The research study described by this thesis was designed to identify the process whereby young people in local authority residential 'care' come to be socially defined and to analyse the nature and validity of this definition and its effect on their employment prospects. It is an undertaking which entails a critical reading into the territories in and between several of the social sciences (e.g. sociology, social administration, social policy, social psychology, applied social studies and economics) to identify the interlocking themes which combine to form the social definition of these young people which casts them as an undeserving group set apart from their 'non-care' peers. To test the validity of this definition matched samples of young people in, and not in 'care' from two London Boroughs were followed through their first year on the labour market. In this period they were interviewed on three occasions. An essentially qualitative approach was taken towards this task, using as the main source of material respondents' subjective reports to identify their personal problems, histories of offending, hopes and aspirations for the future, family relationships, school performance, assiduousness of job search and rates of unemployment. In so doing the study compensated for the lack of a similar comparative analysis in the literature and demonstrated that, contrary to the social definition of young people in 'care', they and their 'non-care' counterparts were much alike. Yet, interviews also held with 'care' respondents' teachers, prospective employers and members of the public revealed that nearly all of them clung to the distorted and exaggerated stereotype of these young people produced by the stigmatic social definition of them. The study attributes this to a profound historical process which stigmatizes all who are dependent on the largess of society. It is a process so deeply rooted that policies directed at changing the way in which they are defined are not likely to succeed. However the study concludes by making a series of recommendations intended to help young people in 'care' overcome the effects of this definition. In doing so it goes beyond providing a long-overdue analysis of the underlying social and historical forces which influence events and moves on to begin to provide solutions, based on analysis of the study's findings, to the problems these young people confront as a result of the social definition imposed on them.

Homeless young people in the U.K are a particularly vulnerable group: their levels of psychopathology, physical ill health and violent victimisation exceed that of their housed counterparts. This qualitative study aimed to examine what these young people think and feel about seeking psychological help for their problems. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 16 homeless young people at an emergency homeless hostel. The principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1995, 1997) were used to guide the interviews and analyse the data. The principal themes were grouped into four domains: "Why I need help", "Why I would seek help", "Why I wouldn't seek help" and "The kind of help I want". Participants discussed their needs from practical, emotional and social perspectives. A sense of hurt and anger at the perceived betrayal by their families and society made participants reluctant to seek help and to trust help offered by others. They felt they would, however, seek help from those they perceived to be genuine, caring, trustworthy, empathic and capable of hearing their distress. The findings have implications for the provision of clinical services for this underserved population.

The focus of this research is the relationship between policy and practice for those children who are classified as having multiple or ‘complex’ needs and are consequently deemed to require simultaneous, specialist support from education, social care and health services. The aims of the research are to determine: how children’s ‘complex needs’ are conceptualised and represented in public policy; how they are identified and addressed in practice; and how the policy plays out ‘in arenas of practice’ where ‘policies are contested, interpreted and enacted’ (Ball, 2008 p.7). The scope of the study is framed by the three research questions:1. How are complex needs defined?2. How are public services for children with complex needs designed and delivered? 3. What is the relationship between policy and practice in the field of children’s complex needs?The study is a policy scholarship underpinned by an epistemology that supports the notion of knowledge and reality as social constructions. It employs two methods of policy sociology, documents and interviews, and the tools of critical discourse analysis to examine written text of national and local policy documents and the spoken text of semi-structured interviews. The research examines empirical data through the typology of supporting theory building in integrated services research. The findings are presented as a triptych of portraits. Twenty two professionals from education, children’s social care and children’s health participated in the study from three local areas in England that, for purposes of confidentiality, are named Westborough, Broadshire and Midtown.The findings of the research suggest that the impact of the inter-connectivity of multiple variables in the field of policy and practice for children with complex needs suggests that they cannot meaningfully be addressed in isolation from each other or from their contexts by policy, practice or research. The variables include: the unique nature of the permutation, extent, fluctuation and contextual circumstances of the multiple needs experienced by some children; differing constructions and definitions of difference and diversity in childhood across policy and practice; the differing demands of different policy strands within the configuration of public policy for children; the multiple discourses that inter-act and strive for dominance across agencies, disciplines and sectors; and linear and non-linear approaches to change. The findings of the study suggest that future research would ideally: be conducted within a coherent and longitudinal frame; engage inter-disciplinary research networks, professionals, children and families; and focus on inter-connectivity within whole systems in context.

The purpose of the present study is to obtain an understanding of the primary school child's life world while resident at a Boys' Town. The study presents an extensive review of the literature on developmental phases of the primary school child, relationships with himself, his family and peer group while resident in an institution. The study employed the use of quantitative and qualitative measures to elicit information from the child. To enhance the findings of the study, information from a comparative group of primary school children with intact families from the wider community was utilized. The target subjects in the study included all primary school children resident at a Boy's Town in Tongaat. The results yielded useful insights in the life world of the primary school child. These insights into the life world of the primary school child formed the basis for recommendation and served the direction for future research. These insights into the life world of the primary school child formed the basis for recommendation and served the direction for future research. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The purpose of the present study is to obtain an understanding of the primary school child's life world while resident at a Boys' Town. The study presents an extensive review of the literature on developmental phases of the primary school child, relationships with himself, his family and peer group while resident in an institution. The study employed the use of quantitative and qualitative measures to elicit information from the child. To enhance the findings of the study, information from a comparative group of primary school children with intact families from the wider community was utilized. The target subjects in the study included all primary school children resident at a Boy's Town in Tongaat. The results yielded useful insights in the life world of the primary school child. These insights into the life world of the primary school child formed the basis for recommendation and served the direction for future research. These insights into the life world of the primary school child formed the basis for recommendation and served the direction for future research. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal waarom kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop en om voorstelle ter voorkoming daarvan te maak. Ten opsigte van die fenomeen "wegloop" stateer die literatuur dat kinders wegloop vanaf onaangename omstandighede en/of wegloop na aangename omstandighede. Die belewing van gesinstres, gesinskonflik, portuurgroepdruk, utopiese voorstellings van wegloop, onaangename skoolbelewing en tiener swangerskap is aangeduide rolspelers onderliggend aan bogenoemde. Die empiriese studie na wegloop uit kinderhuise bet aan die lig gebring dat kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop weens traumatiese belewing van verwydering uit die ouerhuis, etikettering en inrigtingsversadiging. Voorts is bevind dat faktore wat onderliggend aan bogenoemde is, tot 'n groot mate voorkom kan word. Sekere aanbevelings ter voorkoming van wegloop uit kinderhuise is na aanleiding van die studie gedoen en kan gebruik word in die volwassene se bemoeienis met die kinderhuiskind. / The object of the study was to identify the reasons why children run away from children's homes and to make recommendations on how to prevent them from running away. On considering "run away" as a phenomenon, the literature states that children run away from harsh circumstances to acceptable or pleasant circumstances. Experiences such as family stress, conflict in the family, peer group pressure, romanticising the idea, harsh school experiences and teenage pregnancies are roll players subjacent to the above mentioned. The empirical study of "running away from children's homes" has confirmed that children run away because of traumatic separation from parental homes, labelling and institutional intolerance. Furthermore it was also found that factors subjacent to the above mentioned can be neutralised to a large extent. Certain guidelines have been recommended for adults when confronted with children in children's homes. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal waarom kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop en om voorstelle ter voorkoming daarvan te maak. Ten opsigte van die fenomeen "wegloop" stateer die literatuur dat kinders wegloop vanaf onaangename omstandighede en/of wegloop na aangename omstandighede. Die belewing van gesinstres, gesinskonflik, portuurgroepdruk, utopiese voorstellings van wegloop, onaangename skoolbelewing en tiener swangerskap is aangeduide rolspelers onderliggend aan bogenoemde. Die empiriese studie na wegloop uit kinderhuise bet aan die lig gebring dat kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop weens traumatiese belewing van verwydering uit die ouerhuis, etikettering en inrigtingsversadiging. Voorts is bevind dat faktore wat onderliggend aan bogenoemde is, tot 'n groot mate voorkom kan word. Sekere aanbevelings ter voorkoming van wegloop uit kinderhuise is na aanleiding van die studie gedoen en kan gebruik word in die volwassene se bemoeienis met die kinderhuiskind. / The object of the study was to identify the reasons why children run away from children's homes and to make recommendations on how to prevent them from running away. On considering "run away" as a phenomenon, the literature states that children run away from harsh circumstances to acceptable or pleasant circumstances. Experiences such as family stress, conflict in the family, peer group pressure, romanticising the idea, harsh school experiences and teenage pregnancies are roll players subjacent to the above mentioned. The empirical study of "running away from children's homes" has confirmed that children run away because of traumatic separation from parental homes, labelling and institutional intolerance. Furthermore it was also found that factors subjacent to the above mentioned can be neutralised to a large extent. Certain guidelines have been recommended for adults when confronted with children in children's homes. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)