If you are passionate about the mental health and wellbeing of children in general and those under care, you would express your views by entering a global essay competition and winning a handsome cash prize in the process.
UK-based Centre for Applied Research & Evaluation International Foundation (Careif) is organising the worldwide contest that is open to all.
The theme of the Essay is on ‘Protecting and promoting the mental health and well-being of children in care.’
Co-Founder & Director Albert Persaud said that the annual competition has succeeded in encouraging people all over the world to submit ‘state-of-the-art essays.
“These essays aim to bring together a wide range of disciplinary perspectives and integrate the academic research, theoretical and conceptual and public health perspectives. We are interested in high quality writing rather than a thesis, and submissions should not be longer than 3000 words (excluding reference list and abstract). We expect Harvard style references, numbers consecutively in the order of citation,” he said.
Mr Persaud said that the essays should be carefully formatted, acknowledging all authors with full journal titles and ensuring that all cited weblinks are active. All copyright materials, including figures, tables and quotes should have specific permission from the relevant authorities.
Essays will be judged as per criteria carrying cash awards of £500, £300 and £100 respectively as first, second and third prizes.
Reasons for care
Careif Chair Michelle Younger said that young people are placed in care for a variety of reasons including loss of parents to illness, for their own protection and safety, where parents are no longer able to care for children, or where their social, emotional and behavioural learning challenges conventional schools and homes.
“Once in care, their future may take many trajectories, either remaining in care indefinitely until they become adults and have to leave care, of they may be placed with foster and adoptive families,” she said.
Mr Persaud said that entrants to the essay competition should focus on how best to provide care for young people whilst in public care systems, and protect and promote their wellbeing, socio-emotional and academic learning, offering them the best life chances of health and well-being as adults and as future parents.
“We are interested in a synoptic view of how care practices can influence the plight of future generations, and how to break the intergenerational transmission of neglect, violence and abuse. Any interventions or processes that enable smooth transitions to adulthood or to foster and adoptive parents, and any approaches that minimise contact with the criminal justice system, involvement with gangs and associated activities and alcohol and drug misuse will be relevant,” he said.
Guidelines for submissions
Contestants are free to structure their essays according to their style and taste, but the organisers said that it would be useful to include introduction and background literature section, methods of selecting the literature and synthesising it, and a results and discussion section.
The text and tables should be typed in double space at least in Arial 10 point font.
Applicants must include their full name, address, country, email, and occupation on the title page. The entries should be sent on or before November 1, 2013, by email to
cicessay@careif.org
Mr Persaud said that a panel of judges will evaluate the entries and announce the results on December 1, 2013.
“Prize applicants will be notified by January 21, 2014. The judges reserve the right not to award a prize if none of the entries meet the required standards,” he said.
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