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 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 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
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 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
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 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 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 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 concept of vulnerability, as applied to young people in England. It said that there were differences of opinion about what constituted 'vulnerability', yet it underpinned service interventions. It discussed the representation of young people as either 'vulnerable victims' or 'dangerous wrong-doers', and the application of that dichotomy in selective welfare systems and behavioural regulation.
Source: Kate Brown, 'Questioning the vulnerability zeitgeist: care and control practices with "vulnerable" young people', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
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 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
An article examined the concept of vulnerability, as applied to young people in England. It said that there were differences of opinion about what constituted 'vulnerability', yet it underpinned service interventions. It discussed the representation of young people as either 'vulnerable victims' or 'dangerous wrong-doers', and the application of that dichotomy in selective welfare systems and behavioural regulation.
Source: Kate Brown, 'Questioning the vulnerability zeitgeist: care and control practices with "vulnerable" young people', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined how the changes to benefits systems during the economic crisis in Europe had affected children. It said that the crisis had deeply affected public spending, and that the percentage of children living in poverty or social exclusion had risen in several member states during the crisis, in part due to changes in the system of social protection, but also owing to families' increased risk of unemployment and income reduction. It said that in spite of some deterioration of child and family policies and services, recent reforms and measures across member states aimed to protect vulnerable families, including (according to an OECD report) policies in the United Kingdom.
Source: Barbara Janta and Marie-Louise Henham, Social Protection During the Economic Crisis: How do changes to benefits systems affect children?, RR-555, DG Employment, European Union
Links: Report | European Union press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper examined how maternal working hours related to various outcomes in children aged 11-15. Drawing on data from the British Household Panel Survey, it said that full-time maternal employment (as opposed to part-time) had little or no effect on the propensity of adolescents to smoke, their life satisfaction, self-esteem, or their intention to leave school at 16.
Source: Silvia Mendolia, Maternal Working Hours and the Well-Being of Adolescent Children, School of Accounting Economics and Finance, University of Wollongong
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper examined how maternal working hours related to various outcomes in children aged 11-15. Drawing on data from the British Household Panel Survey, it said that full-time maternal employment (as opposed to part-time) had little or no effect on the propensity of adolescents to smoke, their life satisfaction, self-esteem, or their intention to leave school at 16.
Source: Silvia Mendolia, Maternal Working Hours and the Well-Being of Adolescent Children, School of Accounting Economics and Finance, University of Wollongong
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the concept of vulnerability, as applied to young people in England. It said that there were differences of opinion about what constituted 'vulnerability', yet it underpinned service interventions. It discussed the representation of young people as either 'vulnerable victims' or 'dangerous wrong-doers', and the application of that dichotomy in selective welfare systems and behavioural regulation.
Source: Kate Brown, 'Questioning the vulnerability zeitgeist: care and control practices with "vulnerable" young people', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
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
A new book examined the consequences for children of the incarceration of a parent, drawing on a four large-scale studies undertaken in England, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United States of America.
Source: Joseph Murray, Catrien Bijleveld, David Farrington, and Rolf Loeber, Effects of Parental Incarceration on Children: Cross-national comparative studies, American Psychological Association
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-May
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
A report examined the quality of life of young people in Europe in 2011, compared with 2007. Key findings included: more young people lived with their parents than in 2007; deprivation had increased for young people of all social backgrounds in nearly all European Union countries (including the United Kingdom), especially for those living in extended families with their parents and their own children; and unemployed and inactive young people were more likely to feel socially excluded or lonely, to lack social support, and to have lower levels of mental well-being.
Source: Eurofound, Social Situation of Young People in Europe, European Union
Links: Report | Eurofound press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Mar
A think-tank report examined the experiences of girls and young women in gangs. It discussed the issues that they faced, including sexual exploitation, the carrying of firearms and drugs, and early exit from education. It said there was much that was still unknown, including a lack of evidence on how many girls were affected, where they were, or how they came to be involved. It outlined some existing good practice in the health and voluntary sectors, but called for the police and schools to act to protect and support girls. It also called on policy-makers and community leaders to take action, including gathering evidence on the scale and depth of the issue.
Source: Girls and Gangs, Centre for Social Justice
Links: Report | CSJ press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Mar
The government began consultation on the balance of competences between the United Kingdom and European Union in the areas of education, vocational training, and youth. The consultation would close on 30 June 2014.
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences – Call for Evidence on the Government's Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Education, vocational training and youth, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document | Written ministerial statement
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the significance that managers, practitioners, and young people attached to the notion of 'out of control' behaviour, and the exercise of control through the use of secure accommodation in Scotland. It said that managers focused on quantifying risk, practitioners on the factors that shaped the behaviour, and young people on the reasons for their unhappiness. The article argued that balanced responses to 'out of control' behaviour should be informed by an understanding of these multiple meanings, and should further involve young people in decision-making.
Source: Autumn Roesch-Marsh, '"Out of control": making sense of the behaviour of young people referred to secure accommodation', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 44 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined a qualitative study involving young men in Northern Ireland aged 14-19 experiencing particular forms of exclusion. It said that the findings revealed a range of unmet social and psychological needs, the impact of sectarianism and segregation, and a paucity of support systems.
Source: Janeet Rondon, Karen Galway, Gerard Leavey, and James Campbell, 'Exploring the needs of socially excluded young men', Children & Society, Volume 28 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A series of related short reports examined young people's experiences of the welfare system in England. The reports examined the support provided by Jobcentre Plus, young people's views on benefit sanctions, and their views on the existing and ongoing welfare reforms, in particular how they felt the introduction of universal credit would affect them.
Source 1: Processed and Punished: An insight into vulnerable young people's perspectives on the current welfare system and Jobcentre Plus, Young Men's Christian Association
Links: Report | YMCA press release
Source 2: Signed On and Sanctioned: An insight into vulnerable young people's perspectives on the benefit sanctions, Young Men's Christian Association
Links: Report | YMCA press release
Source 3: Uninformed and Underprepared: An insight into vulnerable young people's perspectives on the planned reforms to the welfare system and the introduction of Universal Credit, Young Men's Christian Association
Links: Report | YMCA press release
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined whether material deprivation was an important determinant of health inequalities in adolescents in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Source: James Fagg, Sarah Curtis, Steven Cummins, Stephen Stansfeld, and Amelie Quesnel-Vallee, 'Neighbourhood deprivation and adolescent self-esteem: exploration of the 'socio-economic equalisation in youth' hypothesis in Britain and Canada', Social Science & Medicine, Volume 91
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb