Search results for ‘Subject term:"looked after children"’ Sort:
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The potential of secondary data sources to explore the life chances of looked-after children in the care system in the UK
- Authors:
- ATTAR Shalhevet, PARKER Gillian, WADE Jim
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Children's Services, 2(2), August 2007, pp.39-47.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article discusses two of the large-scale longitudinal data sets in the UK that are available to researchers and which include information on adults who were looked after in childhood: The National Child Development Study (NCDS) and The British Cohort Study (BCS70). This article describes these databases and the use made of them by researchers exploring the life chances of looked after children. It also identifies the advantages as well as the limitations of these datasets and presents implications for this field of research.
Going missing: young people absent from care
- Authors:
- WADE Jim, et al
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Publication year:
- 1998
- Pagination:
- 217p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Chichester
Research study exploring the reasons why young people in care go missing and what happens when they do. Addresses the serious risks that young people may encounter while missing, including the dangers associated with sleeping rough, offending, sexual exploitation, and substance misuse. The longer term implications of repeatedly going missing for the structure of young people's lives are also explored. Outlines the strengths and limits of the different professional responses to young people who go missing.
Special guardianship: strategic briefing
- Author:
- WADE Jim
- Publisher:
- Research in Practice
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 16
- Place of publication:
- Dartington
This briefing summarises existing evidence alongside findings from new research in order to demonstrate how policy and practice relating to special guardianship is evolving. A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is a private legal order that allows a special guardian to exercise parental responsibility for a child up to the age of majority. The paper, which is aimed at enabling practitioners and managers to assess their approach in the light of new research, explores how well special guardianship is working through an assessment of children’s progress three to six years after an order has been granted. The paper examines: the development of special guardianship; take-up trends; differences between local authorities in promoting and using special guardianship; special guardians’ assessment and preparation; stability and permanence; child well-being and development; birth family relationships; and support and services. The briefing concludes that the findings on special guardianship are encouraging. Most children were reported to be thriving, had made strong attachments, were making good developmental progress and seemed to be well integrated within the family network. The risk of breakdown also appears to be low, even amongst higher risk groups. However, some families encountered difficulties. Some children were highly challenging to care for and the services available to support them in this task continue to be too inconsistent.
Maltreated children in the looked after system: a comparison of outcomes for those who go home and those who do not
- Authors:
- WADE Jim, et al
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 7p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This research brief presents a study to strengthen the evidence base on recognition, effective interventions and inter-agency working in child abuse and neglect. The project had a focus on the consequences of decisions to reunify children who had entered the looked after system for abuse or neglect. It compares the progress and outcomes of a sample of maltreated children who either went home or remained in the looked after system. Around six in ten children in the looked after system have entered for reasons of abuse or neglect. Many of these children subsequently go home and, while some reunifications are successful, many others are not. Findings showed that some children who become looked after do not settle. They may yearn to be with their families and do not do very well. However, the risks of harm associated with reunifying maltreated children may also be high, including the potential for further maltreatment or breakdown. This study set out to strengthen the evidence base about the longer-term consequences of these decisions to reunify or not reunify maltreated children.
Special guardianship in practice
- Authors:
- WADE Jim, DIXON Jo, RICHARDS Andrew
- Publisher:
- British Association for Adoption and Fostering
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 229p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 introduced an important new permanence option for children, from early 2006, in the form of special guardianship. A special guardian is invested with a high degree of day-to-day parental control, although the child’s relationship with their birth parent is not legally severed. Four years on, the numbers of special guardianship applications have risen steadily and look set to increase. This book describes these new provisions and provides a critical assessment of the implementation of special guardianship in eight local authority areas. The research design comprised: document analysis; key informant interviews; a survey of special guardianship applicants and their social workers; and case study interviews with special guardians and, where feasible, their children. The study examined how local authorities have responded to special guardianship and considers the policy and practice implications that have arisen in the first two years of implementation. It describes how it is being used through an analysis of the characteristics, circumstances and motivations of those applying and of the children concerned. It also identifies some of the key challenges that have arisen, assesses take-up, describes the experiences of carers and children, and considers what may need to happen to make special guardianship work successfully for families. This book considers significant emerging issues and offers useful insights and messages for policy and practice.
Children on the edge - patterns of running away in the UK
- Author:
- WADE Jim
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Law Quarterly, 15(4), 2003, pp.343-352.
- Publisher:
- Jordan Publishing
Reviews findings from a body of collaborative research undertaken over the past five years into young people who run away from home or care before the age of 16. The research has a UK-wide focus and involved collaboration between a number of partners including the Children's Society, University of York, Aberlour Child Care Trust (Scotland) and EXTERN (Northern Ireland). Reviews evidence on the prevalence of running away, young people's motivations for doing so, their experiences of being away, including the risks to which they may be exposed, and will consider messages for policy and practice that arise from these findings.
Helping care leavers: problems and strategic responses: executive summary
- Authors:
- STEIN Mike, WADE Jim
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2000
- Pagination:
- 13p.
- Place of publication:
- London
An executive summary that sets out the problems faced by those who leave care, the aims of local authorities, issues that affect local authority responses, the baseline of current responses and the essential characteristics of best practice in leaving care.
Helping care leavers: problems and strategic responses
- Authors:
- STEIN Mike, WADE Jim
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2000
- Pagination:
- 66p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The full research report on the problems and responses for those leaving care. It sets out the problem, the aims for local authorities, the issues affecting local authority responses, the baseline of existing local authority responses and the best practice in leaving care.
Missing links
- Authors:
- BIEHAL Nina, WADE Jim
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 12.11.98, 1998, p.27.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The authors call for a co-ordinated response to runaways from care.
Looking back, looking forward: care leavers, families and change
- Authors:
- BIEHAL Nina, WADE Jim
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 18(4/5), 1996, pp.425-445.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Draws on the findings of a four year study of leaving care services carried by the University of Leeds and funded by the Department of Health. It examines patterns of family contact for care leavers and the quality of their relationships with their families. It considers the continuing informal support that both biological and substitute families can offer to care leavers. The new families that many care leavers create through early parenthood and the continuing support needs of these young parents are also discussed. The discussion situates the needs and experiences of care leavers in a wider youth transitions framework and argues for continuing professional attention to improving family links as one strategy for assisting care leavers to negotiate the major youth transitions.