Out‐of‐school suspension among young persons in care: The need to respond to attachment needs and provide a secure base that promotes learning

Melkman, Eran P.

doi:10.1002/berj.3911

Cited by 1 publication

(5 citation statements)

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“…Many of the contributions in this special issue highlight that teachers and other staff members in educational contexts can play a fundamental role in providing trusted and consistent relationships to care‐experienced people. As already noted, stability can have a positive impact on educational success (Matchett & Appleton, 2024; Mølholt et al., 2024), and in shaping positive experiences and engagement with education (Brown & Shelton, 2024; Marion & Tchuindibi, 2024; Melkman, 2024). Yet given their position, such relationships with teachers and other staff can also enhance access to future opportunities—both within education and beyond.…”

Section: Content Of This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the papers within this special issue cover an interesting variety of topics individually, when taken together, the commonalities between them highlight pertinent issues experienced by those with a background of care across educational settings and national contexts. These include inclusivity and recognition in the definitions used to identify someone as 'care-experienced' (Brown & Shelton, 2024;Bunn & Fuller, 2024;Child & Marvell, 2024), the importance of relationships for educational success (Brown & Shelton, 2024;Collins et al, 2024;Marion & Tchuindibi, 2024;Matchett & Appleton, 2024;Sandford et al, 2024) and the risk-laden nature of transitions through education for those with an absence of support (Melkman, 2024;Mølholt et al, 2024).…”

Section: Content Of This Speci Al Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Experiences of instability and uncertainty not only affect expectations and the ability to coherently practise reflexivity among care-experienced people in education, but also how educational environments are perceived and experienced (Marion & Tchuindibi, 2024;Melkman, 2024). Marion and Tchuindibi's (2024) research exploring the learning careers (Bloomer & Hodkinson, 2000) of young people in Canadian residential care shows how external forces can have a powerful influence on shaping perceptions of school.…”

Section: Content Of This Speci Al Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…When experiencing disruptive circumstances and the associated instability, how care‐experienced people are responded to and supported by staff operating in educational environments can also shape their perceptions of education. Melkman's (2024) contribution provides insights into this by utilising psychological theory. He draws on attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) and Schofield and Beek's Secure Base Model (2005) to analyse how out‐of‐school suspensions are experienced among secondary school pupils in England with backgrounds of care.…”

Section: Content Of This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…He draws on attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) and Schofield and Beek's Secure Base Model (2005) to analyse how out‐of‐school suspensions are experienced among secondary school pupils in England with backgrounds of care. Through interviews with care‐experienced young people and their foster carers, Melkman (2024) found that out‐of‐school suspensions led to educational disengagement as well as feelings of exclusion and rejection. He proposes that there is a need to support care‐experienced school pupils through ‘strong, caring relationships built upon trust and respect between school staff and students’ to fulfil children's attachment needs; these relationships can provide a buffer against the negative consequences of insecure parent–child attachments and subsequently enhance their learning and well‐being.…”

Section: Content Of This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

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Theorising educational engagement, transitions and outcomes for care‐experienced people: Introduction to the special issue

Baker,

Ellis,

Harrison

2023

British Educational Res J

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Theorising educational engagement, transitions and outcomes for care-experienced people: Introduction to the special issue BACKGROUND Most countries have a system in place to care for young people whose birth families are not in a position to look after them safely, usually owing to neglect or maltreatment. While the terminology differs (e.g. 'children in care' in the UK, 'foster youth' in North America or 'out of home care' in Australia) along with the configuration, funding levels and services provided, the purposes of providing a safe and stable home are broadly comparable. Care can take different forms, including foster care, residential facilities or living with extended family. Young people may spend short periods or many years in care, leaving through adoption, returning to live with the birth family or when they reach adulthood.Care-experienced people are among the most educationally marginalised of any identifiable social group, both in childhood and in adulthood (Cameron et al., 2018). Typically, they have markedly lower educational outcomes than their peers, as well as a higher propensity to leave education early (for example, for England, see Berridge et al., 2020;Harrison et al., 2023;Sebba et al., 2015). They are also more likely to be formally excluded (Department for Education, 2019;Kothari et al., 2018), forced to change schools (Sebba et al., 2015) or routed into educational pathways that have been traditionally viewed as being 'lower status' (Harrison, 2020;Harrison et al., 2023).The reasons for this marginalisation are complex and multidimensional. Pre-care experiences are often traumatic and can lead to later mental health issues and challenges with engaging in formal schooling (King, 2016); this trauma can be compounded by removal from the family or later experiences of care. Many children in care undergo significant social upheaval, losing links to family, friends and community (Ward, 2011), as well as the educational disruption of frequent school moves (Jackson & Ajayi, 2007). Low expectations from adults (Jackson & Cameron, 2012;Köngeter et al., 2016), financial issues (Jackson et al., 2005) and societal stigma (Stein, 2012) can also contribute to the trauma experienced by those with a care background.Nevertheless, many care-experienced learners do thrive in education. Stability (Sebba et al., 2015), access to educational opportunities and the support of trusted adults appear vital (Flynn et al., 2013;Gazeley & Hinton-Smith, 2018), but may be in short supply owing to the structures of the state and constraints on resources. For some care-experienced learners, their educational success may be delayed as a result of the disruptions to their schooling in childhood. This emphasises the importance of post-compulsory and adult education programmes as a form of 'second chance' pathway for educational success (Brady & Gilligan, 2020;Gilligan & Brady, 2023;Montserrat et al., 2013), with many care-experienced students participating in higher education later in life (Harrison, 2020).

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Section: Content Of This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%