Abstract

John Oates is a Senior Lecturer in the Child and Youth Studies Group at the Open University, Visiting Professor in Developmental Psychology at the University of St Mark and St John, Plymouth and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He has conducted research in Central Europe using visual methods (photography and film) to investigate poverty in Roma communities and has been part of a team establishing a new Sure Start programme in Hungary. After making a documentary on children’s lives in Hungary with the Hunnia Film Studio, he co-directed the award-winning ethnographic documentary feature film ‘Vortex’ in which he followed for six months the lives of Roma families in a small village in Hajdu-Bihar County, in North-East Hungary. The film ‘6 months’ is a ‘director’s cut’ of Vortex by John. John was recently awarded the Knight’s Cross Order of Merit by the Hungarian President for his work to promote educational opportunities for disadvantaged children, especially from Roma families. John was the consultant psychologist to the BBC series Child of Our Time since its inception in 2000, has made numerous other documentary media productions with the BBC and independent producers, and has had several exhibitions of his photographic documentary work.