leaving care

Supporting positive relationships for children and young people who have experience of care (IRISS Insight, No28)

Review that explores the growing emphasis being placed on the relationships of children and young people in care. It examines: the nature and type of these relationships; what indicators are used to define quality; why relationships are beneficial; what barriers there are to their formation; what initiatives have been designed to support relationships; and what evidence there is about their impact.

This Insight was written by Karen Winter (Queen's University Belfast).

Survival of the fittest? Improving life chances for care leavers

Report based on a survey of 100 care leavers and consultation with those who work with them that identifies where progress still needs to be made to improve outcomes. The overwhelming response from our consultation, and the message of this report, is that whilst there has been real progress for care leavers in England in recent years, the vast majority of spending and support has been focussed on the better-off care leavers, predominantly those with a stable foster care placement and who are able to remain in education.

Staying put Scotland: providing care leavers with connectedness and belonging

Guidance for local authorities and other corporate parents: supporting looked after children and young people to remain in care, as part of a staged transition towards adulthood and greater independence.

It has been developed in response to concerns about consistently poor outcomes for care leavers, with high rates of homelessness and low levels of engagement in education, training or employment.

Young people creating belonging: spaces, sounds and sights

The 'Sight and Sound Project' used creative sensory methods to explore how young people who are looked after feel that they belong, or do not belong, in the places that they live.

This briefing focuses primarily on the relationship between the senses (visual, audial and touch) and participants' feelings of belonging (or not) while looked after and leaving care. It also outlines other key issues raised by the young people, including their relationships with various agencies, notably the police as well as further detail on the creative and sensory methods employed.

Principles of Good Transitions 3 - Scottish Transitions Forum

Document that has been developed with the aim of informing policy and to fundamentally change the way things are done in Scotland in the area of youth transitions, from the top down and the bottom up.

Young people and their carers need help to achieve positive outcomes through greater personalisation, independence, choice and control of the transitions process.

Reach: a new model of intervention for children before, during and after they run away

Documents the Reach model which has been developed by Railway Children to provide services for young people before, during and after episodes of running away. The concept of the Reach model was developed from previous research funded by Railway Children that evidenced a lack of support for young people who run away from home or care.