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The NSPCC has analysed evidence from serious case reviews to identify learning. In this issue, we look at the risk factors and learning for improved practice for all professionals working in the health sector

Policy and legislation internationally advocates curriculum access and inclusion for pupils with special educational needs. The individual education plan (IEP) process, which focuses on individual planning for pupils with special educational needs, has been mandated as a means of achieving this goal in many countries. As a concept it has been challenged in terms of its potential to perpetuate difference which is antithetical to inclusion. As a practice concerns have been raised regarding its development, implementation and review. In the Republic of Ireland (ROI) IEPs have been legislated for but not enacted. Nonetheless policy guidelines promote use of the IEP process and state funding supports teacher professional development in this area through an award-bearing model. This article draws on a mixed methods study to evaluate the impact of this award-bearing model on teachers' professional learning, in the context of IEPs. Findings indicate enhanced teacher expertise for supporting curriculum access for individual learners. However collaborative practices to support contextualisation of learner goals into class planning and practice need to be addressed. This article argues for teacher educators to focus on enhancing teacher leadership and capacity building within schools to ensure that curriculum access is achieved within an inclusive environment.

This book analyses the challenges of globalisation and uncertainty impacting on working and learning at individual, organisational and societal levels. Each of the contributions addresses two overall questions: How is working and learning affected by uncertainty and globalisation? And, in what ways do individuals, organisations, political actors and education systems respond to these challenges? Part 1 focuses on the micro level of working and learning for understanding the learning processes from an individual point of view by reflecting on learners' needs and situations at work and in school-work transitions. Part 2 addresses the meso level by discussing sector-specific and organisational approaches to working and learning in times of uncertainty. The chapters represent a broad range of branches including public services (police work), the automotive sector and the health sector (elderly care). Finally, Part 3 addresses the macro level of working and learning by analysing how to govern, structure and organise vocational, professional and adult education at the boundaries of work, education and policy making.

Communicating in multicultural settings is a field of central interest to those involved in ensuring access to healthcare. Ever-increasing migration requires access to essential legal, medical and social services. This book provides an overview of current issues in this field through a multi-faceted approach, situating the work of potential healthcare professionals and intercultural intermediaries in the broader context of public service providers and practitioners. The book is not oriented t

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role faculty learning communities (FLCs), a common ADVANCE intervention, play in retention and advancement; and the ways in which FLC spaces foster professional interactions that are transformative and support the careers of women, underrepresented minority (URM) and non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty in research universities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed a mixed methods case study approach set at a large, research-intensive institution, which had received an NSF ADVANCE grant to focus on issues of gender equity in the retention and advancement of STEM faculty. Land Grant University implemented retention and advancement efforts campus-wide rather than only in STEM areas, including five FLCs for women, URM faculty and NTT faculty. The primary sources of data were retention and promotion data of all faculty at the institution (including the FLC participants) and participant observations of the five FLCs for five years.FindingsThe analysis of retention and advancement data showed that participation in FLCs positively impacted retention and promotion of participants. The analysis of participant observations allowed the authors to gain insights into what was happening in FLCs that differed from faculty's experiences in home departments. The authors found that FLCs created third spaces that allowed individuals to face and transgress the most damaging aspects of organizational culture and dwell, at least for some time, in a space of different possibilities.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors suggest additional studies be conducted on FLCs and their success in improving retention and advancement among women, URM and NTT faculty. While the authors believe there is a clear professional growth and satisfaction benefit to FLCs regardless of their effect on retention and advancement, NSF and NIH programs focused on increasing the diversity of faculty need to know they are getting the return they seek on their investment and this line of research can provide such evidence as well as enhance the rigor of such programs by improving program elements.Practical implicationsFLCs offer higher education institutions a unique opportunity to critically reflect and understand organizational conditions that are not inclusive for groups of faculty. Professional interactions among colleagues are a critical place where academic and cultural capital is built and exchanged. The authors know from the authors' own research here, and from much previous social science research that women, URM and NTT faculty often experience exclusionary and isolating professional interactions. FLCs should be created and maintained alongside other more structural and cultural interventions to improve equity for all faculty.Originality/valueThe study's contribution to the literature is unique, as only a few studies have tracked the subsequent success of participants in mentoring or networking programs. Furthermore, the study reveals benefits of FLCs across different career stages, identity groups and position types (women, URM and NTT) and suggests the investment that many NSF-funded ADVANCE programs have made in funding FLCs has the potential to produce a positive return (e.g. more women and URM faculty retained).

This paper examines the implications of various learning-centred initiatives for the relationship between early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions and families in Denmark. Since the 1990s, promoting early learning has been a key objective for Danish ECEC institutions, reshaping the Danish social pedagogy tradition. Recently, early learning initiatives have become part of the collaboration with parents on so-called home learning. Based on ethnographic studies of such collaboration, I argue that the expansion of dominant early learning agendas from ECEC to families results in an institutionalisation of parenthood. The analysis shows that parents are expected to embrace a learning agenda promoted by ECEC professionals. They are appointed as learning facilitators who must strive to support early learning at home and improve their parenting skills. Furthermore, parents' engagement in early learning is intertwined with the practical organisation of family life and with ideals of a good family and a good childhood.

Lifelong learning entails that employees are facilitated with opportunities for continuous professional development in order to unlearn obsolete skills and learn new skills to help them adopt to the dynamic changes that have become global. Similarly, lifelong professional development is critical because the world today is undergoing major changes in socio-economic, political, climate, technology and shift in global markets that demand relearning in order to acquire relevant skills to cope with the changes. These dynamic changes require building teacher capacity continually to enable them offer education that is relevant to the needs of the society. In this regard, it is imperative that learning institutions embrace best practices in professional development in order to transform teachers' teaching practices and improve student' learning. In-service teachers for instance should be facilitated with regular and systematically structured staff development programmes to enhance their professional skills. This paper reviews literature on teacher professional development with a view to making recommendations on how learning institutions in Kenya could establish adequate structures to facilitate teachers with effective professional development with a view to empowering them to deliver holistic quality education that adequately meets the needs of today's dynamic society. Holistic quality education is critical in impacting the economic development of the society. This in turn contributes to accelerating sustainable development. Article visualizations:

This study investigates the effectiveness of contemporary learning technologies in equipping prospective professionals with the necessary skills. The objective is to assess how modern teaching tools enhance the preparation of future experts in diverse fields. The methodology involves a comparative analysis between traditional teaching methods and the integration of advanced technologies in educational settings, measuring learning outcomes and student engagement. The findings reveal a significant improvement in students' retention of information, critical thinking abilities, and practical skill acquisition when exposed to modern learning tools. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of adapting teaching practices to align with technological advancements to better prepare future professionals for the evolving demands of the workforce.

PurposeThis practice-oriented article aims to describe the origins of the Learning Labs PD model and theory behind it, explains what it involves in social studies and illustrates this model by sharing examples from one PD session focused on facilitating inquiries into justice via Hammurabi's Code and Black Founders with seventh and eighth graders.Design/methodology/approachAs the authors developed Learning Labs for Social Studies (LLSS), they used a Design-Based Research approach to study and iterate such that the model is supportive of teachers' and students' learning (e.g. Jennings et al., 2022). In this practice-oriented article, the authors offer a conceptual orientation to the model and some of the take-aways relevant to the demands of offering professional development in polarizing times by sharing examples from one PD day.FindingsLLSS PD in combination with curriculum that structures critical inquiry has supported the authors and their teacher-partners by fostering a community of practitioners who work as a collective to reframe content, support one another while teaching in new ways and learn from students. Specifically, the authors have observed teachers (1) approach social studies topics with greater criticality and center Black identity and history as more than oppression, (2) develop instructional practices that create space for students to make sense of the past in the context of their lives in the present and (3) listen to and center students' thinking and knowledge.Originality/valueThis article presents and illustrates Learning Labs for Social Studies for the first time, offering a professional learning model that supports teachers in polarizing times as they work collaboratively to translate theory into practice and to problem-solve challenges that emerge within their school and classroom contexts.

Healthcare Dynamics for the Specialist Professional Nurse is the first text to present important current healthcare practices in the healthcare environment for specialised nurses and healthcare practitioners at district, provincial and national levels. It examines aspects of healthcare dynamics and comprehensive service delivery for all healthcare institutions, within a framework of health legislation, ethics, and professional practice. In addition to fulfilling the developmental needs of specialised nurses, it is a reference tool for healthcare service management for any practising healthcare professional.

It remains well established that international students face a number of challenges when they arrive at a foreign institute to pursue higher education. This research aims to examine the socio-psychological adaptation of international students to learning and professional activities of Elabuga Institute (branch) of Kazan Federal University, Russia. Using a number of socio-psychological adaptation methods of assessment (such as the sense of social security satisfaction, social frustration and psychological adaptation to new life conditions), the research aims to make remedial arrangements to boost the psychosocial adaptation of international students to educational and professional activities.
The findings from the assessment methods were deployed to create an intervention programme,which in turn created the effective adaptation environment for overcoming the psychological inconveniences of language and culture barriers, integrating students into personal and business relations with the native speakers, corporate training of Russian language in conversation clubs, and invitation for participation in mass cultural institute events.