Why are we Waiting? Research, Policy and Practice in Recruiting and Supporting Same Gender Couples in Child Adoption

The adoption process is renowned for its difficulties, however gay and lesbian couples face unique, additional challenges when choosing parenthood through adoption. The Adoption and Children’s Act (2002), Equality Act (2006) and the Sexual Orientation Regulations act (2007) are some of the recent policy changes aimed at ‘smoothing out’ the adoption process for same-gender couples (Cosis-Brown & Kershaw, 2008). Resultantly, there appear to be more cases of gay adoption than ever before (Equality Britain, 2005), however, anecdotal evidence suggests that across the UK the practice of recruiting and supporting gay and lesbian adopters is inconsistent. Whilst some local authorities encourage and emphasise the importance of stability and high quality care for vulnerable looked after children regardless of parental sexuality (Mallon, 2007); yet case studies of gay and lesbian couples seeking adoption demonstrate the unique challenges they encounter in the adoption process because of religious views (Hicks, 2005) or the attitudes towards same gender parenting of adoption panels and social workers within an unspoken hierarchy (Ahmed, 2008; Dennis, 2006). Government’s drive towards adoption (Unwin and Misca, 2013) of children in care as a favoured alternative should lead to recognition of same-gender couples as an under-utilised resource of potential adopters to be used in the best interest of the children who are looked after. The poster will present the results of research undertaken by the authors during 2012-13 highlighting how research on same-gender parenthood over the past decades has influenced the recent developments in the adoption policy and practice in the UK and worldwide. The poster will identify areas of potential barriers encountered in translating these policy changes in the current practice of adoption with a particular focus on professionals’ attitudes towards same-gender couples as potential adopters.

Exploring Access to Direct Payments by People with Dementia Living in Rural Communities

Direct payments are cash payments made to individuals eligible for social care services which allow them to manage and pay for their own social care rather than receiving it directly from their Local Authority. Research suggests that direct payments can enable people with dementia to stay in their own home for longer and experience greater choice, flexibility and an improved social life. However uptake of direct payments is currently low, particularly amongst people with dementia. Those living in rural communities may experience additional barriers to direct payments, such as transport issues and difficulty recruiting carers. There is a lack of research to date in this area which addresses the factors of dementia, ageing and rurality in unison. Therefore the objective of this research was to explore the experiences of people with dementia living in rural communities, in relation to their access to and use of direct payments. 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with dementia in receipt of social care services in the community, and their carers and social workers. Focus groups were carried out with two community social work teams, and existing online discussions about direct payments contributed to by social care staff, people with dementia and their carers were examined. It was found that direct payments tended to be seen as a fall back option, for example as the only alternative to residential care, or as a potential solution to problems experienced by existing social care service users. Direct payments appeared to afford particular benefits to people with dementia and to those living in rural communities in terms of flexibility, continuity of care and access to local facilities. It is therefore important that this group are enabled to access direct payments; ensuring direct payments are viewed as a positive option by all stakeholders is key to this.

God and War: the Church of England and Armed Conflict in the Twentieth Century

Despite narratives of secularization, it appears that the British public persistently pay attention to clerical opinion and continually resort to popular expressions of religious faith, not least in time of war. From the throngs of men who gathered to hear the Bishop of London preach recruiting sermons during the First World War, to the attention paid to Archbishop Williams' words of conscience on Iraq, clerical rhetoric remains resonant. For the countless numbers who attended National Days of Prayer during the Second World War, and for the many who continue to find the Remembrance Day service a meaningful ritual, civil religious events provide a source of meaningful ceremony and a focus of national unity. War and religion have been linked throughout the twentieth century and this book explores these links: taking the perspective of the 'home front' rather than the battlefield. Exploring the views and accounts of Anglican clerics on the issue of warfare and international conflict across the century, the authors explore the church's stance on the causes, morality and conduct of warfare; issues of pacifism, obliteration bombing, nuclear possession and deterrence, retribution, forgiveness and reconciliation, and the spiritual opportunities presented by conflict. This book offers invaluable insights into how far the Church influenced public appraisal of war whilst illuminating the changing role of the Church across the twentieth century.

Do GPs Make Good Research Participants?

Background Childhood cancers cause the largest numbers of deaths by disease in children aged 0-14 years1 with more than 400 children a year dying from cancer in the UK.2 Parental preference for their child to die within the family home2 coupled with the speciality of children’s palliative care medicine being still in its infancy, highlights the importance of the GP’s role in this highly specialised area of clinical practice. An understanding of the GP’s role will help inform the development of this specialty and identify best collaborative practice. A NIHR/CAT CL funded study examined the role of the GP in paediatric oncology palliative and bereavement care from the perspective of both the GP and the bereaved parent. This presentation will detail how GPs were approached and recruited, the reasons GPs declined participation and factors influencing the actual data collection. Methods The mixed method study used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Phase 1: Semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of GPs and parents. Phase 2: Q methodology with GPs who had a child with cancer on their caseload. Q methodology is a research tool that uses statistical analysis to cluster participants’ experiences according to similarity of their viewpoint Results The method and effectiveness of recruiting GPs for both phases of the study will be presented. In addition factors influencing collecting such emotive and sensitive data will be discussed. Conclusions Researcher flexibility and perseverance in participant recruitment was rewarded by the rich data collected. Findings from this study have identified four different GP role viewpoints and have provided a new dimension in understanding GP viewpoints on their role in this arena.

It’s Cheaper than Acquiring New Ones: Retaining Members to Your Service

The benefits of retention are well known: it’s cheaper and easier to retain existing customers than it is to try to acquire new ones. Secondly, retained customers play a vital role in the acquisition of new customers through word-of-mouth. Thirdly, retained customers have a higher monetary value, due to being more susceptible to cross-selling initiatives. So, retention is important. But, it’s difficult to achieve, especially for membership organisations. Numerous organisations work on a membership-based business model, such as health clubs, trade unions, charities and even professional associations. Often, recruiting and retaining members is fundamental to the success of these enterprises which rely on membership fees as their primary revenue stream.