looked after children

Sharing practice to improve outcomes for care leavers. Evaluation report on an inter-authority learning exchange

Evaluation report for the inter-authority learning exchange between Shetland Islands, Falkirk and Glasgow Councils throughcare and aftercare teams.
In February 2014 a member of the Throughcare and Aftercare team from Shetland, spent two weeks in each host authority as a means of developing and sharing practice, experience and learning.
The report describes the planning process, in-situ experience, and post-exchange learning of participants, it also report highlights the positive learning outcomes and benefits achieved for all participating local authorities.

Violent and aggressive children. Caring for those who care

The topic of domestic violence is an emotive one conjuring visions of child abuse by parents or carers, or marital violence, in general abuse by men of their wives or partners. According to published police statistics in Scotland for the years of 2012 – 13 male violence of women accounted for 80% of all domestic abuse, and in 2014 over 2,600 children in Scotland were identified as needing protection from abuse. This is particularly concerning since the NSPCC suggests that, for every child who has been identified, there are 8 other children who are at risk but who are ‘under the radar’.

The trauma of parenting traumatised children

This article explores the impact of abandonment abuse and neglect, not only on children but, centrally, on the foster carers, adopters and kinship carers who parent children where it has been deemed that a return home to birth parents is not in their interests. (For purposes of simplicity we will refer to these carers as ‘parenting figures’.) In doing this we aim to provide parenting figures with support and understanding as well as reducing the feelings of isolation that is often integral to parenting ‘looked after’ children.

Young people creating belonging

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. In this project the concept of belonging, which is often used in relation to faith or ethnic groups is applied to home spaces. Research suggests that ‘sensory experience can provide a strong sense of belonging’ and that sounds, textures and what people see in the places they live are important in terms of making a person feel “at home’.

Exploring informed choice in the context of self-directed support for disabled young people in transition: A qualitative study

MSc Dissertation on Research Unbound. Transitions between children’s and adult social care services for disabled young people are recognised internationally as being challenging for the young person, their families and services. The dissertation explored the phenomenon of informed choice in relation to the policy of self-directed support for disabled young people in transition from child to adult social care supports.

How widespread is abuse in foster care?

Produced by IRISS for Community Care magazine, this research review examines the evidence on allegations of maltreatment of children in foster care and local authority responses to allegations, as published in the report Maltreatment and allegations of maltreatment in foster care. A review of the evidence, published by the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York.

It brings together the evidence that exists on allegations of abuse and confirmed maltreatment in foster care, and considers the implications of the available evidence.

Retelling the past using new technologies: a case Study into the digitization of social work heritage material and the creation of a virtual exhibition

Article explains the rationale for the digitization of social work heritage material and the virtualization of an archived nondigital museum exhibit constructed by a Scottish Museum of Social Work.

The project involved the “virtualization” of an existing social work museum exhibition on the migration of “Home Children” from Scotland to Canada in the late 19th and early 20th century and the digital preservation of historical assets (both text and images) held by the contemporary social care organization involved in the migration of the children.

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).

Trauma sensitive practice with children in care (IRISS Insights, No 27)

Evidence review that is intended to summarise the evidence in this challenging area of work and to support practitioners to reflect on their practice in this context. An enhanced understanding of trauma can enable practitioners and managers, from all the agencies working with children in care, to improve their practice with severely distressed children and to reduce the negative impact of trauma not only on children but also on the adults caring for them.