Search results for ‘Subject term:"looked after children"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 139
In care? In school?
- Author:
- FLETCHER-CAMPBELL F.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Society, 4(4), 1990, pp.365-373.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The education of children in care is often poor, due to lack of coordination between services; reviews the problems and current arrangements.
Multi-agency working and outcomes for children looked after: evidence review
- Author:
- PEIXOTO GOMES Larissa
- Publisher:
- Wales Centre for Public Policy
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 8
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
This briefing note seeks to draw together insights from academic and grey literature to connect multi-agency working and outcomes for children looked after. Seventy-five studies were reviewed, most from the UK, although there was relevant evidence from other countries, such as Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand. These studies also cover a range of specific needs, such as children with disabilities, but also young children and children in vulnerable situations. The review found that various approaches to multi-agency working can have a positive impact on outcomes for children. In particular, a significant body of evidence suggests that the presence of a key worker and of early intervention or prevention are especially important. The presence of the key worker that is connected to the family and can direct the work of other agencies, while also establishing relationships of equality – where all involved feel their input is valued and heard – is shown to be essential in learning about possible issues before they become problems. It is important to highlight that this work should be done with the backdrop of a supportive system that includes stable funding and senior management. Multi-agency working in various forms and for varied cases has shown to be an effective tool to improve the outcomes for children in care. By enabling a holistic view of child and family, it creates a better support system that identifies problems before or as they arise and guides children to the services they require. (Edited publisher abstract)
Falling between minds: the effects of unbearable experiences on multi-agency communication in the care system
- Author:
- CONWAY Paula
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 33(1), Spring 2009, pp.18-29.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The Government has made significant investment to improve educational attainment and placement stability for looked after children, yet gains have been disappointing and children in care are still achieving far below their peers. Multi-agency working and better communication between professionals are seen as a pre-requisite for improving outcomes. The author explores why this policy recommendation often results in splits, divisions, rivalries and a failure to communicate within and between services for vulnerable children, sometimes with devastating consequences. Without a deeper understanding of how traumatised young people communicate their disturbance, and how the individuals and systems around the child respond, this well-intentioned policy will always be at risk of breaking down at vulnerable ‘fault lines’ in the system, with children’s needs falling into the gaps. It is suggested that, for the project of multi-agency work to be effective in improving outcomes for looked after children, the psychoanalytic concepts of splitting and projection need to be integrated and applied at all levels of policy development and service provision.
Effectively addressing mental health issues in child welfare practice: the family connection
- Author:
- PUFAHL Elisabeth
- Journal article citation:
- Child Welfare Journal, 86(5), September 2007, pp.75-91.
- Publisher:
- Child Welfare League of America
Profiles the work of Tennessee Voices for Children (TVC). Their Nashville Connection and Family Connection programs provide alternatives to state custody for children and families living with serious emotional or behaviour problems. Their core 'wrap around' service focuses on coordinating support services, building community bridges and providing comprehensive in-home services. The article provides an account of one family who were referred to the service.
The rapid response team
- Author:
- LEPPER Joe
- Journal article citation:
- Children Now, 8.02.06, 2006, p.25.
- Publisher:
- Haymarket
The author reports on Brighton and Hove's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service which emphasises collaboration and teamwork to find positive outcomes for looked-after children in a short timeframe. Professionals at the looked-after children clinic meet monthly to discuss cases and collaborative strategies.
Looked after children and youth offending in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin: final report
- Authors:
- COOK Dee, ROBERTS Martin
- Publisher:
- University of Wolverhampton. Regional Research institute
- Publication year:
- 2001
- Pagination:
- 48p., tables
- Place of publication:
- Wolverhampton
This research, undertaken on behalf of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Youth Offending Team (YOT) concerns two important areas of national and local policy, namely: the welfare and life chances of children (looked after) in Local Authority care settings; and the reduction of youth offending. The research addressed: patterns of offending amongst young people looked after between 1/10/00 to 30/9/01; the perceptions of multi-agency staff of risks associated with looked after children (LAC) and offending; and perceptions of what works and what does not in relation to multi-agency working with looked after young offenders.
More than just a check up
- Author:
- GOVEANS Asha
- Journal article citation:
- Children Now, 01.02.06, 2006, pp.22-23.
- Publisher:
- Haymarket
The author reports on the Health Care initiative, which is making sure the emotional health of children in care is being looked after, as well as their physical health. The programme was developed by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) and funded by the Department for Education and Skills, to provide local authorities with a standard, a template and tools to develop these qualities.
Kinship care protocol - Scotland supporting kinship arrangements involving multiple authorities
- Author:
- SOCIAL WORK SCOTLAND
- Publisher:
- Social Work Scotland
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 8
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
This protocol is based on the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child The guidance covers the management of kinship care where multiple local authorities are involved. It does not extend into matters such as the age of the child at which support for kinship carers stops, the nature of support provided or rates of financial support. This guidance was developed collaboratively with input from CoSLA, SOLAR, Social Work Scotland and the Chief Social Work Officers Group, and is endorsed by the National Kinship Care Collaborative. While this Protocol seeks specifically to clarify cross authority responsibilities governing the support provided where a Kinship Care Order in place, for ease it also extends to situations where a child is looked after. (Edited publisher abstract)
Reducing criminalisation of looked-after children and care leavers: a protocol for London
- Authors:
- MAYOR OF LONDON. Office for Policing and Crime, et al
- Publisher:
- Greater London Authority
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 50
- Place of publication:
- London
This protocol sets out the roles and responsibilities of each group involved in the care of looked-after children and care leavers in reducing their involvement in crime. This includes children’s home carers, foster parents, police officers, the Crown Prosecution Service, health services and local authorities. Children and young people in care are often left hugely vulnerable to criminal and sexual exploitation and the use of illegal substances. As a result, they are more than twice as likely to be cautioned or convicted of an offence compared to their peers. This pan-London protocol incorporates the core principles set down in the National Protocol and provides a framework for practice tailored to the complex environment of London and its 32 boroughs. It is aimed at local authority children’s services, local care providers (fostering services, children’s homes and other arrangements), the Metropolitan Police Service, education, Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), magistrates sitting in local youth courts and health services in London, including mental health. It provides the principles and tools to facilitate the co-ordinated, consistent multi-agency practice that is needed to prevent unnecessary criminalisation. The organisations who have signed up to this protocol have agreed to the following key principles: diversion from the criminal justice system should be at the heart of any response to offending behaviour; listening to and learning from children and young people; agencies should be asking themselves ‘would this response be good enough for my child?’. (Edited publisher abstract)
The Adopting Together Service: how innovative collaboration is meeting the needs of children in Wales waiting the longest to find a family
- Authors:
- SHELTON Katherine H., MERCHANT Coralie, LYNCH Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 44(2), 2020, p.128–141.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Significant concerns remain in many countries about the high numbers of children needing an adoptive placement relative to the low numbers of prospective adopters, the high level of long-term therapeutic support needs for many adopted children and their families, and whether there are appropriate services to meet them. There has been an increase in ‘priority’ children waiting over 12 months to find a family. These are often children aged four years and over, in care with siblings, with additional needs or developmental uncertainties and from minority ethnic backgrounds. The financial and emotional costs of long-term fostering when plans are changed are huge. This article describes a major development in child care practice in Wales that has occurred over the past two years. The Adopting Together Service (ATS) involves a unique, innovative and multi-layered collaboration between the voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs – non-governmental charities) and regional adoption teams (statutory agencies) to secure permanence for children who wait the longest to find families. It explains how the ATS has been developed and embedded, including an account of the referral process, the approach to recruitment, linking and matching, and therapeutic activity before, during and after placement. It also describes the process of securing sustainable social procurement under the guidance of the British Standard for Collaborative Working (ISO 44001; British Standard Institute, 2017), the creation of a Joint Relationship Management Plan between VAAs, and the implementation of service level agreements between the voluntary and statutory sectors. These developments are considered in the context of the Welsh Government’s implementation of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which lays out collaborative expectations to the statutory sector as one of its sustainable development principles. The article concludes with an initial evaluation of progress, noting challenges to the service and the views of the social workers, foster carers and adoptive parents involved. (Publisher abstract)