New report on child poverty.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have released a new report called 'Doing better for families'. The report looks at the percentage of children living in poverty across a whole range of countries. You can click here to see the summary of the report. I'll be buying the full report in an electronic form in the near future.

The report was debated on Radio 4 this morning (28th April) so you can hear it for the next 7 days as 'listen again' by clicking here.

Clare in the Community

There's a comedy show that's been running on radio 4 since 2004 called Clare in the Community which deals with the work and personal turmoil of a social worker, played by the marvellous Sally phillips. It was originally a weekly comic strip in the Guardian which you can see here.

The title character is every social worker stereotype rolled into one but don't let that put you off.

After all, I'm a librarian. I know all about stereotypes.

That said, if you're in any way sensitive about the social worker stereotype then probably avoid it. It's usually broadcast at 6:30 in the evening so the rudeness is fairly low level, although my 9 year-old usually ends up asking awkward questions afterwards.

Thought I'd mention it as the show is back on radio 4 next week so click here for details.

All the cool 3rd year kids use Zetoc.

Well that's plainly not true but I'm trying to sell you something here so just go with it and keep reading if you're currently knee deep in dissertation searching. And this post isn't just for students writing dissertations. If you're coming to the end of Year 2 and want to make life easier for yourselves next year this is definitely for you.

Zetoc is the British Library journal catalogue. What makes it useful is it contains a basic record of pretty much every journal article published anywhere. Ever.
Now that doesn't mean you can suddenly get full-text access to everything-you can't, but it does give you an opportunity to find basic information about articles and if you're a final year student order articles through learning resources. Still reading? Okay.

Zetoc also offers the opportunity for you to create 'email alerts', which means that if new things are published which match keywords of your choice (for example "childhood obesity") Zetoc sends you an email to let you know what's just been newly published. The procedure is reasonably straightforward to set up but if you need help - ask. For those of you who want help I can organise a hands-on workshop and then you can all sit back and wait for the details of new journal articles to come to you. Just remember it won't be full-text.

Still with me? If you're still reading then you're serious about finding the newest and most relevant research on your dissertation and will sweep all before you.

This link here will take you to the login page for Zetoc.

Once you're in Zetoc you'll find instructions on how to set up the email alerts.
This is a fairly simple thing to do (promise!) and it can make finding resources a little easier.

Good luck and contact me if you need help.

A database to find social information on different countries.

You may on occasion be given assignments where you're asked to compare different countries across a whole range of perspectives.
These assignments may touch on health provision, wealth, employment or any number of other social factors.

We have a database called Marketline which has in-depth reports on 100's of individual countries from all around the world. Marketline is primarily a business studies database but that's no barrier to anyone using it.

Let me give you a quick overview of how to use it.

I'll give you the link to log in to Marketline shortly but if you scroll down you'll see a screenshot of what the Marketline homepage looks like.

If you want to find a profile on a particular country click where it says 'Browse All Countries Information' and choose an option. On average the reports are around 80 pages covering many aspects of a country's make up.

Okay? The link to log-in (use the same log-in details as usual) to Marketline is here.

If you'd like me to go through the database again in preparation for a future assignment then just ask.

Radio 4 series following newly qualified social workers.

Heard the trailer for a new radio 4 series on the way to work this morning.

The series is called, 'Who'd be a social worker?' and begins on Monday 2nd May at 4:30pm. Click here to read some details about the first episode. I'll certainly be listening and I've no doubt my admiration will grow even larger for anyone prepared to work with children and families.

"Dad, can I go on the laptop?"

These words, usually uttered by my 9 year-old, but increasingly by the 4 year-old, always make me want to shout, 'NO, THE WEB IS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS HOTBED OF DEPRAVITY-READ A BOOK INSTEAD'.

And then I turn my brain back on and the negotiations begin.

I was talking to another parent a while ago about on-line security and remembered back to the 'Safer children in a digital world' report by Dr Tanya Byron. Although the report came out in 2008 it is still incredibly prescient.

If you're interested in how children learn by using on-line technology and video games then I'd urge you to look at the report which you can find here.

What made me think about this whole issue again recently was the story that a small number of children had been granted shotgun licenses. The BBC broke the story here. I took to wondering if Steve Bloomfield (who says age should not be a restriction to shotgun usage) of the British Association of Shooting and Conservation had a similarly relaxed attitude to allowing children to shoot virtual games.
                          
I think the age rating system for video games is clearly a good thing and I won't allow my boys to play that are age inappropriate. However, I also know that if I had to choose between real or virtual shotguns I'd hand over the virtual version to my own children every time.

The Times online and "adoption apartheid".

This post is about 2 things really but they are linked.

Okay. The first thing is that The Times yesterday ran a story highlighting the disparity in waiting times between white and black children looking to be adopted. This story is part of a broader campaign which The Times is currently running to look at how adoption is run in the UK. Now usually I'd give you a link to The Times website but I can't because The Times online is now subscription only. It's the first newspaper in the UK to go this route but I'm prepared to bet it won't be the last.

Now for the good news. I've mentioned a database called Newsbank before but it's worth repeating because of this story. Newsbank is a database which just has full-text newspaper articles from the UK. There's a 24 hour publication delay but yesterday's article from The Times is now available.

One more thing. The report which The Times was quoting from is the statutory guidance given to adoption agencies published by the Department of Education. So click here to see the report and click here to arrive at the log in screen for Newsbank UK.

Where does reflective practice end and navel gazing begin?

Not that I'm trying to start a fight or anything...

I studied reflective practice last year for a qualification I'm currently doing and for about 4 months the nicest thing I could say about it was that it was probably harmless. On a less charitable day I thought it was phonus balonus balloon juice of the worst kind and a total waste of time.

And then gradually I realised I was making notes and observations on how well teaching sessions went. And using my mobile to keep a record of work things that went well. And without meaning to I was systematically reflecting.

I use the '3 whats' system by Rolfe which is basically a) What? b) So what? c) Now what?

It works for me. Partly because it's so simple I can always remember it.

So feel free to put me right but as I understand it - navel gazing is where you brood and change nothing and reflection is where you record, analyse and then act.

We've got loads of reflective practice books both on the shelves and in e-versions so you should be able to find something useful now or in the future.

Undercover Which? report into care homes.

A report conducted by the consumer rights organisation Which? has highlighted neglect in a number of care homes around the UK.

Click here to read more about the findings from The Guardian today.

Unfortunately we don't have full access to Which? on-line but click here to view a video which is freely available on the Which? website.

Looking for research on research?

I know that getting to grips with research approaches is a big part of many of your courses.

That's why I'm always looking on web sites for new books (often electronic, but not always) showing how to research within the social sphere. However, we do have a reasonable selection already.

The easiest way to find an e-book on the subject is to limit to e-books on the library catalogue and then type a couple of keywords such as 'research' and 'practice'. Have a look through the results and there'll be a few specifically aimed at social science students.

Remember you can print up to 5% of the content of any e-books.

The individual chapters of these books often explain different approaches to research. In addition there are often sections which attempt to explain how the various approaches to research come into being. It can be quite revealing to find out how and why new theories are born so I hope you find something useful in this area.

Interested in a website where you can buy cheap textbooks?

I wouldn't blame you if you didn't buy loads of textbooks. They're expensive and quite often you only find a couple of chapters relevant to what you're researching.

Despite that I thought I'd mention an online bookshop that specialises in second hand editions of academic texts. If I was you I'd look for a few specific key texts on reading lists to buy, so you can be pretty sure you'll get good use of them. If you have to go one edition back from the newest version in order to get it cheaper then you should consider it. However, it is a good idea to check how many years apart the two editions are.

The website is called Abe and the link here will take you straight to the option to search for just academic textbooks.

Does anyone have great memories of downloading a piece of music?

I quite often have conversations with students which will involve the student pointing out that e-books may well be the future, but the fact that you can't touch them (or smell them) means you'd lose part of the thrill of 'owning' the book.

The next batch of LP's ready to not be thrown away

Anyway. I'm a colossal hypocrite as evidenced by the fact that I recently bought a USB turntable. My long term plan is to use the turntable to convert my approximately 1000 pieces of vinyl into MP3's. This lead to a conversation with my wife that went something like this:

Me: I'll need to clear some space on the desk soon as I'm going to begin digitising the vinyl with the new turntable.

H: Excellent! And when it's all done you can sell the vinyl and we can get some space back...

Me: Urrrm.

H: ...and the money can go towards our holiday...

Me: Errr.

H: ... because there's obviously no point in keeping the vinyl if you've got it on the laptop...

Me: Aaaah.

There then followed a long and rambling explanation by me as to why it's about having 'the object' and not just being able to play the music. It's also about the memories of where you bought it or about haggling for it during a relationship break up! As much fun as downloading digitised media is, it doesn't always compare to the fun of finding the thing in a shop after weeks of looking. And as today is National Record Store Day it seemed like a good day to share this thought.

Some of you reading this will have never bought a 7" single and others will get all gooey at the memory of a 12" picture disc that went AWOL at a party long ago. And that shows how fast the technology has evolved if nothing else.

So my point is this; I understand why there are students who are comforted by that weighty feeling of having paper books in their bag when they're leaving the library. And although I do think that e-books make your studies a lot easier overall, it doesn't mean I don't have sympathy when I hear students say that it's more comforting to have the book physically open in front of you.

Getting books sent from Bedford to Luton.

Some of you may know this already but you can place reservations on books at any other campus and have it sent  to you at Luton. The process is generally pretty quick. I think 2 or 3 days is typical so don't think because a book is sat on the shelves at Bedford it may as well be on the moon. With the minimum of effort you can have it in a few days.

There's just one thing, if you do reserve things be careful to change the pick up location to Luton.

Apart from that small thing it should be straightforward.

Watch the video below for a demonstration of how to do it.

I spend all day using technology I don't understand.

I was talking to a friend of mine recently about the Wonders of the Universe programmes that have been on the BBC recently and he was saying you can watch them, enjoy them, feel inspired by them and then remember absolutely no relevant details about them whatsoever 24 hours later.

I confessed the same thing happens to me.

This then lead to a larger confession of all the other things we're surrounded by on a daily basis and don't fully understand.

The list included radio waves, electricity, video game technology, text messaging services and TV; things I use pretty much every day.

So my somewhat rambling point is this: being unsure of how databases, The Web, e-books and all the rest of the stuff that is fired at you through a computer screen works, isn't a barrier to using it effectively.

Ultimately, what you need is the end product - information/data you can use for your reading and assignments.
So for the self-confessed technophobes amongst you don't worry about the details and try to enjoy the benefits of more information being at your fingertips than at any point in human history.

And even though I have no idea how it all works, I certainly consider that a wonder of my universe.

New Ofsted report published today.

As usual I was listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning when I heard mention of a new Ofsted report which is worth passing on. It's called 'The voice of the child: learning lessons from serious case reviews'.
The report covers 67 cases which took place between April and September 2010.

Click here to read the full Ofsted report or here to listen again to the debate between John Goldup of Ofsted and Janet Foulds who chaired the British Association of Social Workers.

New feedback features on blog.

This is just a small thing but I thought I'd bring your attention to it; below every posting you can now tick boxes if you've found any post 'interesting, funny or cool'. Incidentally, 'interesting funny or cool' are the words chosen by the software so I may change them in the future.

As I've said many times before - I'm not just being polite here, I do really want your feedback!

Google books and 'Moral Panics'.

This morning I noticed that there's 14 reservations on 1 paper copy of Moral Panics by Krinsky.

If you're 14th on the list (in fact, even if you're further up the list than that) then forget it-you're never going to get it in time to write your assignment.

This book is not available as an e-book but have any of you tried finding it via Google books yet?

Basically, Google has digitised 1000's of mostly out of print books and stuck them on the Web.

In some cases you can access the whole book or sometimes it's just a chapter - often the introductory chapter.

In the case of the Krinsky book you can access the first 63 pages which is pretty much the first 3 chapters. I hope those 3 chapters contain something of relevance.

Click here to get to the basic book search page.

Just remember to correctly reference whatever you use.

If any of you access the book using Google books then I'd really like to know.

Alan

If your house is spotlessly tidy then ignore this post.

Aaaah. So I take it your house isn't spotlessly tidy?

If you're sharing a student house, if you have children who have never put their own clothes in the washing machine or if your husband/wife (let's be honest here-it's probably husband!) is under the impression that the tidy-up ninjas visit every day, then I may be able to help.

Our house has never been tidy and never will be, but it's closer than usual and the reason is an online game called Chore Wars.

Before I go any further you may be wondering what this has to do with anything academic.
Well I'll tell you. There's published evidence that tidy environments can lead to greater academic output.
Or put it another way; you can concentrate more on writing assignments when you're not clearing up everyone else's mess!

Chore Wars works like this; it's in the style of online games such as World of Warcraft but rather than fighting demons and dragons you get rewarded by doing real-world jobs around the house like doing the hoovering.

We set up an account for our house 2 weeks ago and my boys who are 4 and 9 are now offering to do the washing up and cooking because they want to get stronger (in video games terminology it's known as 'levelling up') as their virtual selves in the game!

You may be thinking it sounds daft but all I can say is it's worked in our house. So if you're fed up with being the only one in your shared house who takes the rubbish out, or you're an exasperated mum or dad who should be writing essays not putting toys away, find out more and set up a free account by clicking here and give it a try.

If any of you give it a go then please let me know?

Law databases.

Some of you reading this may be working on assignments to do with inequality and the law. Or it might be something else to do with jurisprudence. Well if you're interested in going beyond SocIndex we have a number of law databases available.


The one I would suggest looking at is called Westlaw. It contains full-text articles on a range of subjects. Do keep in mind that law does tend to use quite specialised language so you'll need to be careful with your keywords. Click here to log in to Westlaw.

The law librarian has given me some rather glossy Westlaw user guides so if any students would like one just contact me.

At time of writing the social work law books are in high demand so prioritising electronic resources will probably be one way of getting what you need.

Good luck and if you need any help you know how to contact me.

Oranges and Sunshine.

I think we'd all agree that a positive media story about social workers is about as common as politicians resigning because they've suddenly realised they're not very good at their job.

So with that in mind I'm very happy to publicise the new Jim Loach film about the quite amazing Margaret Humphries. She was the social worker who uncovered the scandalous policy of sending children who had been in care to Australia and Canada. The secret policy which was prevalent in the 50's and 60's wasn't uncovered until the 1980's when Margaret Humphries, then a social worker in Nottingham, was told by a woman that she and hundreds like her had been sent to Australia to live with the promises of 'Oranges and Sunshine'.

The film opened on April 1st. For a truly inspiring example of what a single social worker can do and to experience a frankly extraordinary story of deception and bravery, get yourselves to a cinema as soon as possible.

If you'd like to read more about Margaret Humphries then click here.

Bernardo's offer support to children of failed asylum seekers.

I came across this story a few weeks back and think it's worth sharing.

Although Bernardo's intentions are clearly honourable I do wonder whether a charity who have been critical of the use of detention centres in the past should then be so involved in welfare services.

What do you think?

Early Years report released.

Hello everybody.

In case this passed you by I thought I'd draw your attention to a new report which recommends reducing the level of testing which children currently undergo at the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

It came as a surprise to me (but presumably not to some of you) that currently there are 69 benchmarks which children aged between 3 and 5 years-old are measured against. The new report has stipulated this be reduced to 15.

Click here to see the report written by the wonderfully named Dame Tickell.

A thank you to all volunteers.

For those of you accessing my blog for the first time - welcome.

I hope you gain something useful from the next month and enjoy the experience.

If this is your first time here I'd advise looking through some of my older blog posts. It'll give you some idea of the range of things I tend to write about, although for the next month I will be including more academic postings too.

In the spirit of sharing and to kick off the project, here's 5 things about me that you don't know:

1. My favourite book ever is Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake.

2. When I was 14 years old the BBC came to film Doctor Who in our street. It remains, despite being married and having children, the happiest day of my life. The wholly unremarkable 35 second clip of the corner of my street (I was being forcibly held behind the camera by an assistant director at the time) is viewable here between 4 minutes and 35 seconds and 5 minutes and 10 seconds.

3. I was picked out of the audience by The League of Gentlemen to go on stage as a stooge at their Oxford  Apollo gig in 1999. And it was my birthday. A flavour of what I had to do is available via YouTube on request but be warned it's very rude!

4. I've yet to get to the end of Finding Nemo without crying my eyes out.
 And unfortunately for me it's one of my boys' favourite films.

5. I think all spiders are the embodiment of evil.

Alan