Alison Body

University of Kent, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Faculty Member

Canterbury Christ Church University, School of Childhood and Education Sciences, Faculty Member

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I research philanthropy, voluntary action and the third sector, in relation to children, young people and education, at the University of Kent.

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Papers by Alison Body

Civil Society and the Family by Esther Muddiman, Sally Power and Chris Taylor (2022)

Voluntary Sector Review

Partnership working, securing advantage and playing the game: thriving, not just surviving

Children's Charities in Crisis, 2020

Chapter 7 focuses on how some children’s charities are not just surviving in this complex environ... more Chapter 7 focuses on how some children’s charities are not just surviving in this complex environment but indeed thriving. As the commissioning culture has matured, so too have the responses from children’s charities. We have seen two major opposing schools of thought manifest themselves. One, often driven by politicians and social policy decision makers which advocates for the commissioning and competition agenda as increasing choice and diversifying services. Another, often pushed by academics and practitioners, which is more critical arguing that commissioning is leading to the marketization and privatisation of services. Many children’s charities, and indeed Commissioners, feel inhibited by these difficulties, however we also identify a group of children’s charities, supported by particular Commissioners, who ‘play the game’, reinterpreting rules, and at times breaking rules, to secure what they consider the best outcomes for children. As a result, they successfully negotiate co...

State education: the relationships between schools and charity?

Children's Charities in Crisis, 2020

In chapter 4, we focus on education and explore how education has increasingly turned to charity ... more In chapter 4, we focus on education and explore how education has increasingly turned to charity in times of austerity. Education is a core service which provides the grounding, qualification and socialisation for children and young people, which will likely impact on them for the rest of their lives. A primary tool for increasing social equality, achieving aspirations and supporting children and young people to become active, pro-social citizens, it is unsurprising that this is an area of interest for many philanthropists, charities and voluntary sector organisations. Similarly, as schools face ever more fiscal, performance, recruitment and retention pressures, we see them increasingly turning to voluntary action – that is fundraising and volunteers – to counter resource pressures. This chapter explores this core concept, the relationship between education and charity. Focusing particularly on primary education which concentrates on 4-11-year olds, we investigate how charities shap...

Understanding the relationship between the Voluntary Sector and the State through a Fields Based Theory Approach: Children's Preventative Services – A Case Study Example

Between 2010 and 2014, Kent County Council (KCC) delivered over £350m worth of cuts to public sec... more Between 2010 and 2014, Kent County Council (KCC) delivered over £350m worth of cuts to public sector delivery. Embarking on a 'transformation agenda', the local authority sought to achieve savings through a public commitment to a commissioning and procurement agenda, identifying preventative services and partnership with the voluntary sector as a key priority for ensuring long-term savings. In November 2010 KCC were issued with an 'inadequate' rating from Ofsted (2010) for safeguarding and services to looked-after children. This combination of austerity and the need to transform children's services to address the Ofsted rating led to unprecedented shifts in terms of the balance and nature of service provision in the field of children's services. Adopting a multi-method qualitative approach, this research presents the experiences of voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) and Commissioners working within the field of preventative services. Considered as well pla...

The policy and service delivery field of early intervention services

Children’s Charities in Crisis, 2020

In chapter 3, we provide a contemporary policy overview – covering the past decade from 2008-2018... more In chapter 3, we provide a contemporary policy overview – covering the past decade from 2008-2018 – and how that has translated into practice. We outline the realities of early intervention policy and begin to look at the lived experience of delivering services on the frontline. What is evident is that practice in children’s social care and early intervention is struggling to keep up with the demands and the diversity of demands placed upon services. Voluntary sector and statutory services are facing increasing cuts as thresholds for defining a ‘child in need’ increasingly shift up. Children’s outcomes and the services available to them are widely varied depending on the type of support they require and where they live.

The action imperative to do things differently?

Children’s Charities in Crisis, 2020

Chapter 8, the conclusion of this book discusses the potential way forwards. Children’s services ... more Chapter 8, the conclusion of this book discusses the potential way forwards. Children’s services are in crisis and change is an imperative. Traditional institutions such as health, education and social care, are in crisis. Whilst this break down of traditional institutions and subsequent blurring of the boundaries creates significant problems for vulnerable children, it now provides the ‘action imperative’ to develop innovative commissioning responses. We therefore conclude this chapter by proposing commissioning approaches which step outside of the traditional and policy ‘rule bound’ boundaries to find collective solutions. Reflecting on the policy drivers outlined in the UK Civil Society Strategy 2018, collaborative commissioning as a concept is receiving increased attention from policy makers, practitioners and academics alike. As an emerging idea however it is still an unknown. In this concluding chapter we discuss the potential of collaborative commissioning as a way forwards for children’s early intervention services and the continued unknowns surrounding it.

Contemporary preventative services, coalitions and the Conservatives

Children’s Charities in Crisis, 2020

In chapter 2 we explore contemporary children’s services, and how the persuasive logic of prevent... more In chapter 2 we explore contemporary children’s services, and how the persuasive logic of prevention has been adopted in more modern service delivery and the role of the voluntary sector in providing these services. Focusing specifically on the early 2010s, we map the shift from the Conservative flagship project of the Big Society, to the renewed localism project of the Civil Society Strategy. We draw out the links between the societal hardening in focus, shifting from universal to targeting of preventative services, and discuss the role of the voluntary sector in delivery of these services.

New Labour, children’s services and the third sector

Children’s Charities in Crisis, 2020

In chapter 1 we provide an overview of the concept of prevention within child welfare, particular... more In chapter 1 we provide an overview of the concept of prevention within child welfare, particularly under the New Labour government (1997-2010). Coming to power in 1997, Labour placed considerable focus, and financial investment, on reducing child poverty and social exclusion, and increasing universal early intervention support and coordination between services. The role of the voluntary sector became mainstream in the provision of children’s services, with the launch of several high-profile initiatives. Focusing on the concept of ‘prevention’ within child welfare and building on these shifting understandings of childhood and the concerns for children, this chapter explores how social policy operationalised under the Labour government; from how Labour developed strategies to tackle issues surrounding children and young people who are considered disadvantaged, vulnerable or at risk and how they mobilised the voluntary sector within this response.

Commissioning children’s services: challenges, contestation and crisis

Children's Charities in Crisis, 2020

Chapter 5 concentrates on voices from the frontline and their lived experiences. Within this chap... more Chapter 5 concentrates on voices from the frontline and their lived experiences. Within this chapter we focus on the lived realities of commissioning. Commissioning, the central process for managing relationships between the voluntary sector and the state, is one of the most contentious issues for modern day children’s charities. Early intervention and preventative services for children, sit central to this debate – these statutory services at the heart of local government are often commissioned out to voluntary sector organisations for delivery, and form the very focus of this book. We argue that Commissioning in its current form is failing; it threatens the very survival of local voluntary sector organisations seeking to support children and young people, and, rightly so, is coming under increasing scrutiny. High profile cases such as the demise of the charity Kids Company, led by the charismatic Camila Batmanghelidjh, have brought the relationship between the State and sector to ...

Children's Charities in Crisis

Following a decade of radical change in policy and funding in children’s early intervention servi... more Following a decade of radical change in policy and funding in children’s early intervention services and with the role of the third sector under increased scrutiny, this timely book assesses the shifting interplay between state provision and voluntary organisations delivering interventions for children, young people and their families. Using one-hundred voices from charities and their partners on the frontline, this book provides vivid accounts of the lived experiences of charitable groups, offering key insights into the impact of recent social policy decisions on their work. Telling the story of how the landscape of children’s early intervention services has changed over the last decade, it provides crucial lessons for future policy whilst demonstrating the immeasurable value of voluntary organisations working in this challenging terrain.

Rising to the challenge: a study of philanthropic support for unpopular causes

Many recent efforts to grow and strengthen the culture of philanthropy in the UK have focused on ... more Many recent efforts to grow and strengthen the culture of philanthropy in the UK have focused on two dimensions: ❥ Increasing the total amount of money donated to good causes ❥ Increasing the effectiveness of philanthropic spending Whilst these are both admirable aims, they leave untouched a third, more controversial issue: the destination and distribution of donations. This is not an accidental omission. A defining characteristic of charitable giving is that it occurs on a voluntary basis, so most people – especially politicians and policy makers – are wary of promoting one cause above another or implying that any beneficiary group is more or less ‘worthy’ than any other. However, the absence of much comment on, or significant research into, the destination of donations does not alter the situation that some groups succeed in attracting significant philanthropic funds whilst others struggle to secure any – or many – donations. This paper makes a contribution to understanding the di...

Side By Side: A case study report of the experiences of young people

The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more

format_quoteThe findings show WKE's significant impact on youth, fostering lasting community engagement and participation post-support.format_quote

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To bridge the gap: voluntary action in primary education

Voluntary action has had a long history in the education of our children, bringing a wide range o... more Voluntary action has had a long history in the education of our children, bringing a wide range of positive benefits to schools, children, staff, the local community and volunteers alike. Voluntary action enables schools to draw upon a wide range of additional skills and resources, can strengthen a school community and engage children in philanthropic activity from an early age. Schools continuously highlight how much they value the commitment, passion, skills and expertise brought into their community by volunteers, and recognise the advantages of fundraising in terms of community engagement, fostering philanthropic activity in children and providing additional income for the school. Unsurprisingly voluntary action in education tends to be viewed as a positive and good thing, and is increasingly encouraged within policy and practice. This research suggests that voluntary action in primary schools is indeed becoming progressively central to school activities, with many primary schoo...

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The importance of teaching philanthropy: Educating children for social good

Philanthropy, that is ‘voluntary action for public good’ (Payton and Moody, 2008, p. 3), plays a ... more Philanthropy, that is ‘voluntary action for public good’ (Payton and Moody, 2008, p. 3), plays a key role in civil society, both here in the UK and beyond. Central to this, the charitable sector is often at the forefront of challenging social and environmental injustice and inequality. In this article we argue that meaningfully engaging children in philanthropic action and charitable giving provides an ideal opportunity for children to critically participate and think about root causes of social issues and injustice.

Fundraising across different causes 1

Charity Marketing, 2021

Community alliances and participatory action research as a mechanism for re-politicising social action for students in higher education

Educational Action Research, 2020

Evidence from the UN World Youth Report (2015) suggests that young people, while increasingly dis... more Evidence from the UN World Youth Report (2015) suggests that young people, while increasingly disengaged with formal political processes, are motivated by cause-related social action. Higher Education (HE), through research and partnership, provides ideal learning spaces to explore cause-related social action. However, as HE partnership opportunities continue to be reframed under a narrative of employability and one-off participation, there is a risk that these experiences miss an opportunity to critically engage young people with issues at a socio-political level. This research paper considers the potential of participatory action research (PAR) as a pedagogical mechanism for re-politicising social action for students in a UK HE context. The project explores the experiences of 160 undergraduate students, working in partnership with 400 young children, aged 2-10 years, to investigate and co-construct their views and action concerning causes represented by local community organisations. Findings suggest that using participatory, youthaction approaches students shifted their self-identified positions from a non-social-orientated approach to establishing them as advocates for causes and children's voices. We argue that PAR, as a learning experience, and service-learning pedagogy open up an alternative experience of social action through an educational context with engagement and consideration of social issues. In conclusion, we call for new alliances between HE, young people, and community organisations, to produce, through enquiry, critical knowledge aimed at social transformation, which can open-up authentic democratic spaces within the learning communities in HE and its networks.

format_quote95% of students were registered voters, yet fewer than 40% felt they could positively impact their community, highlighting a gap in social engagement.format_quote

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Expansive opportunity makers but selective opportunity takers? Positional agility and tactical social skill in English third sector social service

Journal of Civil Society, 2020

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