Prof June Thoburn
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Professor | J dot Thoburn at uea dot ac dot uk | Elizabeth Fry Building 1.32 |
Biography
Publications
Books and Monographs
Thoburn, J. (2009) Reunification of children in out-of-home care to birth parents or relatives: a synthesis of the evidence on processes, practice and outcomes : Expertise fur das project: Pflegekinderhilfe in Deutschland. Munchen: Deutsches Jugendinstitut.
Thoburn, J. (with Making Research Count Consortium) (2009) Effective interventions for complex families where there are concerns about or evidence of a child suffering significant harm. London, Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO) http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/safeguarding/files/safeguarding_briefing_1.pdf
Courtney, M. and Thoburn, J. (Eds.) (2009) Children in State Care. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Tunstill, J., Tarr, S. and Thoburn, J. (2008) Cross sector scoping study of family support workers in the children’s workforce. Leeds: Children’s Workforce Development Council. 100pp.
http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/assets/0000/1858/Family_Support_Workers_Lit_Review_FINAL.pdf
Parrott, B., MacIver, A. and Thoburn, J. (2007) Independent Inquiry report into the circumstances of Child sexual Abuse by two Foster Carers in Wakefield. Wakefield: Wakefield Council.
Thoburn, J. (2007) 'Globalisation and child welfare: Some lessons from a cross-national study of children in out-of-home care' University of East Anglia, Norwich. (reproduced in full on website of UNICEF Better Care Network)
Click here for pdf.
Timms, J., Bailey, S. and Thoburn, J. (2007) Your Shout Too! A survey of the views of children and young people involved in court proceedings when their parents divorce or separate. London: NSPCC.
Thoburn, J., Chand, A. and Procter, J. (2005) Child Welfare Services for Minority Ethnic Families: The Research Reviewed. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Sellick, C., Thoburn, J. and Philpot, T (2004) What Works in Adoption and Fostering? Barkingside: Barnardos.
Timms, J. and Thoburn, J. (2003) Your Shout! A Survey of the Views of 706 Young People in Public Care, London: NSPCC.
Schofield, G., Beek, M., Sargent, K with Thoburn, J. (2000) Growing Up in Foster Care. London: BAAF.
Maluccio, A.N., Ainsworth, F. and Thoburn, J. (2000) Child Welfare Outcome Research. Washington, USA: Child Welfare League of America.
Thoburn, J., Norford, L. and Rashid, S.P. (2000) Permanent Family Placement for Children of Minority Ethnic Origin. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Thoburn, J., Wilding, J. and Watson, J. (2000) Family Support in Cases of Emotional Maltreatment and Neglect. London: The Stationery Office.
Brandon, M., Thoburn, J., Lewis, A. and Way, A. (1999) Safeguarding Children with the Children Act 1989. London: The Stationery Office.
Schofield, G. and Thoburn, J. (1996) The voice of the child in child protection. London: Institute for Public Policy Research, 69pp, 1996. This monograph received widespread publicity as part of the IPPR children's rights series.
Thoburn, J., Lewis, A. and Shemmings, D. (1995) Paternalism or Partnership? Family Involvement in the Child Protection Process. London: HMSO.
Thoburn, J. (1994) Child Placement: Principles and Practice (Second Edition - This is a substantial re-write to take account of the Children Act and recent research) Ashgate (Japanese Edition, 1998).
Fratter, J., Rowe, J., Sapsford, D and Thoburn, J. (1991) Permanent Family Placement: A decade of experience. London: BAAF.
Thoburn, J. (1990) Success and Failure in Permanent Family Placement, Aldershot: Avebury.
Thoburn, J., Murdoch, A. and O’Brien, A. (1986) Permanence in Child Care. Oxford: Blackwell.
Thoburn, J. (1980) Captive Clients, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Refereed Journal articles since 2001
Ainsworth F, Thoburn J. (2013) 'An exploration of the differential usage of residential childcare across national boundaries'.
Thoburn, J., Cooper, N., Brandon, M. and Connolly, S. (2013) 'The place of "think family" approaches in child and family social work: messages from a process evaluation of an English pathfinder service' Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 35 issue 2 February 2013 pp 228-236
Bailey, S., Thoburn, J. and Timms, J. (2011) ‘Your shout too! Children’s views of the arrangements made and services provided when courts adjudicate in private law disputes’ Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, Vol. 33, No. 2. 123-138
Thoburn, J. and Courtney, M. (2011) ‘A Guide through the knowledge base on children in out-of-home care’ Journal of Children’s Services, 6.4, 210-227
Ezell, M. Spath, R., Zeira, A., Canali, C., Fernandez, E., Thoburn, J. and Vecchiato, T. (2011) ‘An International Classification System for Child Welfare Programs’ Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 33, 10, 1847-1854
Thoburn, J. (2010) ‘Achieving safety, stability and belonging for children in out-of-home care. The search for ‘what works’ across national boundaries’ International Journal of Child and Family Welfare Vol 12, Number 1-2 pp 34- 48
Tunstill, J., Thoburn, J. and Aldgate J. (2010) ‘Promoting and Safeguarding the welfare of children- a bridge too far?’ Journal of Children’s Services. Vol. 5: 3 pp 14-24
Thoburn, J. (2010) 'Towards knowledge-based practice in complex child protection cases: a research-based experts' briefing'. Journal of Children's Services Vol 5 Issue 1 March 2010 pp 9- 24
Gilbert, R., Kemp, A., Thoburn, J., Sidebotham, P., Radford, L., Glaser, D., Macmillan, H. (2008) ‘Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment’. The Lancet Child Maltreatment Series, Jan 2009 Vol 373, No. 9657 pp 167-180.
Reading, R., Bissell, S., Goldhagen, J., Harwin, J., Masson, J., Moynihan, S., Parton, N., Santos Pais, M, Thoburn, J. and Webb, E. (2009) ‘Promotion of children’s rights and prevention of child maltreatment’. The Lancet Child Maltreatment Series, Jan 2009 Vol 373 no 9657.
Bachmann, M.O., O’Brien, M., Husbands, C., Shreeve, A., Jones, N., Watson, J., Reading, R. Thoburn, J., Mugford, M., and the National Evaluation of Children’s Trusts Team (2009) “Integrating children’s services in England: national evaluation of children’s trusts“. Child: Care, Health and Development,35 (2), p 257-265, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2008.00928.x
Lorgelly, P. K.,Bachmann, M. O., Shreeve, A., Reading, R., Thoburn, J., Mugford, M., O’Brien, M. & Husbands, C. and the NECT team (2009). “Is it feasible to pool funds for local children's services in England? Evidence from the national evaluation of children's trust pathfinders”. Health Services Research and Policy, 14 (1), 27-34 DOI: 10.1258/jhsrp.2008.008052
O’Brien, M., Bachmann, M., Thoburn, J., Jones, N., Husbands, C., Shreeve, A., Reading, R., Watson, J., and the NECT team (2009) “Do integrated children’s services improve children’s outcomes?: Evidence from England’s Children’s Trust Pathfinders“, Child and Society, 35 (2), pp357-365. DOI:10.1111/j.1099-0860.2009.00229.x
Tilbury,C. and Thoburn, J. (2009) “Using racial disproportionality and disparity: indicators to measure child welfare concerns“, Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 1101-1106
Brandon, M. and Thoburn, J. (2008) 'Safeguarding children in the UK: a longitudinal study of services to children suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.' Child and Family Social Work 13. pp 365-377, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2008.00561.x
Tunstill, J., Thoburn, J. and Aldgate J. (2010) ‘Promoting and Safeguarding the welfare of children- a bridge too far?’ Journal of Children’s Services. Vol. 5: 3 pp 14-24
Thoburn, J. (2010) 'Towards knowledge-based practice in complex child protection cases: a research-based experts' briefing'. Journal of Children's Services Vol 5 Issue 1 March 2010 pp 9- 24
Gilbert, R., Kemp, A., Thoburn, J., Sidebotham, P., Radford, L., Glaser, D., Macmillan, H. (2008) ‘Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment’. The Lancet Child Maltreatment Series, Jan 2009 Vol 373, No. 9657 pp 167-180.
Reading, R., Bissell, S., Goldhagen, J., Harwin, J., Masson, J., Moynihan, S., Parton, N., Santos Pais, M, Thoburn, J. and Webb, E. (2008) ‘Promotion of children’s rights and prevention of child maltreatment’. The Lancet Child Maltreatment Series, Dec 2008 pp 52-63.
Children's views of decisions made by the Court: policy and practice issues arising from the Your Shout Too! Survey. Child Care in Practice, 14 (3) 257-274 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting FREE 14 (3) 257-274 end_of_the_skype_highlighting DOI: 10.1080/13575270802061926 (with Timms, J and Bailey, S) 2008.
Zeira, A., Canali, C., Vecchiato, T., Jergeby, U., Thoburn, J. and Neve, E. (2008) ‘Evidence-based social work practice with children and families: A cross-national perspective’ European Journal of Social Work 11.1, pp 57-72.
Zeira, A., Canali, C., Jergeby, U., Neve, E., Thoburn, J and Vecchiato, T. (2007) “Evidence-based social work practice with children and families?".European Journal of Social Work On line publication 2007.
Thoburn, J. (2007) ‘Servizi sociali per l’infanzia e la famiglia in Inghilterra’. Studi Zancan Politiche e servzi alle persone. 2007 n.1 pp 92-102.
Schofield, G., Thoburn, J., Howell, D. and Dickens, J. (2007) ‘The Search for Stability and Permanence: Modelling the Pathways of Long-stay Looked After Children.’ British Journal of Social Work 37, pp. 619-642.
Dickens, J., Howell, D., Thoburn, J. and Schofield, G. (2007) ‘Children starting to be looked after by local authorities in England: an analysis of inter-authority variation and case-centred decision-making’ . British Journal of Social Work 37, pp. 597-617.
Chand, A. and Thoburn, J. ( 2006) ‘Child protection referrals and minority ethnic children and families’. Child and Family Social Work 11: 4 pp 168-177.
Bullock, R., Courtney, M., Parker, R., Sinclair, I. and Thoburn, J. (2006) ‘Can the corporate state parent?’ Children and Youth Services Review 28 pp 1344-1358 (reprinted in Adoption and Fostering 30:4 pp 6-19.
Timms, J. E. and Thoburn, J. (2006) ‘Your Shout! Looked After Children’s Perspectives on the Children Act 1989’ The Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, Vol 28, 2. pp 153-170.
Bachman, M., Reading, R., Husbands, C., O’Brien, M., Thoburn, J et al (2006) ‘What are children’s trusts? Early findings from a national survey’ Child: Care, Health and Development 32,2 pp 137-140.
Barth, R.P., Crea, T.M., John, K., Thoburn, J. and Quinton, D. (2005) ‘Beyond attachment theory and therapy: Towards sensitive evidence-based interventions with foster and adoptive families in distress’ Child and Family Social Work 10:4 pp 257-268.
Chand, A. and Thoburn, J. (2005) ‘Child and family support services for minority ethnic families: what can we learn from research?’ Child and Family Social Work 10: 2 pp 169-178.
Thoburn, J. (2003) ‘The Risks and Rewards in Adoption for Children in the Public Care’ Family Law Quarterly 15.4 pp 391-402.
Bailey, S., Thoburn, J., and Wakeham, H. (2002) ‘Using the 'Looking After Children' dimensions to collect aggregate data on well-being.’ Child & Family Social Work 7(3).
Thoburn, J. (2002) ‘Adoption and permanence for children who cannot live safely with birth parents or relatives.’ Quality Protects Research Briefing 5. Department of Health/Making Research Count/Research in Practice.
Thoburn, J. (2001) ‘Building a caring community for the protection of children.’ Hong Kong Journal of Paediatrics, 6 (1), pp 3-8.
Moffatt, P. and Thoburn, J. (2001) ‘Outcomes of permanent family placement for children of minority ethnic origin.’ Child and Family Social Work, 6 (1) pp 13-22.
Book Chapters since 2001
Tilbury, C. and J. Thoburn (2011). Disproportionate representation of indigenous children in child welfare systems: international comparisons. In K. Kufeldt and B. McKenzie Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy and Practice. Waterloo, Canada, Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Thoburn, J. (2010) 'International Perspectives on Foster Care' in E. Fernandez and R.P. Barth. (eds) How does foster care work? London: Jessica Kingston pp 29-43 isbn 978-1-84905-812-4
Thoburn, J. (2010)’The challenge of using administrative data in cross-national evaluations of services for children in out-of-home care’ in Maluccio, A.N., Canali, C., Vecchiato, T., Lightburn, A. Aldgate, J. and Rose, W. Improving Outcomes for Children and Families. London: Jessica KingsleyRuffolo, M. C., Thoburn, J. and Allen-Meares, P. (2010) ‘Children, Young People and Families’, in Briar-Lawson, K., Orme, J., Ruckdeschel, R. and Shaw, I. The Sage Handbook of Social Work Research: Knowledge, Understanding and Justice.
Thoburn, J. (2009) “Le placement des enfants en Angleterre et en France“ in B. Tillard, A. Rurka (eds) Du placement a la suppleance familiale: Actualite de recherches internationals. pp 89-102, Paris: L’Harmattan.
Thoburn, J. (2009) “The Risks and Rewards of Adoption for Children in the Public Care“. Child and Family Law Quarterly (2003) 15 pp391-401 republished in Courtney, M and Thoburn, J, (Eds) (2009) Children in State Care, Library of Essays in Child Welfare series. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. pp375-387.
Schofield, G., Thoburn, J., Howell, D. and Dickens, J. (2009) “The Search for Stability and Permanence: Modelling the pathways of long-stay looked-after children”. British Journal of Social Work (2005) 1-24 republished in Courtney, M and Thoburn, J, (Eds) (2009) Children in State Care, Library of Essays in Child Welfare series. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd pp447-509.
Ruffolo, M. C., Thoburn, J. and Allen-Meares, P. (2009) “Children, young people and families”. In K. Briar-Lawson, J. Orme, R. Ruckdeschel and I. Shaw (Eds.) The Sage Handbook of Social Work Research: Knowledge, Understanding and Justice, London: Sage Publications Ltd., p378-391
Thoburn, J. (2009). “The effects on child mental health of adoption and foster care” in M. Gelder (Ed.) New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry (2nd Edition) Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tilbury, C. and J. Thoburn (2009) “Disproportionate representation of indigenous children in child welfare systems: international comparisons”. In K. Kufeldt and B. McKenzie. Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy and Practice. Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Thoburn, J. (2007) ‘Social Work with Children and Families’ in Davies, M. (ed) The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. (3rd Edition) Oxford: Blackwell. pp 207-221 ISBN 978-1-4051-7004-8.
Thoburn, J. (2007) ‘Out-of-home care for the abused or neglected child: a review of the knowledge base for planning and practice’ in James, A. and Wilson, K. The Child Protection Handbook. (2nd Edition) London: Elsevier.
Thoburn, J. (2006) ‘Planning for Children who cannot return to their birth parents: Messages from Research’ in L. Jordan and B. Lindley (eds) Special Guardianship: A Reader. London: Family Rights Group.
Thoburn, J. (2006) ‘Using international comparisons to reflect on permanence options for children in out-of-home care in the UK’ in Thorpe, LJ and Buddon, R. (eds) Durable Solutions, Family Law/ Jordans.
Thoburn, J. (2005) ‘Stability through Adoption for Children in Care’ in N. Axford, V. Berry, M. Little and L. Morpeth (eds) Forty years of research, policy and practice: A Festshrift for Roger Bullock. Chichester: Wiley.
Thoburn, J. (2005) ‘Permanent family placement for children of dual heritage’ in T Okitikpi (ed) Working with Children of Mixed Parentage. Lyme Regis: Russell House.
Thoburn, J. (2004) ‘Post-placement contact between birth parents and older children’ in Neil, E. and Howe, D. (eds) Contact in Adoption and Permanent Foster Care. London: BAAF.
Thoburn, J. (2004) ‘Involving Children in Planning and Reviewing Services’ in Thorpe, L.J. and Cadbury, J. (eds ) Hearing the Children. Bristol: Family Law/ Jordans.
Sellick, C. and Thoburn, J. (2002) ‘Family Placement Services.’ in D McNeish et als (eds) What Works? Effective Social Care Services for Children and Families. Open University Press/Barnardos.
Thoburn, J. (2002) ‘Outcomes of Permanent Substitute Family Placement for Children in Care’ in T Vecchiato, A N Maluccio and C Canali (eds) Evaluation in Child and Family Services: Comparative Client and Program Persepctives. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, pp. 6-23.
Key Research Interests
Since the late 1970s when I started my research career with a study of children in care who were placed ‘at home on trial’ I have studied most aspects of child and family social work. My research has encompassed family support and child protection services for children and families in the community and services for children placed away from home, whether with family members, in foster care or with adoptive families. I am frequently asked to draw on my own research and that of others to provide expert evidence (in the UK and abroad) in complex child welfare court cases, and to undertake analyses of events leading to child deaths or serious injury. I was an advisor to the House of Commons Children Schools and Families Committee for their 2009 Report on Looked-after Children, and provided invited evidence on the research background for court decision-making to the (2011) Family Justice Review and the 2012 House of Lords Select Committee on Adoption.
I have a particular interest in the views of children, parents, foster carers and adopters on the services they are offered. I employ a range of research methods, placing interview and observational data in the context of quantitative data obtained from records, surveys or routinely compiled administrative data. My research usually has a policy focus, and much of it has been funded by the UK government or by child welfare agencies. It also has a socio-legal focus, with relevance to children involved in public and private law disputes. More recently I have collaborated with colleagues at UEA and at other UK and overseas universities to synthesise research on ‘what works’ in the provision of services to vulnerable children and their families. The award of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship in 2005 allowed me to pursue a long-term interest in children in out-of home care in the ‘developed’ world, and of the relevance of these practices to countries with fewer resources and less developed welfare systems. The project raised questions about the possibilities but also pitfalls of ‘importing’ policies and practices across national boundaries and has led to dialogue with politicians, researchers and social workers in varied welfare systems.
Current and recently completed research projects
Child welfare in International context I continue the research on child welfare across national boundaries, originally funded by the Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship, through collaboration with international colleague members of the International Association for Outcome-Based Evaluation and Research on Family and Children’s Services. This has involved working with academics, data specialists and policy makers in developed and less developed countries. Comparable data on children entering out-of-home care are leading to an exploration of the factors accounting for differences between countries in the sorts of children who enter care, the different placements used in different countries, and the likely impact on outcomes, The summary report was published as a UEA Monograph 2007, and further analysed in a 20110 journal article (Thoburn, J. (2010) ‘Achieving safety, stability and belonging for children in out-of-home care. The search for ‘what works’ across national boundaries’ International Journal of Child and Family Welfare Vol 12, Number 1-2 pp 34- 48). I subsequently collaborated with Professor Clare Tilbury from Griffith University, Australia to further explore the question of the over-representation of indigenous children amongst children in care.
Since 2010 I have provided research advice to SOS Kinderdorf International and broadened my interest to services to children in less developed countries and ‘transition economies. I have worked with Professor Mark Courtney of Chicago University to publish a book of key journal articles and to synthesise outcome research on children in care (Thoburn, J. and Courtney, M. (2011) ‘A Guide through the knowledge base on children in out-of-home care’ Journal of Children’s Services, 6.4, 210-227).
Your Shout! and Your Shout Too! (2001- 2007) These two linked studies (undertaken with Judith Timms of the University of Liverpool and Sue Bailey of UEA and funded by the NSPCC) involved surveys of the views of over 700 ‘looked after’ children and a smaller number of children involved in private law contact and residence disputes.
Family support and child protection services. I continue to work on aspects of child and family support and protection services. I contributed to the UEA inter- school studies of Pathfinder Children’s Trusts, and breakfast clubs. In 2010 I was commissioned by the Center for Excellence and Outcomes on Children’s Services (C4EO) to write an expert briefing on working with families with very complex needs. http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/safeguarding/files/safeguarding_briefing_1.pdf
In 2009 (with UEA colleagues Neil Cooper, Marian Brandon and Sara Connolly) I was commissioned by Westminster Children’s Services Department to undertake a process and outcome study of their innovative Family Recovery Project, which takes forward the recommendations of the government’s Think Family and Reforming Social Work initiatives.
Children returning home from care In 2008 I was commissioned by the Deutsches Jugendinstitut to provide an overview of the international literature on children returning home from care http://www.dji.de/pkh/expertise_dji_thoburn_reunification.pdf and am currently a member of an NSPCC advisory group supporting the development of knowledge-based reunification services. In 2012 I was commissioned by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to write a Research Briefing on children returning home from care.
Service to minority ethnic children and families Cultural competence, a key requirement for those working in child welfare, has been a theme running through my work over the past decade. After completing a study of permanent family placement for children of minority ethnic origin, I collaborated with Ashok Chand of University of Warwick and Joanne Procter at UEA to synthesise the research on child welfare services for minority ethnic children and families. This work highlighted the differences between ethnic groups in the UK with respect to the proportions referred to child welfare services. An important theme in my present ‘in care around the world’ project is the underlying reasons for the over representation in care of some ethnic groups, especially indigenous children.
Globalisation and Child Welfare - more detailed reports on data on children in care in 14 countries
Australia
Canada
Denmark
Italy
France
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States of America
