families

National care standards: foster care and family placement

These standards were developed to improve the quality of care and service for those in foster care. The standards cover the following activities: recruiting, selecting, approving, training and supporting foster carers; matching children and young people with foster carers; supporting and monitoring foster carers; and the work of agency fostering panels and other approval panels. The standards do not apply to the services provided directly by foster carers themselves.

Safeguarding children in whom illness is induced or fabricated by carers with parenting responsibilities : supplementary guidance to 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'

This document is based on Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (Department of Health et al, 1999). Working Together sets out how all agencies and professionals should work together to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.

Good practice guidance for working with children and families affected by substance misuse

This document was published by the Scottish Executive in 2003.

The first part of this guidance sets out what is currently known about the extent of parental substance misuse and the impact on children.

Part 2 sets out what agencies need to ask of families when they present with drug or alcohol problems, and provides guidance to staff on identifying risks.

Part 3 offers advice on what kinds of help may be needed, and on how to work together more effectively.

Young carers: assessments and services - literature review of identification, needs assessment and service provision for young carers and their families

This literature review examines the ways in which young carers come to the attention of voluntary and statutory agencies, and factors inhibiting identification. It identifies the ways in which young carers’ needs are assessed and it examines approaches to service provision by both statutory and voluntary agencies. The review also identifies approaches that are successful in meeting the social, educational and health needs of young carers.

The Strategic Isolation of the British Drugs Field and new Recovery Philosophy.

In March 2008, a new 10 year national drugs strategy document was published: Drugs: protecting families and communities. This new drug strategy presents an agenda which strongly reinforces the main points of the last strategy with its emphasis on crime reduction and community safety. Like its predecessor, it says less about individual health and social outcomes. In the same month the United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission, (UKDPC), an independent think tank, published a major report on the drugs strategy and its key focus criminal justice.

SCIE research briefing 14: Helping parents with learning disabilities in their role as parents

This research briefing was published by the Social Care Institute for Excellence in February 2005. A SCIE research briefing is a summary of information on a particular topic to update practice at the health and social care interface. The topic of this briefing is parents with intellectual or learning disabilities and the support they may need to help them as parents.

Safeguarding children in whom illness is fabricated or induced

This document is based on two resources: Working Together to Safeguard Children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. Working Together sets out how all agencies and professionals should work together to safeguard and promote children’s welfare and the Assessment Framework outlines a framework for use by all those who work with children and families determining whether a child is in need under the Children Act 1989 and deciding how best to provide help.

Understanding Childhood. Grandparents and the extended family. Understanding the importance of wider family relationships for children and their parents.

One of a series of leaflets written by experienced child psychotherapists to give insight into the child’s feelings and view of the world and help parents, and those who work with children, to make sense of their behaviour. For grandparents and the extended family to help them understand the importance of wider family relationships for children and their parents.