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This report presents findings from qualitative research conducted with a range of children, young people and parents in vulnerable or seldom heard groups, carried out to explore their lived experiences during and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Participant groups were selected to fill gaps in the existing evidence base and included children, young people and their parents with additional support needs; with domestic abuse experiences; who are asylum seeking and from minority ethnic backgrounds; and in gypsy/traveller families. Participants also included young and single parents; parents…
Abstract
Currently, 78,150 children are in care in England, with 11% of the most vulnerable living in 2,460 residential homes due to multitype traumas. These children require safe and secure trauma‐informed therapeutic care. However, the children's residential care workforce delivering this vital care is an unrepresented, under‐researched and largely unsupported professional group. The workforce undertakes physically and emotionally challenging work in difficult conditions, exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Practitioner wellbeing is directly associated with outcomes for children.…
Abstract
Children from some black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds are routinely placed with substitute carers who do not match their cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnic backgrounds. The shortage of foster carers and adopters of specific backgrounds means that the demand in the care population often outweighs the availability of matched placement options. While the shortages of BME foster carers and adopters are widely recognised, there is virtually no research into the barriers faced by specific BME groups, so there are no informed recruitment strategies to increase the pool…
Abstract
This essay describes the impact of the pandemic on our experiences as Independent Visitors (IVs) for children who are looked-after. Independent Visitors are volunteers who visit, advise and befriend children with the aim of helping them develop a positive, long-term relationship beyond the care system. Based on our personal experiences of being matched with and visiting two young people, we consider how supporting the children remotely during the pandemic has helped us reflect on our relationships with them and our role as IVs. We discuss the role that foster carers play in…
In October 2020 CELCIS convened and facilitated a virtual workshop with the Virtual School Head Teacher (VSHT) and Care Experienced Team (CET) network. The workshop aimed to explore the unique role of VSHTs and CETs in relation to supporting children and families during COVID-19 and what impact, if any, members felt there had been for themselves, children and families, by being part of the VSHT and CET network.
The meeting had representation from eight local authority areas, and in addition to this, two further areas submitted feedback and reflections on the theme prior to the meeting.…
In October 2020 CELCIS convened and facilitated a virtual workshop with the Virtual School Head Teacher (VSHT) and Care Experienced Team (CET) network. The workshop aimed to explore the unique role of VSHTs and CETs in relation to supporting children and families during COVID-19 and what impact, if any, members felt there had been for themselves, children and families, by being part of the VSHT and CET network.
The meeting had representation from eight local authority areas, and in addition to this, two further areas submitted feedback and reflections on the theme prior to the meeting.…
Abstract
This policy analysis examines the impact of COVID-19 policy guidance on the role of workers who provide outreach to transition-age care leavers. The comparison focuses on four countries (US, England, Canada, Australia) and addresses the question: How do policy changes impact street-level bureaucracy (SLB) discretion, activities, resources, and constraints? A review of policy guidance identifies similar actions across the four countries focused on: public health measures, extension and flexibility of services, prioritization of cases, and enhanced use of technology. Extension and…
Abstract
Research focused on relationships and contact with birth family for children and young people who were separated from them as infants has rarely acknowledged the emotional and dynamic nature of such interactions. Curiosity has been dominant in adoption research. However, in our longitudinal study of young people who entered care at a young age, a range of other feelings and combination of feelings emerged in the youths’ narratives, including contentment and mixed feelings such as anger, affection, loss, guilt, or worry. Type of placement, that is, whether the young people had been…
Abstract
A growing body of literature has consistently shown how adopted children often have previous history of trauma and neglect, and in turn develop negative representations of the self and others. This study assesses the internal representations of three groups of children, as measured by the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP). These were: (1) a maltreated, late-adopted (MLA) sample (n = 63); (2) a non-maltreated, early-adopted (EA) sample (n = 48); and (3) a non-maltreated community sample (COMM) (n = 80). In addition, it examined whether MLA and EA adopted children’s attachment…
Abstract
This article compares the needs and background characteristics of children who became looked after by an English local authority between April and July in 2019 and the same three months in 2020, with the aim of identifying any impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which broke out in March 2020 and continued for some months thereafter. It scrutinises the two cohorts, comparing children's age, gender, ethnicity, entry to care with siblings and reasons for admission. Differences attributable to the pandemic were found.