Suchergebnisse

Family life in areas of concentrated poverty and social problems is undermined by surrounding conditions. This timely book, by acclaimed author Anne Power and her team, is based on a unique longitudinal study of over 200 families interviewed annually over the last decade. It examines the initiatives introduced to help such families and the impacts on them, their future prospects and the implications for policy. Accessibly written and with clear data presentation, the book will have wide appeal to people who work with, live in and about families, children and low-income areas.

'Doulas' (lay women who are trained to support other women during pregnancy, birth and postnatally) can improve outcomes for disadvantaged mothers and babies. This 'realistic evaluation' study uses qualitative interviews to explore the views of staff, commissioners and local champions about the processes of implementing and sustaining five volunteer doula support projects in England. The six key factors in their successful implementation are: meeting local commissioning priorities; staff commitment, expertise and skills; networking with other agencies; defining and marketing the doula role; providing strong support for volunteers; and having some costs absorbed by others. The four key factors in sustaining the projects are: finding ways to balance the numbers of referrals and volunteers; shaping the service to local service drivers; ongoing networking; and responding creatively to funding shortfalls. It is a constant challenge to balance the rate of referrals and the number of trained volunteers within tight budgets and timescales.

Acknowledging the increasing diversity and complexity of families, this innovative book proposes a new conceptual framework for understanding families and other relationships that both challenges and attempts to reconcile traditional and contemporary approaches. Using the notion of 'boundaries', the book shifts thinking from 'families as entities' to 'families as relationship processes'. Emphasising the processes that underlie boundary construction and reconstruction suggests that the key to understanding family life is the process of relationship formation. The ideas of entity, boundary, margins and hybridity provide a framework for understanding the diverse, and often contradictory, ways in which families contribute to society. Families in society makes a significant contribution to the academic literature on families and is essential reading for social science students, social researchers, policy makers and practitioners interested in families and relationships