Changing Professional Culture – What Nurture Groups can Achieve

Abstract

This chapter explores the ways in which, over the past several years, the onus of UK central government policy has impacted upon managers and practitioners across services and agencies that work with children, young people and their families. It further considers the changes that have taken place in the education and training of the related professional workforces, with examples from education, social work, youth justice, residential work and fostering.

By drawing upon ideas from attachment theory and the principles of nurture, it becomes possible to identify alternative ways of working in these settings. In these new models the importance of positive relationships comes to the forefront of policy and practice, whilst the education and training of professional workers is shaped by a greater emphasis on children's development and the profound significance of attachment and nurture.

In different settings and across age groups, nurture groups provide an outstanding practice model, offering children and young people the right sort of experiences for improving their self-esteem, building up their resilience and overcoming barriers to learning. The principles upon which nurture groups are based offer an exciting template, not only for developing models of practice, but for influencing the formulation of policy and the education of students in initial training or as part of continuing professional development.

Citation

Rose, J. (2012), "Changing Professional Culture – What Nurture Groups can Achieve", Visser, J., Daniels, H. and Cole, T. (Ed.) Transforming Troubled Lives: Strategies and Interventions for Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 2), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 107-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3636(2012)0000002010