Social Policy

Proposal to include Bethany Home within the remit of Senator Martin McAleese’s investigation of state interactions with Magdalene institutions

by Niall Meehan

Submission to Minister of State, Justice, Equality & Law Reform Kathleen Lynch (14Jul11) by Niall Meehan and Joe Costello TD

Since 1917, according to Mary Raftery (writing in the Irish Times, 4 Nov 2004), ‘Protestant children in need of care’... more Since 1917, according to Mary Raftery (writing in the Irish Times, 4 Nov 2004), ‘Protestant children in need of care’ were ‘essentially dealt with by private institutions’. She suggested that the state’s attitude was one of ‘hands-off’. Indeed, in the 1937 Cussen report on the ‘Reformatory and Industrial School System’ and the 1970 Kennedy report on the same subject and again in the 2009 Ryan Commission report on institutional child abuse, it is stated that problematic Protestants were dispersed by the Courts among Protestant clergy who were expected to deal with matters privately.

Hence, there is a large gap in official knowledge as a result of implementing a sectarian welfare and detention system, albeit one in which the dominant confessional community was regulated more so than its smaller Christian counterpart. This practice had no statutory basis but statute law was used to enforce it, often against the stated intent of the law. Research into Bethany Home indicates that this is one reason for neglect and death in the Bethany Home.

Official records explain why officials decided not to interfere when confronted with evidence of unusually high child mortality and medical neglect in the Bethany Home. We mainly summarise them here.

Direct State involvement

Bethany was a place of detention for women convicted of crimes from the trivial to the most serious. There appears to be no statutory basis for the directing of offending Protestant females into the Bethany home until 1945, but then only in the case of female Protestant children and teenagers. Incarceration of women generally in the Bethany Home was, however, an official practice.

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See also,
Church & State and the Bethany Home
http://gcd.academia.edu/NiallMeehan/Papers/277737/

The Irish State & the Bethany Home - submission to Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn (24 May 2011)

by Niall Meehan

Submitted to Ruairi Quinn TD, Minister for Education, at Leinster House meeting, 24 May 2011, by delegation consisting of Derek Leinster, Noleen Belton, Patrick Anderson McQuoid, Niall Meehan, Joe Costello TD, Robert Dowds TD.

‘The institution is kept very well is clean & comfortable… It is well recognised that a large number of... more ‘The institution is kept very well is clean & comfortable… It is well recognised that a large number of illegitimate children are delicate… from their birth’

Winslow Sterling Berry, Deputy Chief Medical Adviser, Department of Local Government and Public Health, Ireland, after visiting Bethany Home, Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin, 25 January, 6 October 1939 (see p. 8).

‘A beautiful institution…, seemed to be well-run and spotlessly clean… I closed the place down and sacked the matron, a nun, and also got rid of the medical officer. The deaths had been going on for years. They had done nothing about it.’

JamesDeeny, Chief Medical Adviser, Department of Health, Ireland, after visiting Bessborough Mother and Babies Home, Cork, in the mid to late 1940s (see p.11).

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See also,
Church & State and the Bethany Home
http://gcd.academia.edu/NiallMeehan/Papers/277737/

The Emergence of 'Sexualization' as a Social Problem

by Robbie Duschinsky

Draft only; Social Politics

The article explores the history of the way the idea of ‘sexualization’ has been problematized – situated as an object... more The article explores the history of the way the idea of ‘sexualization’ has been problematized – situated as an object of concern – in the USA and UK. My focus here will be on media discourses, having analysed policy and sociological discourses on sexualization elsewhere. I document that, from the early 1980s in the USA, the term ‘sexualization’ came to describe a mal-socialisation which causes the precocious entry by the child into adult forms of sexual subjectivity and desire. I will argue that the media problematization of sexualization has been the result of a ‘discursive coalition’ between a number of conservative and feminist commentators, who for quite different reasons wished to justify measures to protect and regulate the sexuality and morality of young women. Underpinning this coalition is an inadequate account of sexual and commercial choice, as either simply present or absent for young women.

Paying for health: Lansley woes and pre-NHS healthcare

by George Campbell Gosling

History & Policy opinion piece (February 2012)

The Coalition has found few, if any, of its policies to be as controversial as the NHS reforms contained in the Health... more The Coalition has found few, if any, of its policies to be as controversial as the NHS reforms contained in the Health and Social Care Bill. The pressure has increased in recent weeks, with both British Medical Journal and public polls showing overwhelming opposition, another Lords defeat, reported cabinet concerns and speculation over the future of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. It was rumoured that former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn could be ennobled to take over the role, which would fit an analysis of the government's problems as essentially political, rather policy-based. If Julian Le Grand is right that the Coalition's reforms are a 'sensible evolution of previous strategies', then who better to see them through than Milburn, who introduced foundation trusts in 2003?

Nearly a decade earlier, Milburn had to assure Parliament of his own reforms: 'This is not privatisation, it is democratisation.' The proposed GP consortia look rather different from the membership communities of foundation hospitals, which Milburn and colleagues were keen to justify by harking back to a largely mythical pre-NHS culture of mutualism and working-class governance. An 'evolution' is evident, however, in the increase of the private income cap to as much as 49 per cent for NHS trusts, an extension of the financial freedoms awarded by Milburn. Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, claims this would be a return to 'the bad old days in the NHS when people were told to wait longer or go private'. However, the fear of private practice in hospitals 'squeezing out' those with the greatest need has a longer history than the NHS itself...

From academic achievement to service tasks: An attempt at finding a reliable tool for evaluating the quality of education at Polish universities

by Ryszard Stocki

Stocki, R. 2002
This paper appeared in Journal for Mental Changes, 7, 1-2, 43-73

300 social service employees were individually interviewed with a survey which started with a question minimal... more 300 social service employees were individually interviewed with a survey which started with a question minimal competence to perform the job. They were also asked to evaluate university courses in the light of the most important tasks they had to perform in their work. In general, the graduates learnt more from the institutions they worked for than from the universities. With a few exceptions, the university courses were evaluated below 4 on the scale from 1 to 6. It has also been found that the university studies differ significantly from the future work as regards concern for quality and order, initiative, interpersonal understanding, customer-service orientation, directiveness, team work and cooperation, developing others, team leadership. Some proposals are formulated how university studies in Poland could be improved.

Not so NEET? A critique of the use of 'NEET'in setting targets for interventions with young people

by Scott Yates

Published in Journal of Youth Studies
Co-authored with Malcolm Payne

There is a widespread current perception that being ‘NEET’ (not in employment, education or training) presents a major... more There is a widespread current perception that being ‘NEET’ (not in employment, education or training) presents a major risk for young people of becoming socially excluded. One of the key foci for combating social exclusion thus aims at reducing the numbers of young people who are NEET. This is reflected in the ‘programme theories’ of the Connexions service, whose effectiveness is measured in relation to targets for reducing the numbers of NEET young people. This paper argues, however, that ‘NEET’ is a problematic concept that defines young people by what they are not, and subsumes under a negatively-perceived label a heterogeneous mix of young people whose varied situations and difficulties are not conceptualised. Additionally, research evidence suggests that adherence to NEET-reduction targets encourages a ‘fire-fighting’ approach to working with young people rather than focusing support and intervention on areas where they may be most productive.

Vocational training and disabled young people in Great Britain [Formation professionnelle et jeunes handicapés en Grande-Bretagne]

by Scott Yates

Published in Nouvelle revue de l'adaptation et de la scolarisation, 8(2) [The Journal of the French Ministry of Social Affairs]
Co-authored with Alan Roulstone

This article will explore the history of vocational services very briefly, explore recent policy shifts and ask why,... more This article will explore the history of vocational services very briefly, explore recent policy shifts and ask why, despite so many shifts in policy and programme, disabled young people’s access to training and employment are still very limited. A reading of UK vocational and post school policy of the last ten years would lead a reasonable observer to conclude that disabled young people had never been as well supported and protected in their search for economic belonging and wellbeing. Policy has shifted towards mainstreaming and emphasised disabled people’s right to live ordinary lives and to realise their expectation. However, institutional discrimination, credentialism and inaccessible learning and training environments are all seen as important. Access to employment and training are two key issues for disabled young people attempting to get a foothold in contemporary society. Their social inclusion and economic standing remain closely linked to their entry to the world of paid work. Despite major policy shifts aimed at enhancing the social inclusion of disabled young people and similar efforts to join up post school training, qualification and employment support systems, there remain real barriers to disabled young people getting equal treatment and opportunities. This article will largely explore the vocational position of disabled young people in England, but will also draw on some key findings from Wales and Scotland which inform policy analyses in this area.

Youths' career aspirations and socio-economic outcomes in adulthood.

by Scott Yates

Early Occupational Aspirations and Fractured Transitions: A Study of Entry into 'NEET'Status in the UK

by Scott Yates

Published in Journal of Social Policy
Co-authored with Angel Harris, Ricardo Sabates and Jeremy Staff

There has been significant recent research and policy interest in issues of young people’s occupational aspirations,... more There has been significant recent research and policy interest in issues of young people’s occupational aspirations, transitions to employment and the antecedents of NEET (not in employment, education or training) status.Many have argued that changes to the youth labour market over the past 30 years have led to transitions to work becoming more individualised, complex and troublesome for many, particularly those from poorer backgrounds. However, little research has examined the connection between early uncertainty or misalignment in occupational aspirations and entry into NEET status. This paper draws on the British Cohort Study to investigate these issues, and finds that young people with uncertain occupational aspirations or ones misaligned with their educational expectations are considerably more likely to become NEET by age 18. Uncertainty and misalignment are both more widespread andmore detrimental for those from poorer backgrounds. These findings are discussed in the context of recent research and debates on emerging adulthood and the youth labour market.

"Minding the gap" between policy visions and service implementation: lessons from Connexions

by Scott Yates

Published in Youth & Policy
Co-authored with Malcolm Payne

From 2001, Connexions was phased in across England to meet policy visions centred on uniting youth-oriented services... more From 2001, Connexions was phased in across England to meet policy visions centred on uniting youth-oriented services into a coherent whole, and providing universal advice and guidance alongside targeted support. Recent evaluations suggest that the service was not fulfilling these visions successfully, and current policy remains focused on implementing a new co-ordination of services to meet broadly similar visions. This paper draws on research evidence to explore the reasons for this failure in Connexions. It highlights a range of problems in service implementation from initial contact and assessment through to final interventions. It locates these problems in the political, bureaucratic, financial and social contexts in which the service existed. Notably the requirements to pursue a broad remit and meet hard targets with limited resources, instigate joint-working across existing professional boundaries, and unite and adapt disparate working paradigms presented significant challenges that are likely to remain relevant for future services.

Inquiry into social tourism: Call for evidence

by Lynn Minnaert

Organisation and efficiency of agricultural enterprises in transformation: an empirical analysis of the Gorzow Voivodeship

by Robert Rusielik

My School, Education, and Cultures of Rating and Ranking

by Remy Low

co-authored with Guy Redden in Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 34:1-2

On January 28, 2010 the Federal Government of Australia introduced a much-vaunted website designed to give parents and... more On January 28, 2010 the Federal Government of Australia introduced a much-vaunted website designed to give parents and policy makers information about the educational performance of Australian schools.

Our aim is to raise critical questions about the appropriateness of My School and NAPLAN by arguing that they arise more from a framework of normalized neoliberal assumptions that model public goods on market transactions, than from any evidence that they actually provide mechanisms to foster better education.The use of metrics to rate quality and comparative ranking through league tables are understood as specific techniques of neoliberal reform that introduce market-like accountabilities into education. The very rationale of My School and similar performance media presupposes that in response to information that acts like market data, actors who have a stake, such as parents, teachers, and administrators, undertake ‘‘positive’’ behavior modifications to ensure that the values measured increase.

EG-Recht contra Arbeitsrecht? Gedanken zum Verhältnis von Negativ-und Positivintegration im Europäischen Arbeitsrecht

by Dagmar Schiek

published in Arbeit und Rechtt, Festschrift fuer Wolfgang Daeubler (Martin Wolmerath et al eds), 1995

Defining and measuring multidimensional poverty. Exploring poverty in Ecuador 2006-2010

by Andres Mideros Mora

Punishing progress and expecting failure: Alberta families’ experiences accessing health and social services systems

by Elaine Hyshka

Mayan, M. M., Grey, E., Lo, S. S., & Hyshka, E. (2011). Punishing progress and expecting failure: Alberta families’ experiences accessing health and social services systems. Canadian Social Work Review, 28(1), 107-126.

Lost connections and new directions: Neo-liberalism, new public managerialism, and the 'modernization'of the British police

by Karim Murji

After the Stephen Lawrence Report

by Karim Murji

Controlling the Bill: restructuring the police in the 1990s

by Karim Murji

The EU's International Corporate Social Responsability Strategy: A Business-Driven, Voluntary and Process-Oriented Policy

by Nicolas Hachez

Published in 19:2 Journal of European Social Policy 110-113 (2009)
Part of the Journal of European Social Policy's symposium on the EU's global social role
Co-authored with Jan Wouters

This symposium considers Europe’s global social policy through an exchange of ideas between scholars with different... more This symposium considers Europe’s global social policy through an exchange of ideas between scholars with different areas of expertise. The lead article provides an overview of the EU’s objectives and instruments in promoting the social dimension of globalization, illustrating its focus on international labour standards and the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the shift from trade measures to a broader spectrum of soft external policy instruments. More specifically, we analyse the horizontal and vertical coherence of the EU’s international social policies. The three other contributions to this symposium elaborate on this distinction by examining the social dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the ‘uploading’ of the EU social model in the ILO, and the EU’s promotion of corporate social responsibility in the world. These accounts suggest that market-enhancing goals often take priority over social objectives, and that the EU can at best be seen as a regional social power. In addition, the contributions point to the limitations of an ambitious EU role in this area.