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Objective: Evidence for early intervention and prevention‐based approaches for improving social and emotional health in young children is robust. However, rates of participation in programmes are low. We explored the dynamics which affect levels of community readiness to address the issues of social and emotional health for pregnant women, young children (0‐4 years) and their mothers. Setting: A deprived inner‐city housing estate in the north of England. The estate falls within the catchment area of a project that has been awarded long‐term funding to address social and emotional health during pregnancy and early childhood. Methods: We interviewed key respondents using the Community Readiness Model. This approach applies a mixed methodology, incorporating readiness scores and qualitative data. A mean community readiness score was calculated enabling the placement of the community in one of nine possible stages of readiness. Interview transcripts were analysed using a qualitative framework approach to generate contextual information to augment the numerical scores. Results: An overall score consistent with vague awareness was achieved, indicating a low level of community readiness for social and emotional health interventions. This score suggests that there will be a low likelihood of participation in programmes that address these issues. Conclusion: Gauging community readiness offers a way of predicting how willing and prepared a community is to address an issue. Modifying implementation plans so that they first address community readiness may improve participation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features Elizabeth Gurney Fry, a history maker in the field of correctional education. Gurney was the third among the twelve siblings of a well-off family in Norwich, England. As a child she was shy with delicate health and sporadically experienced depression with the death of her mother, she was obligated to guide her younger sisters and brothers but luckily, her mother has insisted on giving her education which prepare her to do whatever she wants in life. Inspired by William Savery's story, who is also a wealthy Quaker tanner, she was converted spiritually. It was the start of her Bible reading, visiting the sick and teaching poor children. At 20 she married Joseph Fry, a wealthy tea merchant who supported her in her chosen career.

Teacher and parent ratings of emotional and behavioural disorders were made for children aged 5-15 years in the strictly orthodox Jewish community in North London, on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). We obtained 369 sets of teacher ratings and 226 parent ratings. Our parent ratings generally reflected less disturbance than did parent ratings in the national samples reported by Meltzer and colleagues (Meltzer, Gatward, Corbin, Goodman, & Ford, 2003; Meltzer, Gatward, Goodman, & Ford, 2000). Our teacher ratings reflected similar levels of disturbance to teacher ratings in the national sample, except that the older boys in this sample were rated as more disturbed by their teachers. Teacher ratings of disturbance were associated with perceived Special Educational Needs (SENs), and it was noted that statutory remedial help was said to be needed particularly urgently for older boys. In this community there is negligible statutory educational funding and remedial support for older boys is said to be particularly under-resourced. The strictly orthodox Jewish community is characterized by large family size and high levels of economic deprivation, and it might be expected that there would be high levels of associated emotional and behavioural disorders. The relatively low levels of behaviour disturbance found were suggested to be the result of moderating factors such as high levels of family cohesion, social support and religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes the topics discussed at a conference supported by Marie Curie Cancer Care and British Broadcasting Corp. Children in Need, held in London, England on March 21, 2000. The primary intention of this dynamic conference was to raise awareness among stakeholders and service providers regarding the needs of children affected by bereavement. Speaker Barbara Monroe delivered an informed presentation of an overview of Children and Bereavement: Where are We Now? Where are We Going? She also highlighted the work of the Childhood Bereavement Project which is identifying and correlating services nationwide for bereaved children and their families.