ABSTRACT For many young people in England, the move into continuing education involves a transfer... more ABSTRACT For many young people in England, the move into continuing education involves a transfer from the school where they were educated to a further education college. For those with high‐functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome, this can be a challenging process. Past research has demonstrated some of the problems that these young people can encounter. This article by Wendy Mitchell and Bryony Beresford, both based in the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York, adds to the evidence base by describing how best to support these young people, focusing specifically on ‘young person endorsed’ practice. Data are gleaned from qualitative interviews with 18 young people with high‐functioning autism/Asperger's syndrome. Findings reveal that young people welcomed the involvement of practitioners; however, specific forms of help and knowledge were particularly valued. In addition, it was parents, as opposed to professionals, who typically emerged as the most significant and valued source of support. Implications for practice are discussed, including the support needs of parents.
The importance to families with disabled children of relevant and accessible information about se... more The importance to families with disabled children of relevant and accessible information about services has been illustrated in numerous studies and was re-emphasised by the Department of Health's 'quality protects' initiative. Indeed, the provision of information and the importance of keeping families informed is frequently viewed as a significant factor within both the concept of empowerment and the facilitation of enabling and participatory processes for service users and their families. However, although there has been considerable research highlighting parents' information needs, there has been significantly less exploration of how parents would actually like to receive this information. This paper seeks to bridge this knowledge gap and also discusses the empowering potential of user-friendly information. Drawing upon data collected from focus group discussions with parents caring for children with a range of disabilities or chronic illnesses, this paper explores how the families of service users would like to receive information. In particular, it examines the criteria by which parents judge the quality of information and their ideas as to what constitutes good practice, especially in terms of how information is presented, its content and the way it is delivered. Using these ideas and criteria, the paper begins to develop a model of good information practice that is both three-dimensional and personally interactive. Indeed, parents' desire for a combination of personal guidance and good-quality information, whether in the form of in-depth booklets or shorter directories, is viewed as being of paramount importance and, furthermore, as having an important empowering potential.
... This was clearly demonstrated by Sophie's (names have been changed to protect conŪdentia... more ... This was clearly demonstrated by Sophie's (names have been changed to protect conŪdentiality of respondents) negative experiences of trying to move with her peers from brownies to guides, as she asked her carer to explain: ... Sophie: Angry! ...
More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of t... more More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of the ESWRA, which was held in Ljubljana in April 2015; Welcome address by Darja Zaviršek, chair;
ABSTRACT For many young people in England, the move into continuing education involves a transfer... more ABSTRACT For many young people in England, the move into continuing education involves a transfer from the school where they were educated to a further education college. For those with high‐functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome, this can be a challenging process. Past research has demonstrated some of the problems that these young people can encounter. This article by Wendy Mitchell and Bryony Beresford, both based in the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York, adds to the evidence base by describing how best to support these young people, focusing specifically on ‘young person endorsed’ practice. Data are gleaned from qualitative interviews with 18 young people with high‐functioning autism/Asperger's syndrome. Findings reveal that young people welcomed the involvement of practitioners; however, specific forms of help and knowledge were particularly valued. In addition, it was parents, as opposed to professionals, who typically emerged as the most significant and valued source of support. Implications for practice are discussed, including the support needs of parents.
The importance to families with disabled children of relevant and accessible information about se... more The importance to families with disabled children of relevant and accessible information about services has been illustrated in numerous studies and was re-emphasised by the Department of Health's 'quality protects' initiative. Indeed, the provision of information and the importance of keeping families informed is frequently viewed as a significant factor within both the concept of empowerment and the facilitation of enabling and participatory processes for service users and their families. However, although there has been considerable research highlighting parents' information needs, there has been significantly less exploration of how parents would actually like to receive this information. This paper seeks to bridge this knowledge gap and also discusses the empowering potential of user-friendly information. Drawing upon data collected from focus group discussions with parents caring for children with a range of disabilities or chronic illnesses, this paper explores how the families of service users would like to receive information. In particular, it examines the criteria by which parents judge the quality of information and their ideas as to what constitutes good practice, especially in terms of how information is presented, its content and the way it is delivered. Using these ideas and criteria, the paper begins to develop a model of good information practice that is both three-dimensional and personally interactive. Indeed, parents' desire for a combination of personal guidance and good-quality information, whether in the form of in-depth booklets or shorter directories, is viewed as being of paramount importance and, furthermore, as having an important empowering potential.
... This was clearly demonstrated by Sophie's (names have been changed to protect conŪdentia... more ... This was clearly demonstrated by Sophie's (names have been changed to protect conŪdentiality of respondents) negative experiences of trying to move with her peers from brownies to guides, as she asked her carer to explain: ... Sophie: Angry! ...
More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of t... more More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of the ESWRA, which was held in Ljubljana in April 2015; Welcome address by Darja Zaviršek, chair;
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