David Berridge

Children's Homes.

There are two childrens homes in Greenwich, where children may be cared for if they cannot be fostered or stay with their own family.

Therapeutic residential care for children and youth: a consensus statement of the International Work Group on Therapeutic Residential Care

While the focus of this consensus statement and the review volume that preceded it (Whittaker, Del Valle, & Holmes, 2014) is on therapeutic residential care (TRC), a specialized form of group care, we view our work as supportive of a much wider effort internationally concerned with the quality of care children receive when, for a variety of reasons, they need to live away from their families.

Driving outcomes: learning to drive, resilience and young people living in residential care

ABSTRACT There are continuing concerns about the experiences offered to older adolescents being looked after (‘in care’) in the UK and, especially, to care leavers. Questions are asked about the limitations of State care compared with normal family life. This paper reports on an initiative to provide driving lessons to a group of six young men living in residential homes in one city. It links with resilience theory – how individuals can have relatively good outcomes despite early adversity. A qualitative study was undertaken to explore the effects of the initiative, including individual interviews with young men, heads of homes in which they lived and childrens services managers. The overall results indicated that the initiative was very worthwhile. The lessons were a significant part of young peoples lives. Possible effects on young people were divided into personal, instrumental and social. Benefits were reported from all parties concerning young peoples self‐esteem and self‐confidence, as well as in forging close relationships with supportive adults. Driving would not be seen as a panacea for complex personal histories and structural problems, yet this small experiment suggests that driving lessons could be of disproportionate benefit and there is a moral obligation to provide them in any case.

Fostering Now: Messages from Research: A Summary:

In this article, David Berridge summarises the main conclusions of the latest research overview in the Governments Messages from Research series. The overview, Fostering Now, written by Ian Sinclair, includes findings from 16 studies.

Acogimiento residencial terapéutico para niños y adolescentes : una declaración de consenso del grupo de trabajo Internacional Sobre Acogimiento Residencial Terapéutico

Therapeutic Residential Care for Children and Youth: A Consensus Statement of the International Work Group on Therapeutic Residential Care. In many developed countries around the world residential care interventions for children and adolescents have come under increasing scrutiny. Against this background an international summit was organised in England (spring 2016) with experts from 13 countries to reflect on therapeutic residential care (TRC). The following working definition of TRC was leading: “Therapeutic residential care involves the planful use of a purposefully constructed, multi-dimensional living environment designed to enhance or provide treatment, education, socialization, support, and protection to children and youth with identified mental health or behavioral needs in partnership with their families and in collaboration with a full spectrum of community based formal and informal helping resources”. The meeting was characterised by exchange of information and evidence, and by preparing an international research agenda. In addition, the outlines of a consensus statement on TRC were discussed. This statement, originally published in English and now reproduced in a Spanish translation, comprises inter alia five basic principles of care that according to the Work Group on Therapeutic Residental Care should be guiding for residential youth care provided at any time.

OP36 Evaluating youth mentoring for young people at risk of exclusion from secondary school: results from a feasibility randomised control trial study

Background Youth mentoring is used with vulnerable young people to help improve their health, well-being and educational attainment. While there is growing interest in mentoring programmes among policy makers and practitioners the evidence base is weak with no randomised control trial (RCT) yet undertaken in the UK. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a definitive RCT of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the Breakthrough Mentoring programme targeted at secondary school students who are at risk of exclusion from school. Methods Thirty-one young people were approached and twenty-one were recruited to the feasibility study. Participants were aged 12–16 years (mean age = 14.10 years) and randomised to either receive weekly 2-hour mentoring sessions for one academic year (n = 11, intervention) or care as usual (n = 10, control). Participants were asked to complete self-reported questionnaires on a range of measures including the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, which were analysed descriptively. Qualitative interviews were conducted with participants and with parents, schools staff, mentors and commissioners as part of the process evaluation. Interviews were facilitated using a topic guide, were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results Follow-up at 6 and 12 months was 100% and 86% for 18 months. Participants were happy to complete the self-report questionnaires, showed a good understanding of randomisation and were accepting of this study design. Control group participants reported wanting a mentor and some were mildly upset at not achieving this. Intervention group participants indicated that having an adult mentor, unconnected with the school that they could talk to about their problems helped them to give voice to and deal with difficult feelings. Some mentees reported negative experiences of the way that the mentoring relationship ended. The process evaluation showed that the study design and intervention were acceptable to parents, mentors, schools and commissioners. A need for further evidence on the effectiveness of mentoring was highlighted by commissioners, and parents and schools staff expressed a wish to be informed of progress made by mentees during mentoring sessions. Conclusion It is feasible and acceptable to recruit, randomise and retain students at risk of exclusion from school to an RCT for 6, 12 and 18 month follow-up. Further research is required to characterise youth mentoring in schools in the UK and to investigate how to best measure its effectiveness before a definitive trial can be considered.

Understanding and Working with Parents of Children in Long-term Foster Care by Gillian Schofield and Emma Ward

Birth parents of looked after children are a neglected group. We rightly need to be child centred in our approach and put children’s needs before those of their parents. There are hazards in drift and delay and children require a sense of permanency either back home or elsewhere. However, the circumstances of birth parents are seldom straightforward–looked after children often keep in contact and many eventually return once state support terminates. We are living through an era of declining sympathy for the poorest, most troubled (‘dysfunctional’) families with major welfare reforms, growing child poverty and emphasis on adoption. Despite this, there is surprisingly little research into birth parents’ situation. Though it did not claim to be representative, few can have seen the excellent BBC television series Protecting Our Children, screened in early 2012, without sympathy for mothers trying to cope and adapt in the face of grinding poverty, chaotic home circumstances and, at best, untrustworthy partners.