The Views of Local Authorities in England on How to Prevent Children Being in Care

Abstract

Purpose:The rates of children looked after by local authorities in England have been rising for more than two decades. This study was conducted to determine what approaches local authorities have adopted that they perceive to be the most effective in preventing the need for children to come into care. It also considers how they evaluate these approaches and how they assess cost-effectiveness. Methods: An online survey was distributed to leaders of children's social services departments in England in 2018 (n = 152). Findings: Sixty (39.5%) local authorities completed the survey.Respondents were asked to select up to three types of services or approaches they deemed most effective in preventing the need for children to come into care. The most popular was a wholesystem approach selected by 81.7%, with Signs of Safety most commonly cited. This was followed by edge-of-care services (61.7%), early help (56.7%), family group conferences (43.3%), parenting programmes (18.3%), short break services (15.0%) and "other" services (20.0%). Local authorities who had experienced increases in the numbers of children in care were more likely to discuss approaches introduced relatively recently. Whole-system approaches and parenting programmes were the approaches most likely to have had independent evaluations. Whilst most local authorities reported the use of economic analysis methods as part of their evaluation, there was insufficient detail for a full assessment of cost-effectiveness. Originality: This paper provides a description of contemporary attitudes amongst leaders of children's services to approaches that aim to keep children out of care. It also describes approaches taken by local authorities to evaluation and assessing cost-effectiveness.

Family group conferencing for children and families: Evaluation of implementation, context and effectiveness (Family VOICE). Study protocol

“…Comparable surveys have achieved response rates ranging from 39% to 86% [ 25 , 26 ]. Even a low response rate would mean a viable study, however, the main aim is to generate an understanding of different models and different types of implementation, rather than to achieve a highly representative sample.…”

Professional Quality of Life of Foster and Kinship Carers in Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States: A Scoping Review

“…In Australia, more than 178,000 children and young people were unable to live safely at home in 2020 to 2021, with just over a quarter of them living in out-of-home care ( Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022 ), and the number continues to rise. The United Kingdom and United States also experience high and escalating rates of children in the care of the State ( Corliss et al, 2022 ; Roehrkasse, 2021 ). Internationally, researchers show that children and young people in State care have poor social-emotional functioning ( Jacobsen et al, 2020 ), physical and psychological functioning ( Dubois-Comtois et al, 2021 ; Engler et al, 2022 ; Jacobsen et al, 2020 ), mental health problems ( Haselgruber et al, 2020 ; Mancinelli et al, 2021 ), emotional and behavioral difficulties ( Barboza et al, 2017 ; Paine et al, 2020 ), inferior academic outcomes ( Nadorff et al, 2021 ; Washington et al, 2021 ), and complex needs associated with trauma ( Engler et al, 2022 ; Kothari et al, 2020 ).…”