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At home or away? An exploration of policy and practice in the placement of disabled children at residential schools
Author(s) -
Morris Jenny,
Abbott David,
Ward Linda
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1002/chi.682
Subject(s) - mainstream , clarity , promotion (chess) , inclusion (mineral) , government (linguistics) , welfare , special education , social welfare , public relations , sociology , service (business) , psychology , pedagogy , political science , business , social psychology , law , biochemistry , chemistry , linguistics , philosophy , marketing , politics
Despite increasing policy commitment by government to the inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream services, significant numbers of disabled children continue to be placed away from their family home and community in residential schools. Reliable statistical information on them is elusive and there has been a dearth of research on how placement decisions are made and what the experience of such placements for disabled children and their families is like. This article reports on the policies and practice of 21 education and social service authorities in England in this area, the patterns of residential placements and the apparent reasons for them. It also highlights points of concern in relation to the protection and promotion of the welfare of disabled children in residential schools, and the apparent lack of clarity on the part of local authorities with regard to their duties in this area. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.