Suchergebnisse

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine a model of effective forensic practice with positive interventions for men with learning disabilities who have committed serious sexual offences. It outlines the theoretical and philosophical frameworks which have informed the model of care and support in a community-based setting and the evidence base for the efficacy of the approach.


Design/methodology/approach
This approach to a community-based forensic learning disability service is informed by systemic practice and underpinned by models of human occupation (Keilhofner, 2008) which informs occupational therapy and total attachment (Harbottle et al., 2014). This is a whole systems model for developing compassionate and participatory practice based on attachment theory and approaches to professional parenting drawn from foster care settings and prevention frameworks for adult safeguarding. It uses Klinean Thinking Environments (1999) to give practical communication to the model.


Findings
The attachment model which underpins both the support for staff and the framework for scaffolding the care and support provided for service users is building calm, consistent and respectful relationships. This enables workers and service users to feel accepted through the availability of support; to feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in which skills and confidence can flourish helping all to feel more effective. This is evidenced by the stability of the service user group and the staff team.


Research limitations/implications
The model of whole system care and support care outlined in this paper can help to provide a therapeutic environment in which men who have committed sexual offences can develop effective skills within a safe, supportive and effectively managed setting. This is on-going research but there is evidence of service users and staff in this model of practice, feeling scaffolded, able to enjoy and achieve progress and personal development.


Practical implications
This model appears to promote stable, sustained, supportive relationships. Placement breakdown has been minimal indicating that the disruption rate is low and therefore therapeutic interventions are likely to take place and be effective. This is a hopeful and positive approach which enables individuals to flourish in a safe environment.


Social implications
The social implications of this model are positive for creating a stable workforce in an industry plagued with rapid turn over of staff to the detriment of the quality of life for service users. It creates stability and confidence for the residents allowing them to begin to relax and thereafter achieve more positive relationships.


Originality/value
This paper examines the application of theoretical frameworks drawn from other disciplines and fuses them into a therapeutic approach to support this service user group. It is a model that can have great portability to other settings but it is its application in forensic services that is new and which is growing its evidence base for its effectiveness.

Purpose
Qualitative researchers working with children are increasingly sharing accounts of their research journeys, including the inherent ethical tensions they navigate. Within such accounts, reflexivity is consistently signalled as an important feature of ethical practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore how reflexive engagement can be stimulated within ethical decision-making processes, with the aim of generating professional dialogue and improved practice in qualitative research involving children.


Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on the authors' work in the Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) project, an international initiative that synthesised literature, research evidence and the views and experiences of almost 400 researchers and other key stakeholders internationally, to consider the key philosophical and practical components that underpin reflexivity in the context of research involving children.


Findings
A conceptual approach linking 'Three Rs' - reflexivity, rights and relationship - was found to be a useful framework for enacting universal ethical principles while provoking the kind of critical engagement required for navigating the ethical tensions that characterise decision-making in research involving children.


Originality/value
This paper introduces a framework to help bridge the gap between espoused ethical principles and the real world dilemmas that emerge in research practice. In doing so, the paper invites a deeper engagement with the ways in which children are constructed in and through research, while offering a shared language for shifting professional dialogue and academic discourse from the aspirational to the operational of ethical reflexivity.