Mental health: Children in Care

• Good practice resource - A partnership approach to continuously improve services: North Tyneside Council
  Imaginative and innovative use of resources by North Tyneside council and its partners has significantly improved the services available to young people leaving care. Strong joint working arrangements for care leavers ar ...
  
  Publisher: Ofsted
  Published Date: 2013
  
  
• Looked-after children and mental health: is CAMHS fit for purpose?
  This Community Care article looks at how CAMHS services for looked after children show no sign of improving.
  
  Publisher: Community Care Online, August 2012
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Measuring happiness
  A new method that will help to measure the happiness of children has been developed by the Children’s Rights Director for England.
  
  Publisher: Ofsted
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Report from the joint inquiry into children who go missing from care
  Two all party parliamentary groups (APPGs) have concluded their inquiry into the safeguarding of the thousands of children who run away or go missing from care every year. Their report outlines the findings and sets out ...
  
  Publisher: All Party Parliamentary Groups
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Care – a stepping stone to custody?
  Children in public care are disproportionately likely to find themselves in trouble with the law, compared to their peers. This qualitative study, commissioned by the Prison Reform Trust, explored the views of looked aft ...
  
  Publisher: National Children's Bureau (NCB)
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Report 58: Therapeutic approaches to social work in residential child care settings
  Children and young people in care are some of the most vulnerable in society. A small but significant proportion of looked-after children across the UK are cared for in residential settings such as children's homes. Foll ...
  
  Publisher: Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• At a glance 58: Therapeutic approaches to social work in residential child care settings
  The evaluation research was carried out by the Institute of Child Care Research, Queen’s University Belfast. The research was funded by SCIE’s core grant from the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety ...
  
  Publisher: Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Social Care TV: Therapeutic approaches to residential child care in Northern Ireland
  Children and young people looked after in residential settings have some of the highest levels of need. It is therefore crucial that staff have the right skills and support available to them. This film shows how children ...
  
  Publisher: Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores and mental health in looked after children
  British local authorities are required to monitor the mental health of looked after children using mean Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores from parents or carers. This assumes that differences in mean ...
  
  Publisher: The British Journal of Psychiatry
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Living in children's residential homes
  This short study provides an insight into the nature of children’s residential homes, the characteristics and circumstances of the young people who live in them and on the short-term outcomes for these young people.
  
  Publisher: Department for Education (DfE)
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Children's care monitor 2011
  This report gives the views of 1,870 children and young people who filled in our monitoring survey online in 2011, and 25 more children who filled in our Widget symbol questionnaire.
  
  Publisher: OFSTED
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Improving the mental health of looked after young people: an exploration of mental health stigma
  This report from YoungMinds, highlights the stigma surrounding the mental health of looked after children and young people. With ever increasing numbers of children being taken into care, YoungMinds is warning that serv ...
  
  Publisher: YoungMinds
  Published Date: 2012
  
  
• Raising the bar? Evaluation of the Social Pedagogy Pilot Programme in residential children's homes
  This final report concerns an 18-month, Department for Education (DfE)-funded evaluation of the Social Pedagogy Pilot programme in residential children’s homes in England. The overall aim of the research is to evaluate t ...
  
  Publisher: Department for Education (DfE)
  Published Date: 2011
  
  
• Children on Independent Reviewing Officers : A report of children’s views by the Children’s Rights Director for England
  Children in care have an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) as well as a social worker. The government is currently checking how IROs are carrying out the tasks assigned to them and invited the children to say what thei ...
  
  Publisher: OFSTED
  Published Date: 2011
  
  
• Attachment security as a mechanism linking foster care placement to improved mental health outcomes in previously institutionalized children
  In this article, the authors suggest that children reared in institutions experience elevated rates of psychiatric disorders and that inability to form a secure attachment relationship to a primary caregiver is posited t ...
  
  Publisher: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
  Published Date: 2011
  
  
• The effects of severe psychosocial deprivation and foster care intervention on cognitive development at 8 years of age: findings from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project
  Previous reports from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project suggested that children removed from institutions and placed into intervention displayed gains in IQ relative to children randomized to remain in institution ...
  
  Publisher: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
  Published Date: 2011
  
  
• Healthy Care programme
  This Programme is based at the National Children's Bureau (NCB) and is a practical means of improving the health and well-being of looked after children and young people in line with the DCSF and DH Statutory Guidance on ...
  
  Publisher: National Children's Bureau (NCB)
  Published Date: 2011
  
  
• Healthy outlooks
  Healthy Outlooks is NCB’s method for connecting people who work with children and young people ‘most in need’ to networks which can support them.
  
  Publisher: National Children's Bureau (NCB)
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Helping children and social workers bear the unbearable
  Searching for answers has been central to Christine Bradley's career in therapeutic child care. The questions have been big ones: why are some children able to use the help and experiences offered to them while others ar ...
  
  Publisher: Community Care
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• NICE Looked-after children and young people: Promoting the quality of life of looked-after children and young people
  The guidance is for all those who have a role in promoting the quality of life (that is, the physical health, and social, educational and emotional wellbeing) of looked-after children and young people. This includes dire ...
  
  Publisher: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• The “Spirit of New Orleans”: Translating a model of intervention with maltreated children and their families for the Glasgow context
  Children in care have higher rates of mental health problems than the general population and placement instability contributes to this. Children are both most vulnerable to the effects of poor quality care and most respo ...
  
  Publisher: Clinical Child Psycholgy and Psychiatry
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Assessment of children coming into care: Processes, pitfalls and partnerships
  Children in out-of-home care (OOHC) present with high levels of physical, developmental and emotional and behavioural difficulties, yet often fail to receive appropriate services. This article describes a joint health an ...
  
  Publisher: Clinical Child Psycholgy and Psychiatry
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Improving the emotional health and wellbeing of looked after children and young people
  This is a knowledge review by C4EO.
  
  Publisher: Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO)
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• The perceived sexual health needs of looked after young people: findings from a qualitative study led through a partnership between public health and health psychology
  Background Looked after young people (LAYP) have poorer sexual health outcomes than their peers. However, research seldom examines the health needs of, or intervenes with, this group. The aim of the current study was to ...
  
  Publisher: Journal of Public Health
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Impact of a Mentoring and Skills Group Program on Mental Health Outcomes for Maltreated Children in Foster Care
  Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the Fostering Healthy Futures program in reducing mental health problems and associated problems.
  
  Publisher: Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Help-Seeking by Foster-Carers for their ‘Looked After’ Children: The Role of Mental Health Literacy and Treatment Attitudes
  Factors that influence the help-seeking steps for looked after children with mental health problems were explored within the context of a help-seeking model, as were foster-carers' Mental Health Literacy (MHL) and help-s ...
  
  Publisher: British Journal of Social Work
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Assessing the mental health needs of young people living in state care using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
  Abstract: Young people living in the state care system are often reported to experience poorer levels of mental health and wellbeing. Government policy encourages a holistic approach to the assessment of all aspects of h ...
  
  Publisher: Child Care in Practice
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Children’s messages on care 2010. A report by the Children’s Rights Director for England
  This report is to help people find children’s views about being in care, about social care services, or about living in residential schools or colleges. It brings together in one place the key messages from children and ...
  
  Publisher: Ofsted
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Customer voice (wave 9): aspirations of children in care
  Young people in care have a "high level of fatalism" and believe they have little control over their lives, according to a new Department for Education report.
  
  Publisher: Department for Education (DfE)
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Sufficiency:statutory guidance on securing sufficient accommodation for looked after children
  This statutory document seeks to improve outcomes for looked after children and young people by providing guidance on the implementation of section 22G of the Children Act 1989 (‘the 1989 Act’).
  
  Publisher: Department for Children, Schools and Families
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Care Matters: Budget holding lead professionals with looked after children in England
  This research report examines the results of a study evaluating 16 pilots in a variety of locations in England to allow lead professionals working with children and young people with additional needs to hold budgets and ...
  
  Publisher: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Promoting the health and wellbeing of London’s looked after children: scoping review
  This publication came out of requests (in Spring 2009) for examples of practice from across London that increase positive health outcomes for looked after children, in order to share learning and ideas. This scoping revi ...
  
  Publisher: Government Office for London
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Promoting the health and wellbeing of London’s looked after children: learning from emerging practice
  This publication came out of requests (in Spring 2009) for examples of practice from across London that increase positive health outcomes for looked after children, in order to share learning and ideas. This emerging pra ...
  
  Publisher: Government Office for London
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Evaluation of the provision of mental health services for looked after young people over the age of 16 accommodated in residential settings
  This report draws on visits to 27 children’s homes in eight local authorities. It identifies how the mental health needs of young people in care aged 16 and over are met. It illustrates the use of mental health resources ...
  
  Publisher: Ofsted
  Published Date: 2010
  
  
• Looked after children: Best commissioning practice and tools
  This section of the Commissioning Support Programme website provides links to tools for those involved in children’s services commissioning. These tools provide practical guidance on effective commissioning, helping comm ...
  
  Publisher: Commissioning Support Programme
  Published Date: 2009
  
  
• Improving the emotional and behavioural health of looked after children and young people (LACYP)
  This review aims to tell us what works in improving the emotional and behavioural health of looked after children and young people (LACYP), on the basis of a systematic review of the research review literature and analys ...
  
  Publisher: Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO)
  Published Date: 2009
  
  
• Statutory guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked after children
  This is statutory guidance about the delivery of services from health agencies and local authorities to promote the health of looked after children and young people. It is written in the context of a holistic model of he ...
  
  Publisher: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
  Published Date: 2009
  
  
• Evaluation of Adolescent Multi-Agency Support Service (AMASS) Islington
  The primary aims of AMASS are to support families to enable young people to remain at home or in foster placement, and to improve outcomes for young people.
  
  Publisher: Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP)
  Published Date: 2009
  
  
• SCIE Knowledge review 22: Working with challenging and disruptive situations in residential child care: Sharing effective practice
  Residential care for children should be a positive resource. Homes providing a strong nurturing culture give children the care they need at certain times in their lives. Residential care which meets the personal, social, ...
  
  Publisher: Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
  Published Date: 2008
  
  
• Evaluation of Surrey Ethnic Minority and Asylum Seekers Service and Out of Hours Service for Surrey Placement Stability Service
  
  
  Publisher: Lifespan Research Group, Royal Holloway, University of London
  Published Date: 2007
  
  
• Reaching out: Think Family: analysis and themes from the Families At Risk review
  This document is about setting down a marker that substantial change is needed in the way we work with those most at–risk families who need a targeted, specialised, whole–families approaches. It is also about making sure ...
  
  Publisher: Cabinet Office
  Published Date: 2007
  
  
• Evaluation of the Children Looked After Dialectical Behaviour Service April 2005-April 2007
  This report evaluates a project funded by the Department of Health through the National Service Framework (NSF) Developments Initiatives.
  
  Publisher: Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP)
  Published Date: 2007
  
  
• Looking after the Mental Health of Looked after Children
  This training resource offers a fresh approach in training childcare staff to develop a greater understanding of the mental health needs of children and young people. It aims to enable all professionals to be more effect ...
  
  Publisher: YoungMinds
  Published Date: 2007
  
  
• Best Practice Guidelines in the Use of Physical Restraint (Child Care: Residential Units)
  These guidelines arise out of a recognition that there was a need to develop ‘Best Practice Guidelines in the use of Physical Restraint’ that are specific to the Irish context of residential child care. For the purpose o ...
  
  Publisher: Special Residential Services Board
  Published Date: 2006
  
  
• Mental health of young people looked after by local authorities in England
  This report presents the findings of a survey of the mental health of young people, aged 5-17, looked after by local authorities in England. The first part of the report focuses on the prevalence rates of mental disorder ...
  
  Publisher: Department of Health (DH)
  Published Date: 2003