The Children and Young People research group in the Faculty of Health & Social Care brings together academics and research students conducting social research into the lives of children and young people and policy / practice applications.
Particular areas of expertise include; gender identities, youth and childhood transitions; professional identities; youth justice; ‘different childhoods’; special educational needs; exploring mothering and fathering as social identities; critical examinations of policy and practice in relation to parenting. It includes a cluster of studies around the themes of motherhood focusing on issues such as intergenerational transmission, young motherhood, disability and consumption. Research on fathering has explored the experiences of young fathers, fathers in prison and men’s experience of family services.
The group holds a regular seminar series and works collaboratively with academics and students across the university interested in children and young people, including the International Development Centre, The Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET) and The Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance (CCIG).
Children & Society Podcast
Lindsay O'Dell, Editor of Children & Society talks to Nigel Parton about a policy review he has written for the journal about the Munro Review.
Research projects
The Dynamics of Motherhood built on the ESRC funded Making Modern Motherhood study directed by Rachel Thomson and Mary Jane Kehily. Forming part of the ESRC funded Timescapes initiative it used qualitative longitudinal methods to explore the reconfiguring of identities and practices in families after the arrival of a new generation.
The Children’s Work project was funded by the ESRC, led by Lindsay O’Dell with Guida de Abreu (Oxford Brookes University), Tony Cline (UCL) and Sarah Crafter (University of Northampton). The research addressed the social construction of child development by investigating young people’s experiences of work and ways in which they think about different working activities. Its particular focus is young people who are performing jobs that are commonly assumed to be inappropriate for children and are more often viewed as work for adults. The two unusual work roles chosen for the project were language brokering (translating for a family member) and performing caring duties for an adult family member.
Dr Joan Simons was awarded a Florence Nightingale Foundation Travel Scholarship in November 2011, the aim of which was to identify and learn from international examples of good practice in the management of children's pain by visiting three areas of excellence in pain management, in the UK, Sweden and Australia.
The scholarship study took an appreciative enquiry approach, focusing on learning from good practice. The information collected from this study will be disseminated in the UK to benefit children across the NHS.
Potential research projects
We’re actively looking for more postgraduate students to join us. For further information on potential research projects, supervisors and applying to study please see our Issues in health and social care of children, young people and families page within the Open University Research Degrees Prospectus.
