Background: Free school meals have a role in supplementing the diets of children from low income ... more Background: Free school meals have a role in supplementing the diets of children from low income families to ensure adequate nutritional status and ensure healthy growth and development. However, a sizeable proportion of those entitled to free school meals do not register, or once registered, do not take the meal. Previous research has identified individual factors which influence take up but does not necessarily place these factors within the wider context in which they occur. Aims: Using a socio-ecological approach, this paper reports a qualitative exploration of factors across a range of analytical levels (policy, community, organisation and individual) which influence parents and pupils in registering and using free school meal entitlement within the secondary school setting. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with parents or carers (n=13) and pupils (n=19) were undertaken in four secondary schools within one local authority in Wales. Schools were selected to represent a range in terms of level of entitlement and uptake of free school meals and data were analysed using a framework approach. Results: In terms of policy, participants reported that the targeted and means tested nature of free school meal entitlement has an impact on some families. They also reported that there was potential for stigma, although this varied according to the level of entitlement within the community. Within the school setting (organisation) the degree to which free school meals were promoted and the processes in place to ensure anonymity for free school meal pupils were highlighted as factors that influenced uptake. At the individual level, the ability to conform to the consumption patterns and practices of the wider pupil population was important for free school meal pupils. Conclusions: The nature and implementation of free school meal policy has implications for pupils with entitlement. As a result, pupils on free school meals may struggle to participate in the food practices of the wider pupil population and this influences the uptake of entitlement.
Background: Minimum nutritional guidelines for school meals were introduced across the UK to addr... more Background: Minimum nutritional guidelines for school meals were introduced across the UK to address concerns about poor provision and rising childhood obesity but little evidence relates to the challenges associated with implementing guidelines within the school context. Aims: Using an implementation model, this paper reports a qualitative study of the views, experiences and challenges identified in respect of the implementation of minimum nutritional guidance (Appetite for Life) in secondary schools in Wales. Methods: Semi-structured interviews (n=13) were undertaken with policy, local authority and school staff members in four schools within one local authority in Wales. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and analysis was underpinned by a framework approach. Findings: Members of staff welcomed the guidelines, noting the contribution to the health and wellbeing of pupils, however, they reported that meals were less popular and that take-up of school meals had reduced as pupils endeavoured to access banned foods elsewhere. Conclusions: The guidelines have implications for school meal uptake and contextual factors such as the built environment will influence the success of such policies.
The importance of supervision is largely taken for granted within social work. Yet it can often s... more The importance of supervision is largely taken for granted within social work. Yet it can often seem as if policy-based descriptions of what supervision ‘should be’ are disconnected from the realit...
fields was used for all international electronic databases. The rationale for this approach was j... more fields was used for all international electronic databases. The rationale for this approach was justified by the lack of synonyms or alternative meanings of this phrase in health and social care. The following international electronic databases were searched from January 1990 till June 2018: ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts), British Education Index, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, Econlit, EMBASE, ERIC (Education Resources Information Centre ), Google Scholar, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), PsycINFO, Research papers in Economics (RePEc), Scopus, Social Policy & Practice, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation IndexSocial Science & Humanities, Emerging Sources Citation Index). 2. Key academic journals were hand searched. 3. A key word search for grey literature from relevant agencies including: Action for Children, Barnardo’s, Care L...
This evaluation looked at three pilot projects which embedded social workers in schools. It explo... more This evaluation looked at three pilot projects which embedded social workers in schools. It explored how working in this way might help reduce referrals, support schools, and reduce the need for children to enter care. Schools play a key part in keeping children safe, and tend to be a source of many referrals to Children’s Social Care. The thinking behind the project was that if we can improve the way schools and social workers work together, then there could be real benefits for children and families, schools and the social care system. The pilots, based in Lambeth, Southampton and Stockport, offer insights about how to implement such an intervention and give us some early indications about what impact it might have. Social workers did the full range of statutory work in all three places, thought the nature of the work and how the social work teams were configured varied between the pilots. Across the pilots there were a range of types of schools involved, including mainstream prim...
Background: Free school meals have a role in supplementing the diets of children from low income ... more Background: Free school meals have a role in supplementing the diets of children from low income families to ensure adequate nutritional status and ensure healthy growth and development. However, a sizeable proportion of those entitled to free school meals do not register, or once registered, do not take the meal. Previous research has identified individual factors which influence take up but does not necessarily place these factors within the wider context in which they occur. Aims: Using a socio-ecological approach, this paper reports a qualitative exploration of factors across a range of analytical levels (policy, community, organisation and individual) which influence parents and pupils in registering and using free school meal entitlement within the secondary school setting. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with parents or carers (n=13) and pupils (n=19) were undertaken in four secondary schools within one local authority in Wales. Schools were selected to represent a range in terms of level of entitlement and uptake of free school meals and data were analysed using a framework approach. Results: In terms of policy, participants reported that the targeted and means tested nature of free school meal entitlement has an impact on some families. They also reported that there was potential for stigma, although this varied according to the level of entitlement within the community. Within the school setting (organisation) the degree to which free school meals were promoted and the processes in place to ensure anonymity for free school meal pupils were highlighted as factors that influenced uptake. At the individual level, the ability to conform to the consumption patterns and practices of the wider pupil population was important for free school meal pupils. Conclusions: The nature and implementation of free school meal policy has implications for pupils with entitlement. As a result, pupils on free school meals may struggle to participate in the food practices of the wider pupil population and this influences the uptake of entitlement.
Background: Minimum nutritional guidelines for school meals were introduced across the UK to addr... more Background: Minimum nutritional guidelines for school meals were introduced across the UK to address concerns about poor provision and rising childhood obesity but little evidence relates to the challenges associated with implementing guidelines within the school context. Aims: Using an implementation model, this paper reports a qualitative study of the views, experiences and challenges identified in respect of the implementation of minimum nutritional guidance (Appetite for Life) in secondary schools in Wales. Methods: Semi-structured interviews (n=13) were undertaken with policy, local authority and school staff members in four schools within one local authority in Wales. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and analysis was underpinned by a framework approach. Findings: Members of staff welcomed the guidelines, noting the contribution to the health and wellbeing of pupils, however, they reported that meals were less popular and that take-up of school meals had reduced as pupils endeavoured to access banned foods elsewhere. Conclusions: The guidelines have implications for school meal uptake and contextual factors such as the built environment will influence the success of such policies.
The importance of supervision is largely taken for granted within social work. Yet it can often s... more The importance of supervision is largely taken for granted within social work. Yet it can often seem as if policy-based descriptions of what supervision ‘should be’ are disconnected from the realit...
fields was used for all international electronic databases. The rationale for this approach was j... more fields was used for all international electronic databases. The rationale for this approach was justified by the lack of synonyms or alternative meanings of this phrase in health and social care. The following international electronic databases were searched from January 1990 till June 2018: ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts), British Education Index, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, Econlit, EMBASE, ERIC (Education Resources Information Centre ), Google Scholar, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), PsycINFO, Research papers in Economics (RePEc), Scopus, Social Policy & Practice, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation IndexSocial Science & Humanities, Emerging Sources Citation Index). 2. Key academic journals were hand searched. 3. A key word search for grey literature from relevant agencies including: Action for Children, Barnardo’s, Care L...
This evaluation looked at three pilot projects which embedded social workers in schools. It explo... more This evaluation looked at three pilot projects which embedded social workers in schools. It explored how working in this way might help reduce referrals, support schools, and reduce the need for children to enter care. Schools play a key part in keeping children safe, and tend to be a source of many referrals to Children’s Social Care. The thinking behind the project was that if we can improve the way schools and social workers work together, then there could be real benefits for children and families, schools and the social care system. The pilots, based in Lambeth, Southampton and Stockport, offer insights about how to implement such an intervention and give us some early indications about what impact it might have. Social workers did the full range of statutory work in all three places, thought the nature of the work and how the social work teams were configured varied between the pilots. Across the pilots there were a range of types of schools involved, including mainstream prim...
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