This article addresses the ambiguity of the child's ‘voice’ in social research. Drawing on a recent research project on young children's communication difficulties, the author argues that the currently popular discourse on ‘listening to children’ is beset with practical and ethical ambiguities that result from the ‘socialness’ of human interaction, discourses and practices. In particular, the author argues that the notion of the child's ‘voice’ is, despite being a powerful rhetorical device, socially constructed. This article illustrates and discusses ambiguities that arose from fieldwork in two ‘special needs’ settings, considering their epistemological implications for social research, and offers reflexivity as a strategy for ethical research conduct.

Parents know the U&EC service options available, and their first choice is the GP. Multiple contacts are being made for relatively well children, often due to repeated referrals within the system. Safety netting advice reduces re-attendances but parents want explicit and consistent advice for appropriate home management.

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White flight refers to a phenomenon whereby native middle class residents avoidor move away from areas with immigrant concentrations thereby contributing toethnic and residential segregation. The recent increase in immigration into Finlandhas spurred public debates suggesting that white flight - in connection with schoolchoices - might also be happening in Finland. In this article, the phenomenon isscrutinized and unravelled conceptually. The discussion draws on a recent qualitativestudy undertaken in Turku. The study involved 31 in-depth interviews with nativeFinnish parents of primary- and preschool aged children. The results indicate thatneither the schools nor immigration determined families housing decisions that were,ultimately, multifaceted and situated within specific life courses and circumstances.Mainly thematic but also discourse and life course analysis methods were employedto tease out nuances around talk and action, also helping to further understand thedynamics of attitudes in this context.

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