scholarly journals A small-scale qualitative scoping study into the experiences of looked after children and care leavers who are parents in Wales

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1274-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Small Scale ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Care Leavers

The Making of a Model: Teacher Education for Looked After Children

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Alix
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Early Model ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Continued Education ◽  
Stage Process ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Training Practice

<p>We report a three-stage process of developing a model of teacher education to encompass provision for Looked After Children in schools in the UK. First, a survey of 78 trainee teachers explored their perceptions and early practice concerning educating Looked After Children (LAC). There are currently 68,840 children of school age in the UK that have been ‘looked after’ for 12 months or more, and their education is of particular concern both within political and educational circles. Second, teacher education programmes were then reviewed to highlight omissions in relation to LAC, and to initiate an early model for improved training practice, not only for teachers in training but also for the continued professional development of those active in service. Third came the development of a model through consultation with major stakeholders in the field of education for Looked After Children. These were state and charitable organisations, and incorporated responses from Virtual School Headteachers (VSHs) who have oversight of the education for LAC, who are placed on a ‘virtual school’ roll even though physically spread across the schools within a local authority and beyond. The outcomes of the study are limited by the small scale of the research, but provide a validated template for the initial and continued education of teachers for LAC.</p>

scholarly journals “I Need My Children to Know That I Will Always Be Here for Them”: Young Care Leavers’ Experiences With Their Own Motherhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina

SAGE Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401881991
Author(s):  
Lucía Coler
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Institutional Care ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
Ambivalent Relationship

For care leavers in Argentina, the transition to an autonomous lifestyle is a process that begins at 18 years old when they are no longer protected by Children’s Rights laws. This transition is particularly challenging without any family support, and studies have demonstrated that female care leavers are likely to have children within the first few years after leaving care. The aim of this research is to explore and analyze young women’s identities, experiences, and perceptions about their own motherhood and family relationships after leaving the institutional care system in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Throughout a qualitative, small-scale study using life-history interviews, an insight of how these young women’s life experiences have influenced their identities is obtained. In this respect, the findings suggest that female care leavers offer a different type of childhood to their own children than the childhood they experienced, thus providing security, health, education, and love for their children. Moreover, an ambivalent relationship with their birth families has encouraged these women to develop their autonomy with new, meaningful bonds. Finally, motherhood and community participation have empowered these young women and promoted their agency.

scholarly journals More Than Meets the Eye: How Black and Minority Ethnic Care-Leavers Construct and Make Sense of Their Identity

Adolescents ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-53
Author(s):  
Isabelle Lensvelt ◽  
Alexander Hassett ◽  
Alicia Colbridge
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
Care Leaver ◽  
Development Discourses ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Looked-after children are exposed to significant developmental trauma which may impact their identity development. Discourses of vulnerability and maladaptation often surround this group, while care-leavers often self-identify as survivors. The role of culture in identity formation is also well documented, and cultural socialisation is linked to psychological adjustment and wellbeing. Despite this, little research has explored identity development in black and minority ethnic (BAME) care-leavers. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is used to analyse eight semi-structured interviews with BAME care-leavers about their experience of identity development. Three superordinate themes were developed: My journey—how I became me; Identity as a process—the processes that support identity development; and who am I—how I see myself now. Participants’ identity development was adaptive in the context of surviving significant disruption and trauma. Findings are discussed with reference to previous research and limitations are considered. Clinical implications include the need to address additional barriers to positive self-identity faced by BAME care leavers, the importance of acknowledging care-leaver identity as adaptive and embodying a trauma-informed approach to working with this group. Further research into how care-leavers experience their cultural identity is needed.

scholarly journals Care Leavers and Children’s Services: Exploring the Utility of Communities of Practice in Theorising Transition

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1758-1774
Author(s):  
Lynda Turner ◽  
Barry Percy-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Practice Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Supportive Relationships ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
Service Policy

Abstract This article considers the application of Communities of Practice theory to understand transition into, through and out of care, arguing that a sense of belonging and identity emerges from participation in supportive communities. We consider the influence of community on looked after children and care leavers’ sense of identity, engagement and well-being in transition. We also focus on the ways in which service policy and provision shapes professional practice. In doing so, we move beyond the argument for supportive relationships to examine some of the practices which mediate the interpersonal and reflect on the need to understand the meanings of disengagement. We discuss some of the ways practices within and across different communities affect young people’s trajectories and professionals’ responses, such as developing resilience, preparation for leaving care and achieving independence. Whilst current policy and provision focuses on preparation for independence, the article claims that resilience emerges through community and considers the importance of developing supportive social ecologies for cared for children to sustain them in their transition from care. It also calls for an examination of assumptions of accountability and measurement in policy and the importance of hearing the voices of professionals and developing dynamic and responsive practices.

scholarly journals Investing in the relationship: practitioners’ relationships with looked-after children and care leavers in Social Work Practices

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Ridley ◽  
Cath Larkins ◽  
Nicola Farrelly ◽  
Shereen Hussein ◽  
Helen Austerberry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
The Relationship

The Scottish Children's Home: An Evolving Model of Residential Provision for Vulnerable Children

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Milligan ◽  
Judith Furnivall
Keyword(s):  
Staff Training ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Residential Units ◽  
Evolving Model ◽  
High Level

This article describes developments in residential childcare services in Scotland and the influence of various policy trends; in particular, it draws on the work of the National Residential Child Care Initiative, a major government-led review that reported in 2009. The development of small-scale residential units, the emergence of a ‘mixed economy’ of provision and a focus on staff training are key features of residential care for children in Scotland. The sector has received strong central government affirmation for two decades, notwithstanding a gradual reduction in its overall size. The article focuses on developments over the past 10 years and identifies a number of ‘drivers’ that aim to promote improvement, including staff training and the promotion of interprofessional collaboration. The emergence of specialist education and health services for ‘looked after children’ is noted. The relative underemphasis, until recently, on specific theories of care or particular therapeutic approaches is considered. Constraints on improvement are also considered; these include the fragmentation of provision and the operation of markets, the pressure on places and a high level of placement breakdown.

The education of looked after children: the social implications of further education

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert Herd ◽  
Tim Legge
Keyword(s):  
Local Authority ◽  
Further Education ◽  
College Life ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
School Based ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
The Uk

Considerable attention is now paid to the education of looked after children in the UK, but the criteria used to judge success tend to focus on GCSE passes and university entry. The further education (FE) sector has been largely overlooked in these discussions even though it provides a wide range of non-school based courses for large numbers of disadvantaged 16–19-year-olds. Evidence from a typical college in England with 6200 students shows that a third of all older adolescents living in the area, most of them with modest academic achievements, have some connection with the college, and that around 700 of them require special mentoring. In addition, over 50 students, 70% of them female, are looked after – the same number of older teenagers as would be in the care of a medium-sized local authority. The article seeks to alert practitioners and carers to the contribution that FE can make to the welfare of older looked after children as participation in college life and the specialist help received can help mitigate some of the widely reported problems facing care leavers.

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