Government statistics reveal that the child in care population is nowĀ higher than at any point since 1985 Care applicationĀ statistics Ā alsoĀ show that the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has received 6,031 care applications in England in the six months to September 2015, an average of 1,005 a month. MoreĀ headlines: Upward trend: If … Continue reading Population of children in care in England reaches 30-year high
Fewer childrenās social care referrals are passing āchild in needā thresholdsĀ Article byĀ Luke StevensonĀ onĀ October 22, 2015Ā inĀ Community Care The proportion of children assessed as meeting āchild in needā thresholdsĀ by social services fellĀ last year, government figures show. The Department for EducationĀ statistics showĀ 23% of social servicesĀ assessments in 2014-15 led to a decision that a child was ānot in … Continue reading ‘Child in needā stats fell last year – why?
Research conducted jointly between the UK childrenās charity Coram and the University of Bristol Ā shows that the quality of children's life story books varies considerably. The research has helped to address an absence in the academic literature of adoptersā perspectives on their childrenās life storybooks. Forty adopters from England and Wales participated in either focus … Continue reading Life story work
Multi-agency Training and Tool "Charlie" In response to the nationally recognised poor educational outcomes for Children Looked After, Somerset Childrenās services have developed a multi-agency training tool called āCharlieā. Charlie is a fictional character, a looked-after child. He has finished his year 11 studies and disappointingly has not achieved his expected targets. Background We know … Continue reading Promoting the education of looked-after children
RelevantĀ reading for all IROs The Family Rights Group has carried out research into the contact that children being raised in family and friends care have with their parents and others. Read at source via the links below: Chapter 1: Introduction and acknowledgements Chapter 2: Legal framework Chapter 3: Key messages from international literature Chapter 4: … Continue reading Family Rights Group: Children’s Contact
October 24th, 2015 This scenario shows how IROsā use of professional āchallengeā enabled professionals to re-consider the significance of the childās relationship with family. While recognising that it may occasionally be better for a child to stay separated from their family or to have limited contact, this scenario reminds us of the importance of robust … Continue reading IRO Challenge – How ‘Patrick’ was helped to return home
Posted onĀ October 21, 2015Ā byĀ suesspiciousminds AllĀ IROs shouldĀ make theĀ timeĀ to read this importantĀ blog about S20 drift Extract "...Ā an important check and balance on social workerās actions or inactions is supposed to be the Independent Reviewing Officer system. The IROs are supposed to hold social workers to account and make sure that things like this donāt happen.Ā There are … Continue reading IROs be warned: “Fast and the Furious – Tunbridge Wells Drift”
Are decisions being made for the child, or the localĀ authority? Community Care has asked leaders from the adoption, kinship care and fostering sectors for their views on how the rise in special guardianship orders has impacted permanency. EXTRACT "What we are seeing now, firstly through anecdote and now more robustly through the Research in Practice … Continue reading Special Guardianship Orders
Only four councils (two of which were forced) have delegated child protection functions to a third party provider since a controversial change in the law made by the government last year Read full article at source: Councils not outsourcing child protection despite legal change
These online learning resources are free and willĀ be helpfulĀ to some parents and carers as well as professionals. Source:Ā future learn Brief article: Bonding with the unborn babyĀ The University of Warwick Video:Ā Why babies need experiences (04:53)Ā Professor Jane Barlow: concepts of experience-expectant and experience-dependent brain development.Ā The University of Warwick Video:Ā Babies in MindĀ The University of Warwick Video:Ā Understanding other … Continue reading Learning resources free online
