This paper explores the strategies of service providers and the benefits reported by disabled children and their parents/carers in three Children's Fund programmes in England. Based on National Evaluation of the Children's Fund research, we discuss how different understandings of ‘inclusion’ informed the diverse strategies and approaches service providers adopted. While disabled children and families perceived the benefits of services predominantly in terms of building individual children's resilience and social networks, the paper highlights the need for holistic approaches which have a broad view of inclusion, support children's networks and tackle disabling barriers within all the spheres of children's lives.

Contributors to this themed section of Social Policy and Society have referred to a range of published sources within the sphere of equality studies research. The sources below provide additional useful information for those interested in further research on equality and inequality

This paper argues for a transformation of arrangements for accessing and allocating public resources for long-term care in the UK. Currently these arrangements are fragmented, inequitable and not always well targeted. While not necessarily advocating a social insurance approach, the experience of Germany nevertheless shows how simplicity, transparency and equity of access can be combined with strong cost control levers and political sustainability. An opportunity to transform ways of accessing and distributing public resources for long-term care arises with the piloting of ‘individual budgets’ in 13 English local authorities from 2006. The paper argues that the principles underpinning individual budgets should be extended, with the UK government taking a strong national lead.

The four earlier articles in this themed section are based on presentations at a workshop convened to explore challenges in using qualitative longitudinal methods for policy-related research, with particular focus on data analysis and interpretation. Together, they provide useful pointers to the scope of qualitative longitudinal approaches, and extensive discussion of management and analysis of the particular and complex data produced. Readers who are interested in pursuing themselves a qualitative longitudinal approach to policy-related social research will want also to look to a wider literature to enhance their understanding of issues to be taken into consideration, and to explore the range of methods and options. The aim of this review article is to provide some ideas about the kind of literature likely to prove helpful. The bibliographic references for this review article are supplemented by the guide to sources which completes this themed section.

When Japan introduced a new public long-term care insurance in 2000, the eligibility criteria and benefits were designed so that those who had been receiving services would be able to continue to do so. Five years later, benefits were reduced by a partial levying of hotel costs in institutional care, and restricting the provision of instrumental activities of daily living support services in community care for those requiring only light care. Whether these revisions are effective in containing costs and whether a decision should be made to cover all ages and all disabilities are the issues for the future.

There are many key references in the articles in this themed section, including the review article. Rather than repeating those, here we give some web references and also some specific references to the topic of archiving and secondary analysis of qualitative data (with thanks to Rachel Thomson who provided these). This is not a topic that we have covered in any depth in this themed section but it is an important area for anyone thinking of adopting this methodology. We also provide some references on ethical issues.

This article describes a service that aimed to support the development of play and leisure opportunities for Gypsy/Traveller children. It uncovered a high demand for direct service provision, and there was limited capacity for action to make existing provision more inclusive. The article suggests how a focus upon networks, between Gypsy/Traveller communities, between service providers, and upon bridges between the two, could reduce the exclusion experienced by Gypsy/Traveller children and families.

Drawing on recent quantitative and qualitative research, we consider lessons of the Scottish policy of free personal care for older people. The policy is embedded in political debates about devolution and interacts with various changing policies on care and support for older people. Evaluation is complicated by these interactions and by gaps in relevant data, especially concerning costs. Operationally, policy implementation has presented varying difficulties for local authorities. For clients and informal carers it remains popular, but is part of a service-led model of provision which does not reflect their own views of their care and support needs.

Evidence from two studies of social exclusion based in England are drawn on to suggest that responsible agency can be seen as a feature of resilience. I argue that this agency, or capacity to act effectively in the world, is developed relationally and is evident in people's thoughtful actions in their worlds, but is also contingent on the affordances for such action in any environment. That is, resilience can be seen as responsible engagement with one's world as well as a capacity to withstand difficulties. The theoretical basis of this argument is Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) which proposes that we are shaped by but also shape our worlds. The implications for professional practices are discussed.

This review explores debates concerning the costs of long-term care for older people, and aims to give an overview of the recent and current research agenda in this area, referring primarily to work published 2000–2006. The focus of much work is on the identification of costs, their distribution and the contexts of policy and delivery of services in which these operate. Live debates concern future costs, their control and related issues of social justice and equity.

Relational social work engages with existing networks to enhance their resilience and capacity to resolve difficulties. It does this by addressing the identified problem, and by engaging, mobilising and developing both supportive and problem-solving networks. These networks can include family members, friends, teachers and any other significant actors who have a contribution to make. The participative approach offers a way of translating policies that aspire to social inclusion into practice.

In addition to the references listed at the end of each article, there are a range of further sources that may be of relevance to those interested in social capital, social networks, and resilience, and their relation to child and family policy. Whilst the articles in this journal relate to a number of empirical issues, the references given here are intentionally broad in focus. These sources are in addition to those discussed in detail by Barnes and Prior in this edition.

The websites listed here provide electronic resources relevant to different aspects of the costs of long-term care. Many include links to additional reports, research papers, reviews and other sources of information. They should be regarded as a representative sample rather than an exhaustive list of relevant information currently available on the Internet. Only English language sites have been included. All website addresses were available on 30 March 2007.