The author questions how far the Children Act 1989 has gone towards meeting its objectives and whether it has improved access to services and professionals' ability to intervene on behalf of children.
The author questions how far the Children Act 1989 has gone towards meeting its objectives and whether it has improved access to services and professionals' ability to intervene on behalf of children.
Professionals have long been concerned about whether children in need, who have to live away from their parents, are best placed in foster or residential settings. In Britain the debate about the respective merits and deficiencies of each approach is often quite strong. The paper attempts to provide an alternative perspective by summarising some of the most recent British research literature...
Professionals have long been concerned about whether children in need, who have to live away from their parents, are best placed in foster or residential settings. In Britain the debate about the respective merits and deficiencies of each approach is often quite strong. The paper attempts to provide an alternative perspective by summarising some of the most recent British research literature which evaluates the respective contributions of foster and residential care for children.
Subject terms:
literature reviews, residential child care, child care, children, foster care;
Child and Family Social Work, 12(1), February 2007, pp.1-10.
Publisher:
Wiley
Empirical child welfare research in England takes insufficient account of wider social theory. Intellectual, professional and political reasons for this are discussed. The implications are considered in relation to one important social problem: the low educational achievement of children looked after by local authorities ('in care'). It is concluded that the absence of a broader sociological...
Empirical child welfare research in England takes insufficient account of wider social theory. Intellectual, professional and political reasons for this are discussed. The implications are considered in relation to one important social problem: the low educational achievement of children looked after by local authorities ('in care'). It is concluded that the absence of a broader sociological perspective has led to insufficient and simplistic explanations from researchers and policy-makers of low achievement among looked-after pupils. It is unwise to rely on official statistics on educational outcome indicators for looked-after pupils. Previous conceptualization of poor educational performance has been inadequate, and one should refer to low achievement, not 'underachievement'. The socio-economic risk factors that are linked with family breakdown and admission to care also predict low educational achievement, such as social class and poverty. Social mobility and transition to adulthood are increasingly problematic in England, making it difficult for care leavers to improve their social position. Parental maltreatment is strongly linked with educational failure. Other countries may do no better than England does. Thus, it is by no means obvious that the care system necessarily jeopardizes looked-after children's education.
Subject terms:
looked after children, social welfare, sociology, children, education, educational performance;
Report from a research study concentrating on 2 areas: specialist family placements for adolescents; and services for families with children who have learning disabilities. The aim was to obtain feedback from black and minority ethnic users of these services.
Report from a research study concentrating on 2 areas: specialist family placements for adolescents; and services for families with children who have learning disabilities. The aim was to obtain feedback from black and minority ethnic users of these services.
Subject terms:
learning disabilities, management, social care provision, user views, young people, black and minority ethnic people, children;
...and responding to peer violence. The 4 parts together provide a progression though divergent topics including nurseries, racist murders, knife crime, teenage partner violence, children in care, and gangs, and address different issues of diversity, including racism, gender, and homophobia. The concluding chapter brings together the views expressed throughout the book. The book recognises that the problems
This book comprises a collection of contributions from different authors which together address the complexity of peer violence from a range of disciplines and perspectives. The book spans the childhood spectrum of peer violence from early childhood to late adolescence. It is divided into 4 parts: peer violence in different contexts; different forms of peer violence; understanding peer violence; and responding to peer violence. The 4 parts together provide a progression though divergent topics including nurseries, racist murders, knife crime, teenage partner violence, children in care, and gangs, and address different issues of diversity, including racism, gender, and homophobia. The concluding chapter brings together the views expressed throughout the book. The book recognises that the problems of peer violence are likely to have been distorted, not least by the media, and stresses the importance of seeing peer violence as related to a wider set of problems. It aims to challenge many populist and damaging representations of youth violence and the associated narratives of modern youth as essentially 'evil'.
Subject terms:
looked after children, peer groups, public opinion, violence, young offenders, young people, bullying, children, gangs, gender;
Great Britain. Department for Children, Schools and Families
Publication year:
2008
Pagination:
4p.
Place of publication:
London
Quality Protects (QP) was implemented in 1998 across England for looked-after children, as a response to perceived shortcomings in the care system. This research study aimed to: investigate the development of policy and practice to meet the QP education objectives; undertake a secondary analysis of statistics concerning the educational progress of looked after children; evaluate the educational...
Quality Protects (QP) was implemented in 1998 across England for looked-after children, as a response to perceived shortcomings in the care system. This research study aimed to: investigate the development of policy and practice to meet the QP education objectives; undertake a secondary analysis of statistics concerning the educational progress of looked after children; evaluate the educational and wider experiences of comparable samples of difficult adolescents living in foster homes, childrens homes and residential special schools for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD); and analyse the comprehensive costs of care and education services delivered and compare these to outcomes. Three local authorities and eight residential schools for children with BESD were included. In-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers of both care and education services. Also, 150 young people aged people 11 and 15 years were studied. A number of positive findings emerged from the study. Most young people interviewed felt that they received good quality care; educational supports were generally good; and most made some social, behavioural and educational progress across placement categories. Yet problems remained: for example, there was movement and instability for young people in the system and too frequent changeover of social workers. There was continuing difficulty with the role and functioning of the children’s homes sector.
Subject terms:
looked after children, residential child care, young people, behaviour problems, children, educational performance, emotionally disturbed children, foster children;
Looks at research findings on the subject of violence between children in children's homes. The research looked at 14 residential units in England and interviewed 71 young people and 71 staff. It concentrates on children's own definitions and experiences of violence. Highlights organisational factors in residential homes associated with violence. Considers children's suggestions for how they can
Looks at research findings on the subject of violence between children in children's homes. The research looked at 14 residential units in England and interviewed 71 young people and 71 staff. It concentrates on children's own definitions and experiences of violence. Highlights organisational factors in residential homes associated with violence. Considers children's suggestions for how they can be better protected.
Subject terms:
looked after children, organisational structure, policy, residential child care, user views, violence, children, crime victims;
This article encourages researchers to examine the accuracy of official social care statistics. In particular, it points to local authority variance on indicators concerning child protection and children looked after.
This article encourages researchers to examine the accuracy of official social care statistics. In particular, it points to local authority variance on indicators concerning child protection and children looked after.
Subject terms:
local authorities, looked after children, performance evaluation, performance indicators, social services, statistical methods, user participation, child protection, children, government policy;