distribution or a bivariate normal censored at a constant maximum yield. We were able to show, using likelihood‐based methods, that the boundary line model was preferable in most cases. The boundary line model suggested that the standard RB209 soil nutrient index values (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, nutrient management guide (RB209), 2017) are robust and apply at the within‐field scale. However, there was evidence that wheat yield could respond to additional Mg at concentrations above index 0, contrary to RB209 guidelines. Furthermore, there was evidence that the boundary line model for yield and P differs between soils at different pH and depth intervals, suggesting that shallow soils with larger pH require a larger target P index than others. Highlights: Boundary line analysis is one way to examine how soil variables influence crop yield in large datasets.We showed that boundary line models could be applied to large datasets on soil nutrients and crop yield.The resulting models are consistent with current practice for P and K, but not for Mg.Models suggest that more refined recommendations for P requirement could be based on soil pH and depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]