Is it true to say that we only clean out our homes thoroughly in the Spring, or is Spring Cleaning a term used to encapsulate a meticulous overhaul of our living area – whenever we do it?
Could it be that there is no set time to spring clean except the time that we choose to do it? Instead of just spring cleaning our homes how about spring cleaning our lives?
If something seems to be working we may not even look at it until it fails (how many of us would MOT cars if it wasn’t a legal requirement?).We check out the outside, the external, the visible and if that seems ok then there is nothing to do. How realistic is that in terms of our own optimum function? By “optimum function” I don’t simply mean that we are able to conduct our lives on a daily basis, working, maintaining family and intimate relationships, paying bills – rather that we could be doing all this and also feeling good, enjoying life, being mentally and physically healthy.
» Continue reading “Spring Clean Your Life”

Veronica Needham, a Playback Theatre practitioner, has kindly offered an overview of Playback Theatre and its techniques and uses.

About Playback Theatre

Playback Theatre is an original form of participative/ interactive theatre which offers inspiration, surprise, entertainment, as well as an opportunity for deep communication between people.

Building community through personal stories

Playback Theatre creates a ritual space where any story – however ordinary, extraordinary, hidden or difficult – might be told, and immediately made into theatre. This theatre form is in direct service to healing relationship, communication and understanding between people. This is an underlying value, so the conductor interacts directly with the audience with respect and human warmth, and is sensitive to the larger social context of the Playback event. » Continue reading “Playback Theatre”

By Ross Watson

Children & Young People Now

15 May 2009 Ofsted has published its revised plans on inspection of safeguarding and looked-after children, including unannounced inspections of child protection services in every local authority. The new programme of inspection was published yesterday alongside details of how the watchdog intends to conduct inspections and calculate ratings for children’s services in each authority under the new Comprehensive Area Assessment.

All local authority areas will have at least one inspection of safeguarding and looked after children services in the three-year period following 1 April 2009. This will include an unannounced inspection, focusing on the quality of frontline social work.
Inspections will begin in June, and will be carried out by Ofsted inspectors and the Care Quality Commission, as well as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate Constabulary where needed.

Ofsted has moved to make inspections of safeguarding stronger after assessing services in the light of what happened to Baby P, and the ensuing report on child protection conducted by Lord Laming.
Chief Inspector Christine Gilbert said: “These new frameworks for assessing children’s services rightly have inspection of front line practice at their heart, paving the way for better and more effective services.”

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