CYP Now - Interview: The case for co-operation - Professor June Thoburn, University of East Anglia

As the Government pushes forward its agenda for change in children's services, other countries are often held up as shining examples of best practice. But, says child welfare expert Professor June Thoburn, these comparisons are not always helpful.

"We are very vulnerable to nice, glossy packages and good sales talk. But how relevant are these packages to us?" she asks.

Thoburn is about to embark on a study of children in care in the developed world, her last major piece of research before retiring (Children Now, 4-17 August). She points out that it is easy for politicians to seize on methodology that works in other countries, and hopes her study will give policy-makers and fellow academics a better understanding of the similarities - and differences - in the way countries approach the care of vulnerable children.

While the UK has been happy to adopt practices from Australia, the US and New Zealand - parenting classes and case conferencing are two examples - the language barrier may have prevented us from learning from our nearer, European neighbours, she says.

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