THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER An Accredited Institution of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON DRAMATISING SOCIAL CARE Applied Theatre as a Tool of Empowerment for Looked After Children Claire Marie Hope MacNeill Doctor of Philosophy NOVEMBER 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER An Accredited Institution of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT THE FACULTY OF ARTS Doctor of Philosophy DRAMATISING SOCIAL CARE by Claire Marie Hope MacNeill This research examines the contextual layers and concentric frames that define the worlds of looked after children within contemporary British care systems in the search for an empowering, creative practice. This investigation has used practice as research to examine the current cultures, power relations and corporate contexts that intermesh to construct the care system. The core group of this enquiry is looked after children but, as an expanding 12 year action research model, the investigation examines the concurrent trends between children in care, children living in poverty and incarcerated young people. The use of macro and micro practice examples enables the thesis to examine the life cycles, trappings and pitfalls for contemporary poor law children as well as demonstrating how creative practice can impact on interventionist approaches to research and development, before young people end up in care. The potential for applied theatre as a tool for empowerment is interrogated through an exploration of what empowerment means in terms of radical freedom as well as the necessity of changes to existing structures and dominant assumptions. This research examines the different shapes, forms and possibilities for this practice from processes of inner discovery to narrative therapies, to collective encounters, to performances to relevant audiences. This research constructs a clear proposal for the efficacy of applied theatre/arts within these arenas and offers a colourful and innovative contribution to this field of knowledge through a range of rich and varied practice experiences and ethnographical sources. 2 Contents Abstract 2 List of Contents (Including tables and Illustrations) 3 Declaration of Authorship 9 Acknowledgements 10 Definitions and Abbreviations / Confidentiality 11 Chapters Chapter 1 The Central Research Problem and Methods of the Research 12 Research Methods 13 Sites of Practice 16 Perspectives and Narratives: My Role/s and Representation 20 The Rainbow Model as an Adaptation of a Theatre for Development Model 22 The Structure of the Thesis 25 Conclusion 26 Chapter 2 The Philosophies and Motivations behind this Work 27 Drama, Theatre and Television Studies, BA (Hons): King Alfred’s College, Winchester 28 The Romany Gypsy Project, 1997 31 Main-place Children’s Home Project, 1999 33 Conclusion 44 Chapter 3 The Conceptual Frameworks of this Research 48 Applied Theatre as a Socio-Political Tool 48 3 Power techniques in the institutionalisation of others 53 Iron Homes and Total Institutions 62 A Vision for Liberation 66 The Role of the Facilitator and the Possibilities for Applied Arts as a Tool for Empowerment 76 My Hypothesis 89 Chapter 4 Contextual Frameworks: The State of State Welfare And the Search for Practice 95 Fear of the Delinquent Child: the Origins of Child Welfare 95 Capitalism, Myth making and Moral Panics: Contemporary Frameworks 98 Secure Training Centres (STCs), Stigma and Labelling 102 Who are these Children? 104 The Void between Policy and Practice 108 Science, Surveillance and the Colonisation of Communicative Reason 111 The ‘Distinct Cultures’ of Closed Institutions and their Distortions 117 The Impacts on Young People 122 Medway Secure Training Centre (STC) 126 The Search for Practice 142 Conclusion 149 Chapter 5 The Evolution of a Liberatory Pedagogy and Praxis in Residential Children’s Homes in Hampshire 151 The Mantle of the Expert as a Counter to Powerlessness; Raising Self Esteem 152 Creating Counter Narratives; Authorship, Authority and Self Determination 155 4 Relationship Building; Critiquing Contexts and Collaborative Research 160 Critical Reflections 165 Chapter 6 The Adaptation and Expansion of Applied Theatre Practice on Inner City Estates within the Context of a Housing Association 168 The Case Study Examples 169 Fairway Estate’s Open day: Localising the struggle 171 Hayward Easter Scheme: Developing Existing Cultures of Provision 177 Summer In Da City (SIDC); Re-framing Young People 179 Critical Reflections of the Use of Applied Theatre Practice in the Housing Association Context 184 Further and On-going Estate based work 186 Chapter 7 Clashes, Contradictions and Critical Reflections, Illuminating the Frameworks of Practice 188 Setting the Scene 188 Site 1: the Children’s Fund / Connexions Secondment, 2003 190 Site 2: Voice, 2006 194 Critical Reflections, Site 1 201 Blueprint in Practice, Site 2 203 The Artist in the Office 208 Illuminating the Contradictions between these Practice Paradigms 212 New Understandings and Practice Development 218 Managing Expectations 222 Conclusions 226 5 Chapter 8 Summary of Findings and New Proposals 230 Trends of Disempowerment 231 Practice as Research, Summary of Findings 232 Potentials for my use of Applied Theatre as an Empowerment Tool 234 New Proposals; Capturing and Translating Existing Examples of Praxis 240 The Interactive Exhibition as a Counter-sphere and Radical Space 243 Where Have We Arrived? 245 Tables and Illustrations Figure 1. The Research Process as a Whole 14 Figure 2. Sites of Practice 17-18 Figure 3. The Rainbow Model 23-24 Figure 4. The Contradictions between the Two Central Paradigms 217 Figure 5. Subverting Relations of Force, Re-centring Young People within Power Paradigms 231 The DVDs: 1, 2 - 4, 5 - 6, 7, 8 Each DVD contains specific clips of footage which relate See clear folders on back cover to each chapter. DVD 2 contains clips for Chapter 2, and so on Appendices Appendix 1: a,b&c Sketches and Sculptures as part of my reflexive process 247-250 Appendix 2: Mini-me Story 251-252 Appendix 3: Romany Gypsy Dialect 253 6 Appendix 4: Examples of the Goblin story books 254 Appendix 5: Letter from Katherine 255 Appendix 6: Newspaper Cutting of Fairway Open Day Event 256 Appendices 7, 8 & 9: See clear folder Housing Association Booklets x 3 Appendices 10, a, b & c: Newspaper Articles about the Forches Project 257-259 Appendices 11: Extract of the Service Specification for the Children’s Fund 260-261 Appendix 12 a & b: Sketches about the Conference and the alternative vision 262-263 Appendix 13 a & b: Connexions Bursary Groups’ Wish-lists and Horizons and Moods 264-265 Appendix 14: Alliance meeting preparation with the young people 266-268 Appendix 15: The Ladder of Participation, Rodger Hart 269 7 Appendices 16 a, b, c, d & e: Methodology Pages 270-274 Appendix 17: The Creative Consultation Model 275 Appendix 18: Extracts from the Participation Pack 276-279 Appendix 19: Photos of the Blueprint Alliance Meeting, Voice 280 Appendix 20: Diary Entry, logging my journey 281 Appendix 21: Big Fish Extract 282 Appendix 22: Full Descriptions the Interactive Exhibition 283-292 Bibliography 293-310 8 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, Claire Marie Hope MacNeill declare that the thesis entitled Dramatising Social Care, Applied Theatre Practice as a Tool of Empowerment for Looked after Children and the work presented in the thesis are both my own, and have been generated by me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that: this work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work; I have acknowledged all main sources of help; Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; None of this work has been published Signed: ………………………………………………………………….. Date:……………………………………………………………………. 9 Acknowledgements There have been many people who have been incredibly patient and supportive throughout the long slog of completing this work. I would like to thank: Tom Tynan, Tim Prentki, Graham Crow, Chrissie Ferngrove, my Mum, Dad, brother, sister, Andy and Glen, Peter Kelly, Michael Balfour, Ramona, Aisling, James Swanick, Robert, Vaughn, Paul Murray, Charlotte, Lizzie, Wendy and Les, Chantelle, the two Michelle’s, Andy, Ian and all my other friends. I know it has been repetitive for you all and I thank you for seeing me through. Michael, thank you for initially believing in me; Tim and Graham, thank you for all your guidance. Most importantly I would like to thank all the young people and community groups who have been involved in this work. It was the conversations with you and the stuff we got to make together that inspired me to keep going and to believe that this thing was worth writing and sticking by. To all the workers on the estates I visited: Jackie, Margaret, Phyllis, Mo, Steve to name just a few; to the young people from the children’s homes who consistently blew me away by the things they said and the times we shared; to the young people in the secure detention centre, I pray you have managed to escape that world; to the young people on the estates who welcomed me into their world and were not scared to get involved; to the young people who I have watched grow up and have kept in contact with; to the original Romany Gypsy community: Raymond, Joey, Jimmy, David and Pearl, who I wish I had kept in better contact with; to the staff from the children’s homes who were so supportive and willing to get involved; to Wendy, Doug and Donna, the best managers I ever had.