The government began consultation on proposals to revise the Children's Homes Regulations 2001, comprising new quality standards, administrative, and management regulations, as well as a guide to the regulations that would replace the existing national minimum standards for children's homes. The revised draft regulations and guide were published alongside the consultation document and the consultation would close on 14 November 2014.
Source: Children's Homes Regulations: High expectations and aspirations, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document | Draft regulations | Guide
Date: 2014-Sep
A special issue of a journal examined what worked in interventions in chronic and severe child neglect.
Source: Child Abuse Review, Volume 23 Issue 4
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Brigid Daniel, Cheryl Burgess, Erica Whitfield, David Derbyshire, and Julie Taylor, 'Noticing and helping neglected children: messages from action on neglect'
Elaine Farmer and Eleanor Lutman, 'Working effectively with neglected children and their families what needs to change?'
Marian Brandon, Sue Bailey, Pippa Belderson, and Birgit Larsson, 'The role of neglect in child fatality and serious injury'
Date: 2014-Sep
A report said that the cost of providing appropriate support and services to meet the needs of all children and families returning home from care amounted to around £56 million a year, while the total estimated annual cost for all failed reunifications was £300 million. The report said that reunifications often failed because families received insufficient support to overcome problems such as poor parenting, domestic violence, parental substance misuse, and mental health problems. It noted some limitations in the data.
Source: Lisa Holmes, Supporting Children and Families Returning Home from Care: Counting the costs, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | Loughborough University press release | NSPCC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined how children considered and managed online risks, whether they understood the issues and risks, the strategies they employed to manage them, and how they decided which information sources to trust online.
Source: Sherbert Research, Children's Online Behaviour: Issues of risk and trust – qualitative research findings, Ofcom
Links: Report | Ofcom press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A report made research-based policy recommendations to improve internet safety for children, drawing on findings from the European Union Kids Online research network.
Source: Brian O'Neill and Elisabeth Staksrud, Final Recommendations for Policy, EU Kids Online, London School of Economics
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the nature of collective participation (engagement by children and young people that enabled them to influence the initiation or direction of a project) in child welfare settings, drawing on four case studies from Wales, France, and Finland. It said that the case studies highlighted elements that supported children's participation (such as communicative spaces, time, money, knowledge, social position, attitudes, social networks, institutional commitment, equipment, food, and transport), as well as challenges related to generational barriers and the distribution of resources. The article proposed a model (or 'lattice of participation') for conceptualizing collective engagement in participatory projects.
Source: Cath Larkins, Johanna Kiili, and Kati Palsanen, 'A lattice of participation: reflecting on examples of children's and young people's collective engagement in influencing social welfare policies and practices', European Journal of Social Work, Volume 17 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A report provided findings from a study of what worked in preventing and treating poor mental health of children in care. The report made a wide range of recommendations for policy and practice.
Source: Nikki Luke, Ian Sinclair, Matt Woolgar, and Judy Sebba, What Works in Preventing and Treating Poor Mental Health in Looked after Children?, NSPCC/Rees Centre, University of Oxford
Date: 2014-Sep
A paper examined to what extent the rights of the children of convicted women offenders were being considered in the English criminal courts when proposing custodial sentences, drawing on research with 75 cases. It said that, in general, the rights of the child were not considered when their mothers were imprisoned, and argued for this to be rectified on social, legal, and moral grounds.
Source: Rona Epstein, Mothers in Prison: The sentencing of mothers and the rights of the child, Working Paper 3/2014, Howard League for Penal Reform
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Aug
A report provided findings from an independent inquiry into Rotherham Borough Council's response to issues around child sexual exploitation. The inquiry examined the council's internal processes and procedures, as well as its work alongside partners, in responding to historical cases during the period 1997-2013. The report said that, on a conservative estimate, approximately 1400 children were sexually exploited over the period and in just over one-third of cases the children affected were previously known to services because of child protection and neglect. The report said there had been many improvements made by both the council and the police over the past four years, but the central team in children's social care that worked jointly with the police on child sexual exploitation struggled to keep pace with the demands of its workload, there were still matters (such as good risk assessment) for children's social care to address, and there was not enough long-term support for the child victims. The report made recommendations.
Source: Alexis Jay, Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham 1997-2013
Links: Report | Council response | Action plan | RMBC press release | Letter from Edward Timpson | 4Children press release | ACPO press release | Childrens Society press release | IPCC statement | BBC report | Guardian report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined the evidence regarding trauma sensitive practice with children in care. It discussed the range of ongoing impacts that trauma could present, considered the therapeutic responses, and discussed the implications for adults working with, or caring for, traumatized children.
Source: Judy Furnivall and Edwina Grant, Trauma Sensitive Practice with Children in Care, Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
A study examined the locations from which people were reported missing to the police repeatedly in a one year period. The report said that private care homes (57.1 per cent) were the most common place and almost all (99.5 per cent) of those who went missing from private care homes were young people aged 18 years and under. The report made a range of recommendations, including: that Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission should routinely request a police summary of missing person reports as part of their inspections, and investigate (and maybe sanction) where there have been a high number of reports; that the police should carry out a case review on locations from which there were frequent missing persons; that the Department of Health and the police should urgently clarify relative responsibilities for missing patients, and consider how to enhance multi-agency relationships to improve safeguarding practices for vulnerable people; and for better routine information exchange between local authorities and police for children in care, with any changes monitored.
Source: Karen Shalev Greene and Carol Hayden, Repeat Reports to the Police of Missing People: Locations and characteristics, Centre for the Study of Missing Persons (University of Portsmouth)
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
A new book examined the impact on children of their parents' imprisonment, drawing on research from across Europe.
Source: Peter Scharff Smith, When the Innocent are Punished: The children of imprisoned parents, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined the outcomes for neglected children following structured assessment and intervention. It said that improvement was seen in the level of concern about neglect in 79 per cent of cases, with only 21 per cent showing no improvement. In 59 per cent of cases, concern about neglect was removed completely. It discussed aspects of the engagement by and with parents, and the impact on children.
Source: Tony Long, Michael Murphy, Debbie Fallon, Joan Livesley, Patric Devitt, Moira McLoughlin, and Alison Cavanagh, 'Four-year longitudinal impact evaluation of the Action for Children UK Neglect Project: outcomes for the children, families, Action for Children, and the UK', Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 38 Issue 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
A paper argued that a broader understanding of justice was needed in order to enable social justice to be achieved for prisoners' families.
Source: Anna Kotova, Justice and Prisoners' Families, Working Paper 5/2014, Howard League for Penal Reform
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Aug
The probation inspectorate examined the child protection work undertaken by probation staff and youth offending teams (YOTs) with young people at risk from adult offenders and young people whose own behaviour put them at risk. The report said that: YOTs were well connected to children's social care services, enquiries and referrals were made, and information was shared; there was some excellent direct work carried out by YOTs with children and their parents/carers; and there was some good work by individual probation staff. However, the report outlined areas of concern, including: elements of assessing, planning, and evidencing work (including concerns about joint planning, and the variability of relationships with local safeguarding children boards); the prioritization of child protection work as a core task; understanding (by some probation staff) of the nature and purpose of such work; variable progress in work to address child sexual exploitation; and management oversight. The report made recommendations.
Source: An Inspection of the Work of Probation Trusts and Youth Offending Teams to Protect Children and Young People, HM Inspectorate of Probation
Links: Report | HMI Probation press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A series of reports provided findings from research on the sexual exploitation of boys and young men in the United Kingdom. The research had found that almost one in three in a sample of the sexually exploited young people supported by Barnardo's since 2008 were male, although it was not known whether this was representative of the wider population. Interviews with professionals in the field had suggested that some young men were targeted and groomed by perpetrators, and that the risk factors were similar regardless of gender (although adults often thought of girls and young women as being more vulnerable). Perception of masculinity, fear of homophobia, or concern about being labelled an offender themselves were said to be potential barriers to disclosure of abuse. The summary report concluded that little was known about this complex issue, but the findings suggested that more gender-targeted responses were needed, and that awareness should be raised. It called for better research on female perpetrators, and for better standardized data collection.
Source: Hidden in Plain Sight: A scoping study into the sexual exploitation of boys and young men in the UK Policy briefing, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | UCL press release
Source: Helen Brayley, Ella Cockbain, and Kate Gibson, Rapid Evidence Assessment the Sexual Exploitation of Boys and Young Men, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | UCL press release
Source: Ella Cockbain, Helen Brayley, and Matthew Ashby, Not Just a Girl Thing: A large-scale comparison of male and female users of child sexual exploitation services in the UK, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | UCL press release
Source: Carol McNaughton Nicholls, Shannon Harvey, and Caroline Paskell, Gendered Perceptions: What professionals say about the sexual exploitation of boys and young men in the UK, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | UCL press release
Source: Carol McNaughton Nicholls, Ella Cockbain, Helen Brayley, Shannon Harvey, Carron Fox, Caroline Paskell, Matthew Ashby, Kate Gibson, and Natalie Jago, Research on the Sexual Exploitation of Boys And Young Men: A UK scoping study Summary of findings, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | UCL press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A report provided an overview of existing research evidence on factors that influenced parental capacity to change in families where there were significant child protection concerns. It brought together evidence from across disciplines and was intended to serve as a single reference resource to assist professionals in making assessments and in evaluating the quality of assessment work in court proceedings.
Source: Harriet Ward, Rebecca Brown, and Georgia Hyde-Dryden, Assessing Parental Capacity to Change when Children are on the Edge of Care: An overview of current research evidence, Research Report 369, Department for Education
Links: Report | IOE press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined the number and nature of child abuse allegations made against foster carers and residential care workers in the United Kingdom. The report said that around 22 per cent of allegations per year were confirmed (affecting under one per cent of children in foster care, and 2-3 per cent of children in residential care). Almost half of the foster carers involved in substantiated cases had been the subject of previous allegations, and over half of the cases concerning residential staff were categorized as either physical abuse or use of excessive physical restraint. The report said that these estimates might be an underestimate, as some allegations were unsubstantiated due to a lack of evidence to either prove or disprove them. Acknowledging that some children and young people did make false allegations, the report said that foster and residential care should be underpinned by a child-centred, rights-based approach that ensured their concerns were heard, and it concluded that there was no substitute for high quality supervision of frontline staff, effective monitoring and review of placements, and good co-operation and communication between agencies.
Source: Nina Biehal, Linda Cusworth, and Jim Wade, with Susan Clarke, Keeping Children Safe: Allegations concerning the abuse or neglect of children in care – final report, University of York/NSPCC
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the level of child sexual abuse within the family environment (referred to as 'intrafamilial child sexual abuse' or IFCSA) and how such abuse was addressed by the child protection system and the criminal justice system, drawing on a rapid evidence assessment. It said that there was a lack of consensus on the definition of IFCSA and prevalence was difficult to assess owing to a lack of methodological consistency, research gaps, and underreporting. Little was known about child victims and their experiences from the victims' perspective, and there were particular gaps in knowledge about the impact on children with disabilities and those from minority-ethnic groups. Little was also known about the prevalence of long term harm caused by such abuse. The report considered evidence on good practice and made recommendations for further research.
Source: Miranda Horvath, Julia Davidson, Julie Grove-Hills, Anna Gekoski, and Clare Choak, "It's a Lonely Journey": A rapid evidence assessment on intrafamilial child sexual abuse, Office of the Children's Commissioner
Links: Report | OCC press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report provided an estimate of the overall costs of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom. It said that such costs were difficult to estimate and were clouded by the levels of potential unreported abuse, but a 'low estimate' for 2012 was £1.6 billion. The report said that the majority of the costs fell on the victim through lost productivity, but costs to the Exchequer were also significant in areas such as health, the criminal justice system, and children's social care services.
Source: Aliya Saied-Tessier, Estimating the Costs of Child Sexual Abuse in the UK, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the costs and contribution that residential parenting assessments (assessments to inform care proceedings, carried out in residential children's centres) made to effective decision-making. It examined patterns of use and expenditure across local authorities, and looked at report recommendations and subsequent court decisions.
Source: Emily Munro, Katie Hollingworth, Veena Meetoo, Katie Quy, Samantha McDermid, Helen Trivedi, and Lisa Holmes, Residential Parenting Assessments: Uses, costs and contributions to effective and timely decision-making in public law cases, Research Report 370, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the role of family doctors for children experiencing maltreatment, or for whom there were 'maltreatment-related concerns'. It said that family doctors were well placed to identify and respond to issues of child neglect and emotional abuse and that the nature of their contact with families gave opportunities for ongoing support and monitoring of the whole family, with direct responses made in tandem with wider child protection systems and other agencies. It said that some family doctors already engaged in some direct response to these issues, and the report called for urgent research to establish whether these models of existing practice were safe and effective for wider implementation across general practice, as well as to identify any system changes necessary for the models to benefit children and families.
Source: Jenny Woodman, Dawn Hodson, Ruth Gardner, Chris Cuthbert, Andrew Woolley, Janice Allister, Imran Rafi, Simon de Lusignan, and Ruth Gilbert, The GP's Role in Responding to Child Maltreatment: Time for a rethink? An overview of policy, practice and research, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | RCGP press release | 4Children press release
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the early implementation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in London, which was established to work with parents who misused substances and were at risking of having their children removed.
Source: Stephen Whitehead, Building Better Courts: Lessons from London's Family Drug and Alcohol Court, New Economics Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report reviewed the approach of the Metropolitan Police to safeguarding children in London. It said that, although improvements had been made, an increase in allegations of child abuse was expected and the force needed now to ensure that its teams were fully resourced.
Source: Keeping London's Children Safe: The Met's role in safeguarding children, Greater London Authority
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release
Date: 2014-Jul
A special issue of a journal presented a collection of articles on child protection policy and practice, almost three years after the publication of the Munro review of child protection.
Source: Journal of Social Work Practice, Volume 28 Issue 3
Links: Table of contents | Munro report
Notes: Articles included:
Andrew Cooper, 'A short psychosocial history of British child abuse and protection: case studies in problems of mourning in the public sphere'
Paul Dugmore, 'Working together, or keeping apart? A critical discourse analysis of the revised Working Together guidance (2013)'
Steve Bambrough, Mike Shaw, and Sophie Kershaw, 'The Family Drug and Alcohol Court Service in London: a new way of doing care proceedings'
Date: 2014-Jul
A report provided the findings from a Home Office funded project to understand better the multi-agency information sharing models that were in place to improve the safeguarding response for children and vulnerable adults through better information sharing and high quality and timely safeguarding responses. The report made a series of 'next steps' recommendations and presented a number of local case studies.
Source: Multi Agency Working and Information Sharing Project: Final report, Home Office
Links: Report | Home Office press release
Date: 2014-Jul
A new book examined the evidence and impact regarding the case of Peter Connelly, a 17 month old boy, known initially in the media reporting as 'Baby P', who died following neglect and abuse. The book discussed how the story was told in the media, how it became focused on the social workers involved, and its impact on the child protection system in England.
Source: Ray Jones, The Story of Baby P: Setting the record straight, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jul
The Queen's Speech set out the United Kingdom coalition government's legislative programme for 2014-15. It included plans for a Serious Crime Bill to: strengthen the powers of the police to prevent serious and organized crime, including the extension in scope of Serious Crime Prevention Orders and gang injunctions, and amendments to the Computer Misuse Act; improve the ability to recover criminal assets; extend the extra-territorial reach of legislation relating to female genital mutilation; allow certain suspected terrorism preparation offences that were committed overseas to be prosecuted in the United Kingdom; and make explicit the offence of cruelty likely to cause psychological harm to a child.
Source: Queen's Speech, 4 June 2014, columns 1-4, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Prime Ministers Office briefing | Cabinet Office guidance | PMO/DPMO press release | Home Office press release | Northern Ireland Office press release | Scotland Office press release | Wales Office press release | Action for Children press release | Childrens Society press release | Scottish Government press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Jun
The Serious Crime Bill was published. The Bill was designed to: strengthen the powers of the police to prevent serious and organized crime, including the extension in scope of serious crime prevention orders and gang injunctions, and amendments to the Computer Misuse Act; improve the ability to recover criminal assets, and enable the seizure of drug-cutting agents; extend the extra-territorial reach of legislation relating to female genital mutilation; allow certain suspected terrorism preparation offences that were committed overseas to be prosecuted in the United Kingdom; make it an offence to possess an item that contained advice or guidance about committing sexual offences against children; and make explicit the offence of cruelty likely to cause psychological harm to a child.
Source: Serious Crime Bill, Home Office, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Links to supporting documents | Home Office press release | MOJ/HO press release | MOJ/HO press release
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined comparative outcomes for looked-after children placed in kin and non-kin care in the United Kingdom. It said that stability was achieved more commonly through kin placements, although the inherent familiarity within the setting could undermine aspects of care quality, such as through problematic parental contact or problems within a child's wider network. The article outlined two areas for development of professional practice: the provision of better support to children and kin carers; and better recognition of the need to end inadequate kin placements.
Source: Lydia Brown and Robin Sen, 'Improving outcomes for looked after children: a critical analysis of kinship care', Practice: Social Work in Action, Volume 26 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on residential children's homes.
Source: Residential Children's Homes: Government response to the Committee's Sixth Report of Session 2013-14, First Special Report (Session 2014–15), HC 305, House of Commons Education Select Committee, TSO
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2014-Jun
Two reports outlined action areas for local authorities and their partners to help develop injury prevention strategies to reduce unintentional injuries in and around the home among children under the age of five, and to reduce injuries on the roads among children and young people aged under 25. The reports said that children from the most deprived areas of England were at comparatively greater risk of both types of injury.
Source: Reducing Unintentional Injuries in and Around the Home among Children under Five Years, Public Health England
Links: Report | PHE press release
Source: Reducing Unintentional Injuries on the Roads among Children and Young People under 25 Years, Public Health England
Links: Report | PHE press release
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the nature and prevalence of risks to children from the use of mobile phones and the internet, and considered the conceptual and methodological challenges for research in this area, as well as the research gaps. It said that prevalence estimates varied according to definition and measurement but did not appear to be rising substantially, although some risk markers could be identified for particular vulnerability to harm.
Source: Sonia Livingstone and Peter Smith, 'Annual research review: harms experienced by child users of online and mobile technologies the nature, prevalence and management of sexual and aggressive risks in the digital age', Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Volume 55 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A new book examined the circumstances in which the courts could and should intervene to effect the social and economic rights of children.
Source: Aoife Nolan, Children's Socio-Economic Rights, Democracy and the Courts, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
A report provided key findings from the Growing Up in Scotland study on the influences of family and school on children's social and emotional well-being. Drawing on data collected from mothers and children at age seven, it examined behavioural and emotional problems, and children's own perceptions of their life satisfaction. The report said that the findings indicated that children's social and emotional well-being was influenced by overlapping, but also distinct, sets of factors, and suggested that interventions to promote well-being could be based on both the family and school context.
Source: Alison Parkes, Helen Sweeting, and Daniel Wight, Growing Up in Scotland: Family and school influences on children's social and emotional well-being, Scottish Government
Date: 2014-Jun
A think-tank report examined mentoring and befriending schemes for children in care. It said that such schemes were able to provide the supportive relationship that young people in care sought but, while these schemes played an important, positive role in young people's lives, the independent visitor scheme introduced by the government was under resourced and had limited capacity for expansion. The report called for more robust, longitudinal evidence to inform the case for further investment in mentoring and befriending schemes.
Source: Helen Kersley and Ben Estep, Relationships for Children in Care: The value of mentoring and befriending, New Economics Foundation
Date: 2014-Jun
The inspectorate for education and children's services began consultation on proposals for the integrated inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after, and care leavers, and for the joint inspections of Local Safeguarding Children Boards. The consultation was issued jointly with the Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, and HM Inspectorate of Probation, and a joint report was published alongside the consultation document, outlining inspection findings in relation to the support and protection of children. The consultation would close on 12 September 2014.
Source: Integrated Inspections of Services for Children in Need of Help and Protection, Children Looked After and Care Leavers and Joint Inspections of the Local Safeguarding Children Board, HMI 140112, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Consultation document | Overview report | CQC comment | HMIC press release | Ofsted press release | 4Children press release
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined debates about the definition of child sex trafficking and, in particular, whether British children could be victims. It proposed an inclusive, clearly delineated definition of internal child sex trafficking to facilitate more effective, transparent, and consistent multi-agency interventions and data collection.
Source: Helen Brayley and Ella Cockbain, 'British children can be trafficked too: towards an inclusive definition of internal child sex trafficking', Child Abuse Review, Volume 23 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined child mortality in the United Kingdom. It said that infant, child, and adolescent death rates had declined substantially and continued to fall, but there remained areas of concern. Key points included: that the UK had a higher overall childhood mortality rate than in some other European countries; that intentional injury deaths among young people had not been reduced; and that there were marked social inequalities in death rates. The report said that many of the causes and determinants of childhood deaths were preventable, and discussed ways in which to address ongoing concerns. A second report, published alongside, outlined recommendations for reform in England.
Source: Ingrid Wolfe, Alison Macfarlane, Angela Donkin, Michael Marmot, and Russell Viner, Why Children Die: Death in infants, children and young people in the UK – Part A, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health/National Children's Bureau/British Association for Child and Adolescent Public Health
Links: Report A | NCB press release | Guardian report
Source: Why Children Die: Death in infants, children and young people in the UK – Part B, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health/National Children's Bureau
Links: Report B | NCB press release
Date: 2014-May
A report evaluated the Preventing Non-Accidental Head Injury programme, which created a new film to help parents to care for a crying baby, reducing the risk of stress that led to harm to the child. The film had been piloted in 24 hospitals and birthing units around the United Kingdom, and the report said there was promising evidence that the programme could contribute to the reduction of harm to babies. It said that: 99 per cent of parents remembered the film at least six months after watching it; 82 per cent of parents who remembered seeing the film said they used advice from it when caring for their baby; and the rate of reported injuries among babies with feeding, sleeping, or crying difficulties was lower if parents had seen the film.
Source: Sally Hogg and Denise Coster, Helping Parents Cope with Babies' Crying: Evidence from a pilot programme to support parents and keep babies safe, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | Focus groups | Impact report | NSPCC press release
Date: 2014-May
A study examined changes made to the Public Law Outline (guidance used by the judiciary for managing public law cases), which were intended to streamline processes and lead to faster outcomes in care and supervision proceedings. The report outlined views on how the changes had affected pre-proceedings work and court proceedings and whether, and how, the revised PLO was impacting on the wider family justice system. It said that practitioners were, overall, positive about the aim of reducing the time that cases spent in court, and that they felt cases were being conducted more efficiently, with children's needs identified earlier in the proceedings and levels of delay reduced. It said further improvement work was required in some areas, and outlined issues for further consideration.
Source: Paul Harvey, Rebeccah Szyndler, Harriet Fowler, Danny Slater, Rachel Cook, and Penelope Welbourne, Action Research to Explore the Implementation and Early Impacts of the Revised Public Law Outline (PLO), Ministry of Justice
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A report outlined a range of recommendations to stakeholders, policymakers, and parents for increasing the safety of children while online. The report built on research in seven countries (Demark, Italy, Romania, United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Belgium) that was discussed in an earlier report. Key recommendations included: for parents to communicate with children about their online experiences; for wider availability of content classification, age-appropriate privacy settings, and easy and robust reporting mechanisms; and for mobile media use to be integrated into learning activities in schools.
Source: Monica Barbovschi, Brian O'Neill, Anca Velicu, and Giovanna Mascheroni, Policy Recommendations: Report D5.1, Net Children Go Mobile
Links: Report | Research report
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the links between adverse childhood experiences and health-harming behaviours (defined as early sexual initiation, unintended teenage pregnancy, smoking, binge drinking, drug use, violence victimization, violence perpetration, incarceration, poor diet, or low levels of physical exercise), based on a survey of adults in England. It concluded that stable and protective childhoods were critical factors in the development of resilience to health-harming behaviours.
Source: Mark Bellis, Karen Hughes, Nicola Leckenby, Clare Perkins, and Helen Lowey, 'National household survey of adverse childhood experiences and their relationship with resilience to health-harming behaviors in England', BMC Medicine, Volume 12
Links: Article
Date: 2014-May
A report provided a summary from a series of seminars that examined how to prevent child sexual abuse and how better to support children who had experienced it. The report considered intra-familial sexual abuse, peer-to-peer abuse and harmful sexual behaviour, and the prevention of sexual abuse within institutions. It made a range of recommendations to government, including: for greater clarity on information sharing; for greater prioritization of work regarding harmful sexual behaviour; for more specialized training for social workers and teachers; and for better and more consistent support for children and young people who were harmed by abuse.
Source: Recommendations for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Better Support for Victims, Child Protection All Party Parliamentary Group
Links: Report | NSPCC press release
Date: 2014-May
A report evaluated the pilot Family Drug and Alcohol Court. The court provided a problem-solving, therapeutic approach to care proceedings in cases where parental substance misuse was a key element in the local authority decision to bring proceedings. It aimed to improve outcomes for children by helping parents to change their lifestyle, and was piloted in central London between January 2008 and March 2012. Key findings included: that FDAC families had higher rates of substance misuse cessation, higher rates of family reunification, and a reduced rate of neglect or abuse one year after children returned home (compared with parents who had been through ordinary care proceedings); that FDAC was not quicker in achieving alternative permanent placement; and that, in addition to receiving support from the FDAC team, a higher proportion of FDAC mothers and fathers were offered help from other agencies for their substance misuse. The evaluation concluded that FDAC should continue to be rolled out more widely, and the report made a range of related recommendations.
Source: Judith Harwin, Bachar Alrouh, Mary Ryan, and Jo Tunnard, Changing Lifestyles, Keeping Children Safe: An evaluation of the first Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) in care proceedings, Brunel University
Links: Report | Summary | Nuffield Foundation press release
Date: 2014-May
A report examined how local authorities could improve services for children and young people. It called on local government to 'reclaim' children's services from national government and the inspectorates, and to use their democratic legitimacy, informal power, and role as 'place-shapers' to champion better outcomes for children and young people. It said this would require systemic change, including workforce reform to promote a more integrated children's workforce, stronger mechanisms for sector-led improvement, changes to the assurance mechanism, and deregulation.
Source: Reclaiming Children's Services, SOLACE
Links: Report | SOLACE press release
Date: 2014-May
A report provided findings from a survey that examined the health and well-being of looked-after children in Liverpool (a city in north west England). Noting the low response rate, the report made a range of recommendations for children and carers.
Source: Hannah Timpson, Lindsay Eckley, and Rachel Lavin, British Heart Foundation Hearty Lives Programme: Assessing the health and wellbeing of looked after children and their carers in Liverpool – Final report, Centre for Public Health (Liverpool John Moores University)
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A new book examined the impact of reforms in multi-agency child protection systems in England, at both local and national level, following the Munro Report of 2011. It examined, in particular, early intervention, vulnerable adolescents, and effective multi-agency responses to young people at risk, as well as the role of Local Safeguarding Children Boards.
Source: Maggie Blyth (ed.), Moving on From Munro: Improving children's services, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined how long-term foster care could be supported and improved, based on a survey of foster carers and other connected professionals in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It said that long-term placements could provide secure and successful homes, but called for changes to improve the statutory framework. The survey had found that 85 per cent of responding foster carers thought that placement decisions were well made and 58 per cent of all respondents thought that matching worked well, although arrangements for confirmation of placements were inconsistent and were often seen as unsatisfactory by individual respondents. The report said that the child's needs often changed significantly over time, particularly involving emotional trauma, or worsening health conditions. Access to the child's social worker was sometimes seen as difficult and the record keeping requirements were considered overly demanding by 70 per cent of foster carers. The report said that preparation for independence was a 'big issue' and some foster carers were unable to commit to supporting young people beyond the age of 18, mainly because of financial considerations. Foster carers also raised concerns about training, inadequate respite care, placement reviews, and delegated authority. The report made recommendations.
Source: Madeleine Tearse, Long-term Foster Care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Views from members of the Fostering Network, Fostering Network
Links: Report | Summary | Fostering Network press release
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the abuse and neglect of children by adoptive family members, and said that it was more common, historically, than previously acknowledged. It outlined barriers to effective support for abused adopted adults, discussed their support needs, and made recommendations regarding the development of support services.
Source: Perlita Harris, 'Meeting the adoption support needs of adopted adults who have been abused in their adoptive family: lessons from historical placements', Adoption & Fostering, Volume 38 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the operations, outcomes, and value for money of secure children's homes in England and Wales. It said that there were 17 SCHs, mostly run by local authorities but with nationwide catchments. Ten homes held young people aged between ten and eighteen who were committed to care on a secure welfare placement, were remanded to custody, or were serving a criminal sentence. The others solely held young people on a secure welfare placement. The report examined the educational, therapeutic, and support activities of the homes, and the outcomes achieved. It made a range of recommendations, including that SCHs should be recognised as a national resource requiring central coordination, and that there should be a national strategy to improve the collecting and sharing of information, and to assess ways to centralise resources in order to provide economies of scale.
Source: "They Helped Me, They Supported Me": Achieving outcomes and value for money in secure children's homes, Justice Studio/Secure Children's Homes
Links: Summary | SCH press release
Date: 2014-Apr
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that in 2013, more than one in ten looked-after children in England lived outside their home local authority area, and more than 20 miles from their home community. The reasons were said to be varied, but it was most commonly due to a shortage of suitable carers closer to home. While there were areas of good practice, the report said that the quality of permanence planning and preparation for independence was inconsistent, and that there was too often a lack of support from health and education in the assessment process. The report called on the government to review information sharing, for local safeguarding children boards to improve their monitoring of local arrangements, and for local authorities to make a range of improvements and changes across policy and practice.
Source: From a Distance: Looked after children living away from their home area, HMI 140064, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined victim and offender identities in discourses around child sexual abuse. It said that policy was constructed around social and political constructions of victimhood and offending behaviour that should be re-examined.
Source: Anne-Marie McAlinden, 'Deconstructing victim and offender identities in discourses on child sexual abuse: hierarchies, blame and the good/evil dialectic', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 54 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the relationship between disabled children and child protection practice in Scotland. It said that children with disabilities were more likely to be abused than their non-disabled peers, but abuse sometimes remained undetected. The report said there was both a lack of relevant training about child protection, and variability in the applied thresholds for action. It concluded that consideration needed to be given to how best to adapt practice, assessment, and intervention for children with a range of impairments, and that more needed to be done to ensure that their voices were heard and included within the formal system.
Source: Julie Taylor, Kirsten Stalker, Deborah Fry, and Alasdair Stewart, Disabled Children and Child Protection in Scotland: An investigation into the relationship between professional practice, child protection and disability, Scottish Government
Date: 2014-Apr
The children's watchdog for England said that their research into the operation of the United Kingdom asylum system had found hundreds of unaccompanied children and young people being left 'in limbo', where they had been given final permission to remain but were not yet old enough to gain legal employment or claim benefits. Other key findings in the report included: that there was an unresolved conflict between the leaving care and immigration legislation; that no single agency owned the duty to ensure that unaccompanied children secured legal representation; and that the prospect of detention (if refused leave to stay) meant that some young people disengaged from services and went underground, leaving them more vulnerable.
Source: "What's Going to Happen Tomorrow?" Unaccompanied children refused asylum, Office of the Children's Commissioner
Links: Report | OCC press release | Coram press release | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2014-Apr
An article reported on a study of children returned from care to their parent(s). It said that preparation and good social work practice contributed to stability of the return, but outcomes varied widely by local authority and almost half of the returns subsequently broke down because of continuing problems in the parents' own lives. The article said that the findings suggested the importance of using written agreements to set out clear goals with parents, and of swift action to protect children.
Source: Elaine Farmer, 'Improving reunification practice: pathways home, progress and outcomes for children returning from care to their parents', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 44 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A new book examined the impact of the marketisation of social work services in Ireland and England, arguing that it had a negative impact on policy regimes, working conditions, social work practices, and services for vulnerable children and young people.
Source: Paul Michael Garrett (ed.), Children and Families, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the psychometric properties of a new Quality of Life Scale for Children (QoL-C) under the age of eight years, which used a pictorial response format. It said that further development of the measure was needed, but the findings indicated that reliability of children's responses was increased by one-to-one support. It recommended further investigation of the use of pictures, emoticons, and minimal text.
Source: Hannah Thompson, Marie-Claire Reville, Anna Price, Laura Reynolds, Lauren Rodgers, and Tamsin Ford, 'The Quality of Life Scale for Children (QoL-C)', Journal of Children's Services, Volume 9 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
The inspectorate for education and children's services examined the effectiveness of arrangements to safeguard children who experience neglect, drawing on case evidence and the views of parents, carers and professionals in England. It outlined areas of practice where there was particular concern, and said that more needed to be done to identify and respond effectively to the earliest stages of neglect. It called for local authorities and local safeguarding children boards to improve their understanding of the extent of neglect in their areas and to develop shared strategies to prioritize action. It also recommended that social work training should be improved, to increase professional understanding of the impact of neglect.
Source: In the Child's Time: Professional responses to neglect, HMI 140059, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Mar
A report said that neglect was the most common form of child abuse in the United Kingdom, and that up to one in 10 children experienced neglect. It said there were a number of barriers that prevented cases being addressed, including: social workers being unable to intervene at an early enough stage; outdated child neglect law; the general public's lack of knowledge about how to report concerns about children, and unclear routes for children and young people to report concerns about their peers; barriers to parents in accessing parenting programmes; and a lack of accurate prevalence data, leading to inadequate levels of commissioned services.
Source: Child Neglect: The scandal that never breaks, Action for Children
Links: Report | Action for Children press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the efficacy of multi-dimensional treatment foster care for adolescents (MTFC-A) compared with usual forms of care for young people at risk in foster care in England. MTFC-A was a wrap-around, multi-agency intervention for children and young people with challenging behaviour, trialled in England from 2002. The article said there was no evidence that the use of MTFC-A resulted in better outcomes than usual care and, while the intervention might have been more beneficial for young people with anti-social behaviour, it proved less beneficial than usual treatment for those without.
Source: Jonathan Green, Nina Biehal, Chris Roberts, Jo Dixon, Catherine Kay, Elizabeth Parry, Justine Rothwell, Anna Roby, Dharmi Kapadia, Stephen Scott, and Ian Sinclair, 'Multidimensional treatment foster care for adolescents in English care: randomised trial and observational cohort evaluation', British Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 204
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined international variations in subjective well-being among children.
Source: Andreas Klocke, Amy Clair, and Jonathan Bradshaw, 'International variation in child subjective well-being', Child Indicators Research, Volume 27 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that it had concerns about the latest reforms to residential children's homes in England. The report made recommendations for government action, including: to address issues that undermined placement stability; to develop a national strategy for care provision based on better assessment of need; to implement and enforce regulation; to develop better collaboration between local authorities and other agencies; to review risks associated with the location of residential homes; to look at the potential impact of requiring placements within 20 miles of home; and to give children more say in selecting their carers.
Source: Residential Children's Homes, Sixth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 716, House of Commons Education Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | 4Children press release | Action for Children press release | National Children's Bureau press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Mar
The Children and Families Act 2014 was given Royal assent. The Act provided for (among other things): reform of the adoption system; the introduction of greater flexibility in parental leave arrangements; reform of the system of special educational needs; strengthening the role of the children's rights watchdog; reduction in delays in the family justice system; and reduction in regulation of the childcare sector.
Source: Children and Families Act 2014, Department for Education, TSO
Links: Act | Explanatory notes | DE press release | 4Children press release
Date: 2014-Mar
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 was given Royal assent. The Act provided for additional, funded early learning and childcare, for every child and young person to have a named person from birth responsible for safeguarding their well-being, for the extension of the upper age limit for young people leaving care, and for kinship carers to be provided with more support from local authorities.
Source: Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, Scottish Parliament, TSO
Links: Act | Explanatory notes | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the concept of safeguarding children being 'everybody's business'. Drawing on a study in one neighbourhood in south Wales, the discussion examined three overlapping spheres of safeguarding (informal, community, and formal) and the enablers and barriers to relationships between them. The article concluded that the community sector's vital role should be recognized and enhanced, and recommended that statutory social workers should be closely located within their local communities.
Source: Sally Holland, 'Trust in the community: understanding the relationship between formal, semi-formal and informal child safeguarding in a local neighbourhood', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 44 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A report provided interim findings from an evaluation of the Caring Dads: Safer Children (CDSC) programme. CDSC was a group work programme for domestically abusive fathers, and the evaluation compared the fathers' behaviour towards their children and partners before and after the programme, and assessed the effects of any changes on their well-being. The report said that, following the programme: generally, fathers found being a parent less stressful and interacted better with their children; depression and anxiety among mothers had reduced; and most mothers said that fathers' abuse towards them had reduced. The evaluation would continue to run during 2014.
Source: Nicola McConnell, Matt Barnard, Tracey Holdsworth, and Julie Taylor, Caring Dads: Safer Children – Interim evaluation report, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined the links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and poor adult health and social outcomes. ACEs were found to contribute to poor life-course health and social outcomes. Those linked to involvement in violence, early unplanned pregnancy, imprisonment, and unemployment suggested a cyclic effect, whereby those with higher ACE counts had higher risks of exposing their own children to ACEs.
Source: Mark Bellis, Helen Lowey, Nicola Leckenby, Karen Hughes, and Dominic Harrison, 'Adverse childhood experiences: retrospective study to determine their impact on adult health behaviours and health outcomes in a UK population', Journal of Public Health, Volume 36 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
A report provided the results from a systematic review of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability of community-based interventions to improve quality of life for children of parents with serious mental illness. It said that there was a lack of robust evidence and recommended work to establish feasible and acceptable interventions, with a randomized controlled trial to evaluate clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, using validated, child-centred quality of life outcome measures and high quality cost data.
Source: Penny Bee, Peter Bower, Sarah Byford, Rachel Churchill, Rachel Calam, Paul Stallard, Steven Pryjmachuk, Kathryn Berzins, Maria Cary, Ming Wan, and Kathryn Abel, 'The clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of community-based interventions aimed at improving or maintaining quality of life in children of parents with serious mental illness: a systematic review', Health Technology Assessment, Volume 18 Issue 8
Links: Report | Abstract | Scientific summary | Protocol
Date: 2014-Feb
A study examined the experiences of children and young people on social networking sites. The report said that over one in four of children aged 11-16 had experienced something upsetting over the past year, with some taking weeks or months to get over the experience. While more girls than boys reported being upset, the experiences that they had also differed. The report said that children seemed unable to raise their concerns effectively and just 22 per cent had talked to someone about upsetting experiences. It called for more to be done by social networking sites to keep young people safe online and to ensure that reporting and privacy options were easy to use.
Source: Claire Lilley, Ruth Ball, and Heather Vernon, The Experiences of 11-16 Year Olds on Social Networking Sites, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | NSPCC press release
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined kinship care. Most research had only considered 'looked-after' children placed with formal approved kinship foster carers, whereas this group formed the smallest proportion of children in kinship arrangements. Most children in kinship care were growing up in informal unregulated arrangements.
Source: Julie Selwyn and Shailen Nandy, 'Kinship care in the UK: using census data to estimate the extent of formal and informal care by relatives', Child & Family Social Work, Volume 19 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the responses to child sexual exploitation (CSE) in London. It said that there had been significant developments across many London boroughs, with observable progress in the development of policies and procedures, investment in professional training, and the establishment of multi-agency groups. It said most areas were providing or commissioning some form of support for those at risk of, or experiencing, CSE and there had been progress in targeting prevention, with successful investigations and disruption strategies. The report noted that much work remained to be done by the boroughs, in areas such as: gathering evidence on the nature and extent of the issue in their local area, and working on prevention; pursuing perpetrators; addressing the vulnerability of specific groups, including looked-after children; identifying, assessing, and providing ongoing support for victims; building capacity and implementing policy; and better multi-agency working.
Source: Helen Beckett, Carlene Firmin, Patricia Hynes, and Jenny Pearce, Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: A study of current practice in London, London Councils
Date: 2014-Feb
A new book (in five volumes) provided a comprehensive overview of the field of child well-being.
Source: Asher Ben-Arieh, Ferran Casas, Ivar Frones, and Jill Korbin (eds), Handbook of Child Well-Being: Theories, methods and policies in global perspective, Springer
Links: Summary
Notes: Chapters included:
Jonathan Bradshaw, 'Social policies and child well-being'
Virginia Morrow and Jo Boyden, 'Ethics of researching children's well-being'
Charles Watters, 'Well-being of asylum-seeking and refugee children'
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined the children's residential care market in England, factors influencing placement decisions, and the use of out of authority placements (placements of children in homes in a different local authority area). It said that, while cost was a key consideration, local authorities' key aims were to meet the needs of the child. Where out of authority placements were selected, it said this was most frequently to meet the need for a secure placement, or to reduce risk to the child. Some local authorities were said to use out of area placements that other authorities had considered of insufficient quality. It noted the resourcing issues involved in out of authority placements and said that information sharing must be improved to protect children more effectively. It also suggested amendments to regulations to improve collaboration between services and to strengthen the inspection regime.
Source: Emily Munro, Sam McDermid, Katie Hollingworth, and Claire Cameron, Children's Homes: Understanding the market and the use of out of authority placements, Working Paper 23, Child Wellbeing Research Centre
Links: Report | Summary | DE press release | IOE press release
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined the impact on children of witnessing domestic violence and abuse. It said that the impact was extensive and potentially long-term, with effects such as increased fear, inhibition, and depression, as well as high levels of aggression and anti-social behaviour. The report called for a range of actions by local and national government and schools, including better early intervention and the development of new and improved programmes and approaches. It also highlighted the need for improved clarity and accuracy of official and survey data.
Source: Domestic Violence and Abuse: Summary and recommendations, The Early Intervention Foundation
Links: Summary report | EIF press release
Date: 2014-Jan
A new book examined the influence of parenting on children's learning and well-being, in the context of growing social inequality and the diminishing role of the welfare state.
Source: Dimitra Hartas, Parenting, Family Policy and Children's Well-being in an Unequal Society: A new culture war for parents, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined vetting and barring policy for protecting children in England and Scotland from 1997 to 2010. Devolution had enabled differences to emerge within aspects of these policies: but it had had negligible impact on the overall policy agenda of risk management and preventive governance.
Source: Connie Smith, 'Preventing unsuitable individuals from working with children: vetting and barring policy and devolution', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
A government department published its responses to consultations on improving safeguarding for children in care and reforming residential care for children. The government announced a range of measures, to be introduced from January 2014, that would: specify how decisions on out of area placements would be made; change the regulations governing residential homes; require staff to hold qualifications; publish more information on the quality of residential homes; and strengthen the inspection regime.
Source: Consultation on Improving Safeguarding for Looked After Children: Changes to the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 – Government response, Department for Education
Links: Response | Consultation document | DE press release
Source: Consultation on Reforming Children's Homes Care: Consultation on changes to The Children's Homes Regulations 2001 (as amended) and The Care Standards Act 2000 (Registration) (England) Regulations 2010 – Government response, Department for Education Links: Response | Consultation document | DE press release
Date: 2014-Jan
The government published its response to a consultation on revising the statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care. It also published a new statutory guidance document.
Source: Consultation on the Revised Statutory Guidance on Children Who Run Away or go Missing from Home or Care: Government response, Department for Education
Links: Consultation response | Statutory guidance | DE press release
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined the implications of child sexual exploitation on the provision of health services. Noting a range of potential long-term effects for those affected, the report made recommendations for health services to help develop prevention techniques and to improve health and well-being outcomes for children and young people.
Source: Health Working Group Report on Child Sexual Exploitation, Health Working Group, Department of Health
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined the effectiveness of parenting programmes. Drawing on a systematic review, it said that parents' participation in group-based parenting programs produced short-term improvements on a range of measures, but none remained statistically significant one year later. It concluded that the evidence suggested that parenting programmes did improve the short-term psychosocial well-being of parents, but follow up training might be required to maintain the gains.
Source: Cathy Bennett, Jane Barlow, Nick Huband, Nadja Smailagic, and Verena Roloff, 'Group-based parenting programs for improving parenting and psychosocial functioning: a systematic review', Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, Volume 4 Issue 4
Links: Article
Date: 2014-Jan