Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have set up a unique UK-wide forum to explore how schools and communities can work together to provide enhanced educational services for future generations of children.
The University, together with researchers at Ulster and Birmingham Universities, has initiated a seminar series to unite education, health and social care professionals in a bid to examine the research evidence for school and community-based service reformations.
The year-long initiative, entitled Service integration in schools: Research and policy discourses, practices and future prospects, is the first of its kind in the UK and will involve four one-day events at venues across the country.
This interdisciplinary seminar series, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), will explore the nature of policy discourse that shapes professional thinking, knowledge and practice.
Dr Joan Forbes, Senior Lecturer in the University of Aberdeen’s School of Education, is helping to lead the Aberdeen team, along with Walter Humes, Professor in Education at the University.
Dr Forbes said: “The new seminar series has been planned as a response to the current lack of seminar outlets in which to review our work and share and debate research, policy and practice perspectives.
“There will be relevant invited speakers at each one of our four events and participants will include a mix of researchers, teachers, students, as well as representatives from all relevant agencies and local authorities.”
The seminar series, which begins in May 2006 will address a number of questions and concerns relating to professional education including the case for developing a combined training package for all professionals working in schools.
The seminars will also deal with the larger questions about how school service integration relates to the rights of children and young people and about global thinking on the management of schools in the future.
Dr Forbes explained: “We will use a range of tools to communicate with our different groups and audiences including seminar series web-pages, briefing papers, articles in relevant publications and research papers linked to each seminar in the series.”
Professor Humes said that the seminar series would allow researchers, practitioners and policy-makers from across the UK to explore areas of common interest.
He said: “For different professionals to work successfully together, they need to understand each other’s perspectives and be open to change. This is often a challenging process, but a vitally important one if the quality of service offered to children and families is to be improved.
“The ideas explored in the seminar series will be disseminated as widely as possible with the aim of influencing future policy and practice.”