The Learning Zone

In the second part of our chat with Laurence Alfred, he explains how the Camphill Communities around the world try to give opportunities for people with disabilities to grow and develop.

Strathclyde Police are taking a new approach to reducing violence in Glasgow and the West of Scotland, based on findings by the World Health Organisation. We chat to Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan from the Violence Reduction Unit.

The UK Government are putting through a White Paper to improve the prospects for young care leavers in England. Can Scotland learn anything from this? John Hill is the Manager of the What Makes the Difference Project and he met Eddie, one of the young people at KibbleWorks in Paisley, at the conference in Leeds, during National Care Leavers Week in the UK.

Young People leaving care often need extra support to help them make the transition from school to the world of work and independent living. The What Makes the Difference? conference in Leeds looked at these concerns during National Care Leavers Week in the UK. Martin Hazelhurst, from the National Leaving Care Advisory Service, met Eddie, to hear about his placement at KibbleWorks in Paisley.

Young People leaving care often have gaps in their development and need extra help and support to get employment and hold onto a job. Jim Halpin, from KibbleWorks in Paisley, attended the What Makes the Difference conference in Leeds, and describes his experience.

Whether you are considering a career in child and youth care work, or trying to find a career path for a young person in your care, help is on hand. We chat to Karen McGuire from Careers Scotland about the service they offer, and the first crucial steps to getting the skills required.

Young people in Scotland all too often experience sectarianism through negative attitudes, language and behaviours in their community. This can have a damaging impact on them and their environment. We chat to Richard Benjamin from Nil by Mouth, who in part one explains how the sectarian murder of a teenager in Glasgow inspired the charity to challenge sectarianism.

Campaigning groups like Nil By Mouth work with the authorities, police, religious groups, and football clubs to rid Scotland of Sectarian abuse and violence. In part two of our chat with Richard Benjamin from NBM, he explains the progress that is being made with the next generation and how young people can play a big part in tackling the problem.

Sideline commentary from the 2007 Foster Care Associates International Football Championships held in Nottingham this year. Over 300 young people gathered in regional teams from throughout the UK and Ireland to compete over the weekend of 18-19 August.

Foster Care is one of the most important steps to recovery for victims of child abuse, according to Wayne Duehn. He's Professor of Social Work at the University of Texas. He spoke to us at the Supporting Attachment Conference in Renfrewshire.

We look at the role of Foster Care and the type of support they need along with the young people, with Independent Psychologist Joe Nee. He was part of the Supporting Attachment Conference in Renfrewshire.

One of the biggest challenges for victims of child abuse is overcoming the trauma. Often they will have been removed from the cycle of abuse into new unfamiliar surroundings. We chat to Sally Wassell who is an Independent Social Worker, at the Supporting Attachment Conference in Renfrewshire.

In the final part of our chat with Larry Brendtro, he explains about the importance of the Life Space and the influence it has on young people.

Why do people decide on a career path in child and youth care? We spoke to Dr Carol Stuart, Director of the School of Child and Youth Care at Ryerson University in Toronto. She chatted to us at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal. This is part one of the interview.

Mimimum qualification levels can be important in setting standards. We look at this in part two of our chat with Micheal Gaffley, LSCA Program Director and Program Professor, Programs in Child and Youth Studies. We spoke to him at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.

Violent behaviour is not exclusively a problem for young men. We spoke to Dr Sybille Artz, Director and Professor at the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In part one of our chat at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal, she discusses her area of research.

The latest internet developments could improve the prospects for online learning. In the second part of our chat with Jeff Reid, Program Supervisor at the Children's Aid Society of Pictou County in Nova Scotia, we look at the useful websites.

Native American traditional values can play a role in the work of Child and Youth Care. In part one of our feature with Larry Brendtro, he explains the origin of the theory.

Understanding challenging behaviour, and not reacting to it, is a key part of Child and Youth Care work. In part two of our feature with Larry Brendtro, he explains some techniques, based on his Native American model.

In the third chapter of our feature with Larry Brendtro, he talks of examples of how to cope with challenging behaviour based on the Native American model, The Circle of Courage.

We put Family Group Conferencing under the microscope with Gale Burford, MSW, PhD, Director of the Department of Social Work at the University of Vermont. He was attending Kibble's seminar in Renfrewshire.

Young people benefit when Families have a say in the welfare of a child, according to Anne Hamilton, Family Group Conferencing Development Manager for CHILDREN 1ST, part of a seminar in Renfrewshire organised by Kibble.

Allowing the family to play a big part in Child and Youth Care is the focus for Family Group Conferencing. We chatted to Laura Rinaldi, FGC Co-ordinator for the South Ayrshire Project at a seminar hosted by Kibble in Renfrewshire.

Getting more qualifications doesn't mean spending hours with your head in a book. Jane Prior from SCOTVQ explains how carers can develop their CV. She was hoping to attract care professionals at the Social Care Association Annual Seminar in Renfrewshire.

Parents, Uncles, Aunties and even close friends and neighbours can play an important role in a child's welfare. We chatted to Lorraine McKillop, Co-ordinator for Family Group Conferencing in the South Lanarkshire Project at a seminar in Renfrewshire hosted by Kibble.

Innovation was the focus for the Social Care Association when they gathered in Renfrewshire for their annual seminar. Head of Community Services at Kibble David Baird looks back on his year as President.

We chat to President Elaine Harlin from Child Guidance and Family Solutions, based in Ohio. At the 7th Gathering of the Social Enterprise Alliance in Atlanta, she told us the idea is similiar to the TV programme Nanny 911.

We can learn a great deal from other countries approaches to child and youth care. Dr Desiree De Kock is Associate Professor at the University of South Africa in the Department of Social Work. We caught up with her at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.

Witnessing violence among teenagers can be a frightening experience but we spoke to someone, who decided to try and understand their behaviour as a result. Dr Sybille Artz is Director and Professor at the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It's the second part of her interview.

How much emphasis should go on the looking after care staff? Just one of the concerns of Frank Delano, Director of JBFCS Institute for Child Care Professionalization and Training in New York. We caught up with him at the 8th International Child and Youth Care Conference in Montreal.

There's nothing more frustrating than training a team only for them to walk away. Dr Mark Kreuger is Professor of Youth Work Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. We chatted while attending the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.

Few organisations can avoid cuts in budgets. Financial support for child and youth care should be constant to maintain an essential service. This was one of the concerns of Jeff Reid, Program Supervisor at the Children's Aid Society of Pictou County in Nova Scotia, when we spoke to him at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal. This is part one of the interview

The internet could prove a vital tool for distance learning, particularly in remote communities. Does Dr Ronald Smith, a Professor at Emeritus in the Department of Education at Concordia University in Quebec agree? We chatted to him at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.

Can staff care too much? we spoke to Sandy Parks, a support worker on Homeward Bound since 94', a project which helps young people reintegrate into their communities. Sandy was one of many delegates at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.

Some countries have been debating increasing regulation in child and youth care. Thom Garfat PHD is Co-editor of CYC-NET The International Child and Youth Care Network. We spoke to him at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.

Are frontline care workers too busy with their vital role to follow the latest theories about the sector from professors and academics? Dr Carol Stuart is Director of the School of Child and Youth Care at Ryerson University in Toronto. This is the second part of her interview.

Are some managers too far removed from issues in the frontline? We caught up with Micheal Gaffley, LSCA Program Director and Program Professor, Programs in Child and Youth Studies. In part one, it was one of his main concerns when we caught up with him at the 8th International CYC Conference in Montreal.