Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care Vol 2(2) August/September 2003

Contents

Guest EditorialKirstie Maclean

Leaving Care in Scotland: The Residential Experience Jo Dixon and Mike Stein

Each year over a thousand young people aged sixteen and over leave care in Scotland. What does leaving care mean for these young people and what happens to them in the early stages of post-care living? What has helped them to prepare for leaving care and how best can they be supported to achieve positive outcomes as they continue their transition to independent living? These questions formed the basis of a recent survey of young people who had moved on from the care of three Scottish local authorities. This paper presents a brief overview of the main issues arising from the survey. It will particularly draw on the views and experiences of a group of young people who left residential care to provide an indication of what happens to young people within the first year of post-care living. It will consider their experience alongside that of those moving on from other care placements and will situate them within the wider context of throughcare and aftercare for care leavers in Scotland. In doing so it will highlight some of the issues facing care leavers and will carry relevance for those involved in caring for and developing services or looked after and previously looked after children and young people.

A Commitment to Care: Residential Child Care Work in England Amanda Mainey

Residential child care is a valuable and complex job. It requires a wide range of skills, and can make a huge difference to the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people. So why are there high levels of vacancies and staff turnover in residential child care homes across England? Why does the view persist that residential child care is the 'Cinderella' of social care work?

Nurturing Group Work in a Children’s Home  Maggie Bell, Helen Fay, Debbie Ramsden and Shirley Morgan

This paper describes a joint Education, Social Services and Health initiative which introduced the Family Links Nurturing Programme in a Sunderland Children's Home. This programme was already established in schools in Sunderland and responses to it were enthusiastic. It appeared to have a lot to offer to children and young people and adults who live and work in the residential care system. We aim to share the process of implementing the programme and also to convey some of the impact on those who took part in it. We hope to highlight the experience of delivering the programme and to document the impressions and reactions of some of the adults and young people involved. Looked after children have often had experiences which make it difficult for them to value themselves or others, while for staff, working in this setting can be challenging and stressful. The primary aim of running the Nurturing Programme was to help the young people and their carers feel nurtured and valued.

Young People in Residential Care Talk about Peer Violence Christine Barter

Residential care for children has aroused much controversy. Several scandals involving the physical and sexual abuse of residents have led to public inquiries and reports.These have almost all concerned abuse by staff. Research, however, has indicated that children and young people are more likely to be at risk from other residents than from adults. Following inquiries and research findings, emphasis has been placed on management and staff competence, rather than the context in which young people interact. These measures have failed to resolve the problem. One study found that 40 per cent of residents had been bullied in their children's home and 13 percent of children had experienced unwelcome sexual behaviour from other residents. Other researchers identify worrying levels of sexual attacks and abuse between young people in residential settings, stating that staff lacked confidence, information and guidance on how to deal with issues of sexual violence and coercion. [Abstract shortened]

Care to Learn? The Educational Experiences of Children and Young People Who Are Looked After Alison Ritchie, Elizabeth Morrison and Steven Paterson

In January 2002 the Scottish Executive commissioned a consortium of agencies to carry out the Learning with Care project. The aim of the project was to develop new materials to assist local authorities to improve educational outcomes for looked after and accommodated children and young people and to implement the recommendations of the Learning with Care inspection report (Scottish Executive, 2001). Save the Children and Who Cares? Scotland worked with BAAF Adoption & Fostering, the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care, and the University of Strathclyde Department of Educational Support and Guidance, Professional Development Unit and Quality in Education Centre to develop the Learning with Care materials. These included a training pack, an information booklet, and an education report which will form part of the Looking after Children in Scotland materials.

The Learning with Care Training Materials Judy Furnivall and Barbara Hudson

The education of looked after children in Scotland has been the focus of serious concern for some time. In January 2002, the Scottish Executive commissioned a consortium of agencies (BAAF Adoption & Fostering, Save the Children, Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care, University of Strathclyde Department of Educational Support and Guidance, Professional Development Unit and Quality in Education Centre, and Who Cares? Scotland) to create a package of materials that together may help to develop relevant knowledge and skills among teachers, social workers and carers and provide them with specific tools to enhance their practice. These included training materials, an information booklet, a report presenting the educational experiences of looked after and accommodated children and young people, a set of quality indicators, and a specific education report that will be incorporated into the Looking after Children in Scotland materials.

Developing Quality Indicators for Learning with Care Graham Connelly

Much more is now known about shortcomings in the education of looked after children and young people than when Professor Sonia Jackson first highlighted major concerns in her seminal monograph, The Education of Children in Care. In particular, an authoritative review of research, policy and practice helped to identify the key issues affecting a section of the school population which has often been marginalised and forgotten. The inadequacies of care and education policy and practice in Scotland were further detailed in the Learning with Care report (Scottish Executive, 2001). As part of its response to this report, the Scottish Executive commissioned work to develop training and other support materials aimed at improving educational outcomes for looked after children and young people. The project was undertaken by a consortium of agencies (BAAF Adoption & Fostering, Save the Children, Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care, University of Strathclyde Department of Educational Support and Guidance, Professional Development Unit and Quality in Education Centre, and Who Cares? Scotland). The products of the project included a training pack, an information booklet, and a report presenting the educational experiences of looked after and accommodated children and young people.