With its origins in recognition of the innovative work of some homelessness services, it was perhaps inevitable that many of the examples of practice, the forum discussions and case studies etc have tended to come from the field of homelessness and resettlement, including work with children and young people.

This was, after all, the sector where the idea of a PIE was first fully formulated although the challenge and the opportunity for creating recovery environments applies across a wide range of setting and needs; and we are finding a growing number of children's and young persons' services now coming to the PIElink, to look for ideas.

'Complex traumas and recovery environments'

As of now - Spring, 2024 - we are in the process of re-editing a collection of essays first published in 2012 (edited by Robin Johnson and Rex Haigh). This second edition, if it is ever completed for publication, will update many of the sections on homelessness services' work, with recent developments.

But that book also had many examples that covered a far wider range of services, including playwork in a day nursery (and in an extreme example of an institutional setting) , a pupil referral unit, and some observations on families and young people in the care and criminal justice systems.

As the eventual publication of a second edition is uncertain at best, in the meantime we will include here three sample chapters from the original book; also one from Robin Johnson's Masters dissertation, twenty years earlier;  and one from the Housing Care and Support journal.

An area to expand

But as of now, there are still far too few examples here of creative work with children and young persons, from play work to care leaver support and beyond; and yet we know, from many conversations over the past ten years, that there are many more creative services with a great story to tell.

In the initial PIElink forums series (2020-2021) we hosted the PIEs in youth services forum of November 2021 : HERE. Hopefully the creation of the PIEPR CIC (HERE), established in autumn 2023, will give us the opportunity to expand the forums programme, for lively and interactive sharing of views and experiences. This may be the best place to start, in learning from each other.

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