Ruth Emond
Biographic Data
| ID | 261803 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ruth Emond |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ruth |
| FAMILY NAME | Emond |
| SIGNATURE | EMOND R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Stirling |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3758-6354 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 99 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Finding traces of everyday life in unusual places
Case records hold life-long significance for those who spent their childhoods in looked after care. Across Europe, public inquiries into the care and treatment of children in care have examined the content of records and have highlighted their limitations. This paper presents data from phase one of a wider study; ‘Archiving Residential Children’s Homes in Scotland and Germany (ARCH)’, which undertook content analysis of the archives of two reside…
Digital group archives in residential childcare
This article discusses phase two of the ARCH project (Archiving Residential Children’s Homes), and in particular, the development of a co-designed ‘digital archive’ that stores everyday, shared events and experiences for care experienced young people who live in residential children’s homes. We present research with young people living in residential care, care workers and care experienced adults about the types of everyday information or records…
They feel like another child in care has their back
The Independent Care Review in Scotland has encouraged a policy shift towards recognizing young people's potential to contribute to their own and others' experiences of care. This paper makes an important contribution to debates around the role of children in the social support systems of others who have experienced loss and trauma. It reports on a research project which explored young people's views on peer support in care and their experiences …
Nurturing children's development through healthy eating and active living
Fostering the growth, development, health, and wellbeing of children is a global priority. The early childhood period presents a critical window to influence lifelong trajectories, however urgent multisectoral action is needed to ensure that families are adequately supported to nurture their children's growth and development. With a shared vision to give every child the best start in life, thus helping them reach their full developmental potentia…
Care Experience and Friendship
Drawing on a review of recent international literature, this article argues for the first time that an understanding of, and engagement with, the theory and practice of friendship is essential to working alongside those who have care experience. Drawing on theory from philosophy, psychology and sociology, the care system is explored as a unique and challenging context for making and keeping the reciprocal, caring friendships which research sugges…
Everyday” Scottish and Finnish child protection work in an age of austerity
This article examines the accounts given by child protection practitioners of how the current economic climate has impacted on their practice. We build our discussion on empirical findings emerging from a small but rigorous qualitative research project conducted by one of the authors. This original study examined Scottish and Finnish social workers' perceptions of their abilities to engage effectively with children and families in what many have …
I see a totally different picture now’
This article draws on a critical evaluation of a knowledge exchange (KE) project, Food for Thought , devised to promote and develop awareness of the use of food within children’s residential and foster care services. From the 22 qualitative interviews conducted, reflections on the differing forms of knowledge incorporated into the design of the project and its outputs are discussed and the limitations of current thinking on knowledge exchange are…
Living alone but eating together
It's not as easy as saying, ‘just get them to eat more veggies’”
Young people living in residential out-of-home care (henceforth OoHC) are at increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. Currently, recognition of the everyday mechanisms that might be contributing to excess weight for children and young people in this setting is limited. The aim of this study was to better understand the barriers and complexities involved in the provision of a 'healthy' food environment in residential OoHC. Heightening aware…
Food and Feelings in Residential Childcare
The selection, preparation and consumption of food are everyday experiences; however, the social and symbolic meaning attached to such practices varies widely. This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to explore how such food practices were experienced, produced and maintained within residential children's homes in Scotland. Data were generated over a year-long fieldwork period during which participant observation was unde…
You have a right to be nourished and fed, but do I have a right to make sure you eat your food?’
Many of the difficulties of applying rights in practice lie in competing interpretations of rights by different groups and organisations. This paper illustrates the complexities of putting a theory of children's rights into practice within the everyday contexts of residential child care, in particular, as part of the routines of food provision and consumption of staff and children. The challenges of operationalising children's rights specifically…
Longing to belong
Resilience literature has stressed the potential of both children's educational experiences and their friendships to act as protective factors against adversity. However, less is known about how children living with adversity navigate these ‘everyday’ aspects of social terrain and the particular challenges that they face. This paper explores the meaning and experience of peer relationships to one group of children living in residential care in I …
You don’t have to be watched to make your toast’
This paper explores forms of surveillance within residential care homes for young people. It is argued that surveillance is a crucial aspect of care and this can be experienced as both negative and positive by children and staff. In particular the research was concerned with how forms of control and monitoring are conducted in relation to food and food practices. Relations of power and resistance within the context of a care home are routinely pl…
Discussant piece
First paragraph: The school has long been regarded as having responsibility for not only the intellectual development of children but also their social and physical wellbeing. As such the school has become one of the most externally surveyed and regulated spaces that children and adults pass through. This is particularly the case in relation to adult's and children's food and their accompanying food practices. The school has thus been central in …
Children's food practices in families and institutions
First paragraph: Food and food practices lend themselves to sociological and geographical analysis. In particular the study of the relationships that develop around and through food interactions and rituals can bring into focus practices that are often hidden from view; part of an everyday and mundane world frequently so taken for granted that their meaning becomes lost. Research in this growing field brings to light the significance of food and …
Children and food practices in residential care
Using an ethnographic approach, we provide an analysis of food practices in residential care to explore the atypical nature of children's homes as a three-fold space that combines characteristics of ‘home’, ‘institution’, and ‘workplace’. Residential staff invested considerable effort into recreating a ‘family-like’ home but the practices and ideals they drew on could be interpreted and experienced in different ways. We demonstrate the difficulty…
Caring as a Moral, Practical and Powerful Endeavour
Research on children's participation in domestic life has tended to focus on the experiences of those living within families. This article reports on a pilot project, undertaken in one Cambodian orphanage, which focused on the care that children provided to themselves and to one another. It argues that not only were such care practices manifest, but they were understood by children to contribute to their power and status within the orphanage as w…
I Am All about the Future World
The dominant representation of children living in majority world orphanages highlights their vulnerability and fragility. However, little is known about their lived experiences of orphanage care and their perspectives on being regarded as ‘orphans’. This article draws on data from a pilot project undertaken in one orphanage in Cambodia to highlight such perspectives. It presents the three discourses the children themselves used to make sense of t…
Longing to belong
Resilience literature has stressed the potential of both children's educational experiences and their friendships to act as protective factors against adversity. However, less is known about how children living with adversity navigate these ‘everyday’ aspects of social terrain and the particular challenges that they face. This paper explores the meaning and experience of peer relationships to one group of children living in residential care in I …
Children's food practices in families and institutions
First paragraph: Food and food practices lend themselves to sociological and geographical analysis. In particular the study of the relationships that develop around and through food interactions and rituals can bring into focus practices that are often hidden from view; part of an everyday and mundane world frequently so taken for granted that their meaning becomes lost. Research in this growing field brings to light the significance of food and …
Children and food practices in residential care
Using an ethnographic approach, we provide an analysis of food practices in residential care to explore the atypical nature of children's homes as a three-fold space that combines characteristics of ‘home’, ‘institution’, and ‘workplace’. Residential staff invested considerable effort into recreating a ‘family-like’ home but the practices and ideals they drew on could be interpreted and experienced in different ways. We demonstrate the difficulty…
You don’t have to be watched to make your toast’
This paper explores forms of surveillance within residential care homes for young people. It is argued that surveillance is a crucial aspect of care and this can be experienced as both negative and positive by children and staff. In particular the research was concerned with how forms of control and monitoring are conducted in relation to food and food practices. Relations of power and resistance within the context of a care home are routinely pl…
Food and Feelings in Residential Childcare
The selection, preparation and consumption of food are everyday experiences; however, the social and symbolic meaning attached to such practices varies widely. This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to explore how such food practices were experienced, produced and maintained within residential children's homes in Scotland. Data were generated over a year-long fieldwork period during which participant observation was unde…
You have a right to be nourished and fed, but do I have a right to make sure you eat your food?’
Many of the difficulties of applying rights in practice lie in competing interpretations of rights by different groups and organisations. This paper illustrates the complexities of putting a theory of children's rights into practice within the everyday contexts of residential child care, in particular, as part of the routines of food provision and consumption of staff and children. The challenges of operationalising children's rights specifically…
Living alone but eating together
Nurturing children's development through healthy eating and active living
Fostering the growth, development, health, and wellbeing of children is a global priority. The early childhood period presents a critical window to influence lifelong trajectories, however urgent multisectoral action is needed to ensure that families are adequately supported to nurture their children's growth and development. With a shared vision to give every child the best start in life, thus helping them reach their full developmental potentia…
Caring as a Moral, Practical and Powerful Endeavour
Research on children's participation in domestic life has tended to focus on the experiences of those living within families. This article reports on a pilot project, undertaken in one Cambodian orphanage, which focused on the care that children provided to themselves and to one another. It argues that not only were such care practices manifest, but they were understood by children to contribute to their power and status within the orphanage as w…
Care Experience and Friendship
Drawing on a review of recent international literature, this article argues for the first time that an understanding of, and engagement with, the theory and practice of friendship is essential to working alongside those who have care experience. Drawing on theory from philosophy, psychology and sociology, the care system is explored as a unique and challenging context for making and keeping the reciprocal, caring friendships which research sugges…
Discussant piece
First paragraph: The school has long been regarded as having responsibility for not only the intellectual development of children but also their social and physical wellbeing. As such the school has become one of the most externally surveyed and regulated spaces that children and adults pass through. This is particularly the case in relation to adult's and children's food and their accompanying food practices. The school has thus been central in …
They feel like another child in care has their back
The Independent Care Review in Scotland has encouraged a policy shift towards recognizing young people's potential to contribute to their own and others' experiences of care. This paper makes an important contribution to debates around the role of children in the social support systems of others who have experienced loss and trauma. It reports on a research project which explored young people's views on peer support in care and their experiences …
It's not as easy as saying, ‘just get them to eat more veggies’”
Young people living in residential out-of-home care (henceforth OoHC) are at increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. Currently, recognition of the everyday mechanisms that might be contributing to excess weight for children and young people in this setting is limited. The aim of this study was to better understand the barriers and complexities involved in the provision of a 'healthy' food environment in residential OoHC. Heightening aware…
Finding traces of everyday life in unusual places
Case records hold life-long significance for those who spent their childhoods in looked after care. Across Europe, public inquiries into the care and treatment of children in care have examined the content of records and have highlighted their limitations. This paper presents data from phase one of a wider study; ‘Archiving Residential Children’s Homes in Scotland and Germany (ARCH)’, which undertook content analysis of the archives of two reside…
Everyday” Scottish and Finnish child protection work in an age of austerity
This article examines the accounts given by child protection practitioners of how the current economic climate has impacted on their practice. We build our discussion on empirical findings emerging from a small but rigorous qualitative research project conducted by one of the authors. This original study examined Scottish and Finnish social workers' perceptions of their abilities to engage effectively with children and families in what many have …
I Am All about the Future World
The dominant representation of children living in majority world orphanages highlights their vulnerability and fragility. However, little is known about their lived experiences of orphanage care and their perspectives on being regarded as ‘orphans’. This article draws on data from a pilot project undertaken in one orphanage in Cambodia to highlight such perspectives. It presents the three discourses the children themselves used to make sense of t…
You don’t have to be watched to make your toast’
This paper explores forms of surveillance within residential care homes for young people. It is argued that surveillance is a crucial aspect of care and this can be experienced as both negative and positive by children and staff. In particular the research was concerned with how forms of control and monitoring are conducted in relation to food and food practices. Relations of power and resistance within the context of a care home are routinely pl…
Discussant piece
First paragraph: The school has long been regarded as having responsibility for not only the intellectual development of children but also their social and physical wellbeing. As such the school has become one of the most externally surveyed and regulated spaces that children and adults pass through. This is particularly the case in relation to adult's and children's food and their accompanying food practices. The school has thus been central in …
Children's food practices in families and institutions
First paragraph: Food and food practices lend themselves to sociological and geographical analysis. In particular the study of the relationships that develop around and through food interactions and rituals can bring into focus practices that are often hidden from view; part of an everyday and mundane world frequently so taken for granted that their meaning becomes lost. Research in this growing field brings to light the significance of food and …
Children and food practices in residential care
Using an ethnographic approach, we provide an analysis of food practices in residential care to explore the atypical nature of children's homes as a three-fold space that combines characteristics of ‘home’, ‘institution’, and ‘workplace’. Residential staff invested considerable effort into recreating a ‘family-like’ home but the practices and ideals they drew on could be interpreted and experienced in different ways. We demonstrate the difficulty…
Caring as a Moral, Practical and Powerful Endeavour
Research on children's participation in domestic life has tended to focus on the experiences of those living within families. This article reports on a pilot project, undertaken in one Cambodian orphanage, which focused on the care that children provided to themselves and to one another. It argues that not only were such care practices manifest, but they were understood by children to contribute to their power and status within the orphanage as w…
You have a right to be nourished and fed, but do I have a right to make sure you eat your food?’
Many of the difficulties of applying rights in practice lie in competing interpretations of rights by different groups and organisations. This paper illustrates the complexities of putting a theory of children's rights into practice within the everyday contexts of residential child care, in particular, as part of the routines of food provision and consumption of staff and children. The challenges of operationalising children's rights specifically…
Longing to belong
Resilience literature has stressed the potential of both children's educational experiences and their friendships to act as protective factors against adversity. However, less is known about how children living with adversity navigate these ‘everyday’ aspects of social terrain and the particular challenges that they face. This paper explores the meaning and experience of peer relationships to one group of children living in residential care in I …
Food and Feelings in Residential Childcare
The selection, preparation and consumption of food are everyday experiences; however, the social and symbolic meaning attached to such practices varies widely. This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to explore how such food practices were experienced, produced and maintained within residential children's homes in Scotland. Data were generated over a year-long fieldwork period during which participant observation was unde…
I see a totally different picture now’
This article draws on a critical evaluation of a knowledge exchange (KE) project, Food for Thought , devised to promote and develop awareness of the use of food within children’s residential and foster care services. From the 22 qualitative interviews conducted, reflections on the differing forms of knowledge incorporated into the design of the project and its outputs are discussed and the limitations of current thinking on knowledge exchange are…
Living alone but eating together
It's not as easy as saying, ‘just get them to eat more veggies’”
Young people living in residential out-of-home care (henceforth OoHC) are at increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. Currently, recognition of the everyday mechanisms that might be contributing to excess weight for children and young people in this setting is limited. The aim of this study was to better understand the barriers and complexities involved in the provision of a 'healthy' food environment in residential OoHC. Heightening aware…
Everyday” Scottish and Finnish child protection work in an age of austerity
This article examines the accounts given by child protection practitioners of how the current economic climate has impacted on their practice. We build our discussion on empirical findings emerging from a small but rigorous qualitative research project conducted by one of the authors. This original study examined Scottish and Finnish social workers' perceptions of their abilities to engage effectively with children and families in what many have …
Care Experience and Friendship
Drawing on a review of recent international literature, this article argues for the first time that an understanding of, and engagement with, the theory and practice of friendship is essential to working alongside those who have care experience. Drawing on theory from philosophy, psychology and sociology, the care system is explored as a unique and challenging context for making and keeping the reciprocal, caring friendships which research sugges…
Nurturing children's development through healthy eating and active living
Fostering the growth, development, health, and wellbeing of children is a global priority. The early childhood period presents a critical window to influence lifelong trajectories, however urgent multisectoral action is needed to ensure that families are adequately supported to nurture their children's growth and development. With a shared vision to give every child the best start in life, thus helping them reach their full developmental potentia…
They feel like another child in care has their back
The Independent Care Review in Scotland has encouraged a policy shift towards recognizing young people's potential to contribute to their own and others' experiences of care. This paper makes an important contribution to debates around the role of children in the social support systems of others who have experienced loss and trauma. It reports on a research project which explored young people's views on peer support in care and their experiences …
Digital group archives in residential childcare
This article discusses phase two of the ARCH project (Archiving Residential Children’s Homes), and in particular, the development of a co-designed ‘digital archive’ that stores everyday, shared events and experiences for care experienced young people who live in residential children’s homes. We present research with young people living in residential care, care workers and care experienced adults about the types of everyday information or records…
Finding traces of everyday life in unusual places
Case records hold life-long significance for those who spent their childhoods in looked after care. Across Europe, public inquiries into the care and treatment of children in care have examined the content of records and have highlighted their limitations. This paper presents data from phase one of a wider study; ‘Archiving Residential Children’s Homes in Scotland and Germany (ARCH)’, which undertook content analysis of the archives of two reside…
Sociology (14 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Medicine (12 works) · Political science (12 works) · Children's Rights and Participation (10 works) · Nursing (9 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Public relations (6 works) · Residential care (6 works)