The context for the thesis is the Government's ambitious target to eradicate child poverty by 2020 with interim targets to reduce it by a quarter by 2004/05 and to halve it by 2010/11 compared with its level in 1998/99. This remarkable pledge, with its implication of long-term commitment, is based on static headcount indicators, which measure the proportion of poor children in the population in a given year. These take no account of whether the same children experience poverty over a number of years or escape this condition. Furthermore, this pledge has not been matched by a sustained interrogation into the longitudinal nature of child poverty, which considers time in the mediation of poverty. While research on cross-sectional trends in child poverty and the associated risk factors is well established, there has been a dearth of research into the dynamic aspects of child poverty. Investigating the dynamic aspects of poverty is important since the longer the time a child spends in poverty, the more serious are the consequences to the quality of childhood, future outcomes across the life-course, and to society as a whole. The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the heterogeneity of child poverty experiences using twelve annual waves of the British Household Panel Study (1991-2002). Poverty is explored across three distinct time dimensions, namely, cross-sectional trends, short-term transitions between two consecutive years, and longer-term trajectories over the entire twelve year period. Low income is used as a proxy for poverty, with poverty defined as living in a household where income is below 60 per cent of the median adjusted for household size. As the poverty line is essentially arbitrary, the sensitivity of the findings are tested at different thresholds. Children are systematically compared with the overall population in order to assess similarities, differences, and progress over time.

Aims: This study offers a qualitative exploration of the experiences of MST therapists when working with gang-involved young people and their families, examining whether gang-involvement has any impact upon the implementation of the model. Method: Semi-structured interviews were completed with 12 therapists and supervisors, sampled from two inner-city London boroughs. Data were transcribed and analysed thematically. Results: Three main themes were identified: The unique clinical challenge of working with gang-involved young people, MST offers the best option and MST is limited in the support it provides therapists when working with gang-involved youth. Conclusions: Results are discussed in the wider context of the existing gang-literature, highlighting clinical implications for the MST model in order to address the additional challenges implicit in working with gang-involved young people, and ways in which the current MST supervisory structure may be shaped to better support its therapists.

Teenage pregnancy has been identified as a socially excluding experience. UK policy initiatives have sought to reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and also to provide social support to young mothers. The conceptual and political underpinnings of the UK approach have been critically examined in terms of how they aim to tackle social inclusion. The nature of both formal and informal social support for young mothers during and after pregnancy is a complex area for study. There is little available evidence on how support for teenage mothers can constitute social capital. The potential impact of this support on social exclusion is unknown.The aim of the study is to examine teenage mothers' experiences of social support and social capital. A qualitative approach was taken to data collection based around an established model of social support. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 10 employees from voluntary and statutory services with specialist young parenting provision. In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 18 young mothers during pregnancy, and from a new sample of 10 young mothers following the birth of their child. The study took place in a deprived inner city in the UK. Most support was provided from mothers own mothers but these relationships were often fragile, and networks tenuous. Wider support networks are missing within their social environment. Supportive relationships often became strained through over-dependence and relationships are sometimes detrimental to establishing social inclusion. Support that young mothers did receive was useful in helping them cope on a day to day level but did not constitute a form of social capital (e.g. bridging capital) that could provide opportunities for social inclusion. Policy initiatives focussed on increasing social inclusion through employment and moral integration may have contributed to the problematisation of young motherhood. Providers could do more to address the real problems of deprivation. A new policy direction in the UK could not only facilitate this change but also could go some way to promoting the currently under-valued role of young mothers in society.

This dissertation explores the communicative network of cross-community youth leaders in North Belfast, Northern Ireland. Following decades of social, political and armed conflict, North Belfast remains a deeply divided locality in which the two predominant communities (Catholic/Nationalist/Republican and Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist) live in close proximity, but whose members typically socialize, reside and attend schools in distinct areas, often separated by high walls and territorial boundaries. With the intention of promoting 'cross-community' relations, a multitude of youth projects operate across the area. The projects are designed to include young people from both sides of the community divide and rely on the work of self-motivated adult leaders, each with varying professional social networks. This study views the population of youth leaders as potential building blocks for improving inter-communal relations in North Belfast. Problematically, little is currently known about youth leader relations; therefore, this dissertation provides an exhaustive description of the professional structure of youth leaders by employing social network analytic tools and appropriate qualitative methods. Major findings deriving from this study indicate that youth leaders are not operating on a level playing field across North Belfast, that there is an uneven distribution of both social and economic capital and there are a variety of detrimental features that are supported and reinforced by external and internal structural barriers.

There is an increasing expectation that children, young people and their parents should participate in decisions that affect them. This includes decisions about their health and social care and collective or public decisions about the way in which services are designed, delivered and evaluated. Indeed this has become a policy priority across the UK (Franklin and Sloper, 2009). The participation of disabled children and young people has been slow to develop and concerns have been expressed about progress in this area. This ESRC funded study aimed to explore the experience and outcomes of the participation of disabled children, young people and their parents in health and social care decisions. Participants in this mixed method study were 77 parents, 18 disabled children and young people and 90 professionals from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland. Findings revealed that while families are clearly participating in decisions and there are positive outcomes associated with this, it needs further development. This thesis makes a unique contribution to this field by exploring both the process and outcomes of participation and by proposing a model of family participation within the context of social justice. Implications for practice, services and policy are discussed.

This research generated quantitative information into the levels of movement experienced by an "In-care" population, utilising routinely collated administrative social work data as a research tool. This quantitative data was further supplemented by information from focus groups conducted with child and family staff. The routinely collected data was utilised to statistically illustrate the nature of the 'in-care' population in relation to placement types, age of children, age at admission, length of time in care amongst other data. The data was further utilised to determine the levels of movement experienced by children within the care population, and subjected it to statistical significance tests In order to determine whether relationships existed between levels of movement and a range of factors. The statistical data was further supplemented by data from focus groups held with staff working In Children and Family Services. The research found that for the majority of young people in care, high levels of movement were not a feature of their care experiences. The majority of children (78%) in the research population experienced one (51 %) or two (27%) placements during their current care episode. The remaining 22% experienced three (11 %) or four or l1Iore placements (11%). The research found that for those who do experience movement whilst in care, this movement can occur at various stages within their care careers and for different reasons. The findings from the research demonstrate that counting placements is far from straightforward, and even those who experience four or more placements can experience movement at different stages of their care careers. The factors which were found to Impact on the varying levels of movement were presented through the lens of an ecological perspective, as it helped to demonstrate how factors far removed from individual children, call nevertheless, have a very real impact on their care careers.

This thesis explores the experiences of homeless young people with a particular focus on the process of making the journey out of homelessness. It consists of a literature review, a research paper and a critical appraisal. The literature review comprises a narrative approach exploring the meaning of ‘home’ in relation to the lives of homeless young people. It explores, synthesises and critically appraises a range of inter-disciplinary research to consider the physical, psychological and social dimensions to this concept. The review then considers the clinical implications of these ideas for supporting homeless young people to regain a sense of ‘home’ in their lives. The research paper explores the experiences of seven young people making the journey out of homelessness. The research, developed in collaboration with a research advisory group of young people, adopted a narrative methodology to explore participants’ stories. The findings are presented as a ‘shared story’ containing five chapters. The findings illustrate the psychological and social mediators which impact on young people’s experiences of navigating the journey out of homelessness. The contributions of these narratives are discussed in relation to guiding interventions to address the psychological wellbeing of homeless young people. Finally, the critical appraisal presents my reflections on the research journey and is divided into five chapters. The first chapter details my hopes and motivations when embarking on the research project. The second chapter reflects upon the process of how I conceptualised and planned the project, including the challenges I faced in attempting to do this this. The third chapter provides an account of my experience of undertaking the research project. Finally, the fourth chapter summarises my reflections about the future dissemination of the research and how my experiences conducting this research have impacted on my personal and professional development.

The State of Qatar has seen sharp changes towards modernisation in recent years. These include changes in the State infrastructure, the economy, the open market policy, democracy and the introduction of legislation to support these changes. Family and childcare have attracted important attention and concern during these changes from the State authority to meet the future challenges and the needs and satisfaction of children, as well as their parents. No comprehensive research has been conducted in the field of childcare in the State to support, enhance and provide insight into the authority decision-making or policies towards childcare and welfare. Therefore, this study represents the first research in this field and also represents part of the State's policy to cover this omission. The research aims to open, promote and explore issues of childcare for children with special needs. These issues include care agencies' practices and values, partnership with parents, services provided, care policies and social barriers. Extensive fieldwork was carried out to provide the data and information needed, with a framework based on systems and family theories to meet the aims and objectives of the research. The main services provided by the care agencies are education and social skills programmes this reflects the parents' wishes. The research also provides the various changes needed within the profession to meet the future challenges. On the basis of this research, a number of conclusions have been drawn. Entering into partnerships with parents of children with special needs is still in its early stages in the State. There is a need to promote and encourage this partnership. There is also a need to develop mutual understanding and share experiences with parents. The research has also revealed that the social barriers are the main obstacles for integrating children with special into society.

Past research investigating the siblings of children with learning disabilities has yielded inconsistent findings. Consequently, the assumption guiding present investigators is that while some children appear to be at risk psychologically, others adapt well and even benefit from the experience. This assumption may be interpreted as supporting the literature on stress and coping in children. Within this framework, variability is expected because not only are children faced with different stressors, they have a variety of resources available to protect them. A stress and coping framework was therefore adopted in the present study. It aimed to investigate the differential responses to stress of two groups of children; namely those identified as having a positive relationship and those identified as having a negative relationship with their learning disabled sibling. The study also looked at the association between satisfaction with this relationship and measures of psychological adjustment (i.e. depression and anxiety). In addition, the stability of satisfaction with the sibling relationship; the stability of coping strategies employed in response to stress arising as a result of that relationship; and parental insights into this stress was investigated. The results suggest that the nature of the sibling relationship does have an impact on depression at least. Furthermore, children rated as having a more positive relationship with their sibling were foiund to appraise and respond differently to stress than children who were rated as having a less positive relationship. Satisfaction with the sibling relationship was found to remain relatively stable over time, and the stability of coping was consistent with that expected for a process measure. Although parents were found to be good judges of the nature of the sibling relationship generally, they had little insight into the specific stressors that their children found most difficult to cope with. These findings support the need for sibling intervention programmes. Guidance as to how they might be implemented were offered, and implications for service provision more generally were discussed. Recommendations for future research were made, including an abandonment of the framework of assumed pathology that has dominated the field to date. Indeed, although the findings suggest that some children cope better than others, most seem to manage the stress they face very well, and have a great deal of love and affection for their brother or sister with learning disabilities.

The investigation was designed to evaluate a training intervention to increase child-care skills among parents with learning difficulties. Twenty six participants took part in the study. These were divided into three groups: group “A”, experimental group (n=8), group “B”, experimental group (n=8) and group c, control group (n=10). Training consisted of six one hour sessions conducted in the parents' home over a period of six weeks. The ability of parents to acquire and maintain knowledge of basic behavioural principles was examined and behavioural outcome measures were taken to test for the application and generalisation of the knowledge in question. The impact of the intervention on the parent-child relationship was also evaluated and parental stress levels were recorded throughout the investigation. The findings suggest that parents with learning difficulties are able to acquire and maintain knowledge of basic behavioural principles as they apply to children. Their ability to transform knowledge into skill however, is less clear with no , significant behavioural changes being recorded and no evidence of generalisation. The impact of the intervention on the parent-child relationship suggests that parents' adjustment towards their children following intervention had improved. Stress levels among parents in all three groups were relatively high. These levels for the experimental groups however, increased significantly during the intervention. These findings are discussed in relation to past research and their respective hypotheses. Their implications for present practice and future research are also reviewed.