Emotional Needs of Children Leaving Care are Unmet says new Study

A study by the charity Action for Children says that the emotional needs of children who have been in care are not being well looked after.

The small but in-depth study by Action for Children called Too Much Too Young is based on in-depth work with 31 care leavers and 12 professionals working with such children in England and Wales.

It says: "Most young people who have been in care continue to cope with the lasting impact of a traumatic childhood.They can suffer from depression and anxiety, on top of dealing with the challenges of living on their own for the the first time."

The report argues that leaving care is not the same as leaving home, as care leavers rarely have the stability or support networks that most teenagers take for granted. It says that government policy has focused on the quality and location of accommodation that youngsters move into when they leave care and the practical support they are offered.But it warns: "Emotional wellbeing should be our starting point. Without it, practical support is not enough for the most vulnerable young people. Poor emotional health permeated young peoples' stories. Essential support disappears rapidly after those with complex needs and disabilities leave care".

New Report Says Children In Care Run Away Despite The Risks

Photograph by Pink Sherbert Photography

A new report from the Children's Rights Director for England finds that children in care are running away from placements despite being well aware of the dangers of sexual exploitation, drugs and gang culture.

The report Running Away 2012  found they ran away for many reasons, such as stress, anger and unhappiness at being in care.

The research gathered views from 62 girls and 36 boys from different ethnic backgrounds and in different types of placement.

The children identified many dangers associated with running away - getting raped, being sexually exploited, being stabbed, being kidnapped, being taken and trafficked for sex, being murdered, getting involved in drugs or being made pregnant.

However,  issues such as anger, stress, fear of people living in the same placement, feeling "you don't get what you want or need in your placement", not being listened to, being scared and getting away from bullies were felt to justify the risks associated with running away.

Children's Minister Edward Timpson said: "We have been very concerned that some local authorities and care homes are letting down children by failing to act as a proper 'parent'. "This is a very important report - which makes clear that carers and social workers need to listen and address children's concerns as early as possible, before it reaches the crisis point of them feeling they have no option but to run away."

Figures published by the Department for Education last month show the number of children in local authority care in England rose by 2% from 65,520 last year to 67,050 this year. 

Middle-Aged Men At Highest Risk Of Suicide

Statistics reveal that middle-aged men are now the group at highest risk of committing suicide in England. 

Key reasons could be job or money worries due to the recession, says a new government strategy to reduce the number of suicides. Suicide rates among young men - previously the most at-risk group - have fallen. There was a total of 4,215 suicides recorded in 2010.

Charities said better support was key to cutting rates further. It is 10 years since the government published its last strategy to tackle suicide rates. Overall the rate of suicides has fallen - but there has been a slight increase in recent years.

The strategy says the current economic problems are likely to have a bearing on rates. particularly in middle-aged men.

"Previously, periods of high unemployment or severe economic problems have had an adverse effect on the mental health of the population and have been associated with higher rates of suicide," it stated.

"Evidence is emerging of an impact of the current recession on suicides in affected countries."

The most recent figures show that in 2008-10 the three-year average suicide rate for 35-49 year old males was the highest of any group, at 20.8 per 100,000 population. However, suicide risk is recognised as being complex, and most often a combination of factors.

The government is promising £1.5m for research into how to tackle suicide in at-risk groups. Aside from middle-aged men, these include people with mental health problems and those with a history of self-harm.
Strategies to reduce the risk of suicide include reducing access to suicide-related internet sites for children and reducing the opportunity for suicide for people in prisons or mental health facilities.

The government has also promised better information and support for those bereaved or affected by suicide.

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

Barnardos Warns Schools Must Tackle The Causes, Not Just The Symptoms Of Unruly Behaviour

Official Department of Education figures, released last week show that pupils with special educational needs are around nine times more likely to be permanently excluded than those with none – up from eight times the previous year.

Barnardos have warned that schools must tackle the causes and not just the symptoms of unruly behaviour. The call comes ahead of a new two part Channel 4 documentary which follows children from one of its specialist schools. The first episode is tonight (Tuesday 31st July) at 10.00 pm on Channel 4.

You can read more about this programme & view some clips on the Channel 4 website here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/lost-children

Therapeutic Approaches To Social Work In Residential Child Care Settings

Geraldine Macdonald and others for the Social Care Institute for Excellence have published a new report looking at therapeutic approaches to social work in residential child care settings.

Compared to the looked-after population in general, children in residential child care have some of the highest levels of need, including increased emotional and behavioural difficulties. This report focuses on how residential child care staff in Northern Ireland trained in a variety of therapeutic approaches to enhance their practice and relationships with the young people in their care.

Staff reported that therapeutic approaches do have some limitations – for example in dealing with physical aggression – meaning that other models such as Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) were still an important part of practice. Young people in residential child care often noticed an improved ‘atmosphere’ and the use of fewer punishments to deal with poor behaviour, even if they did not notice that a new approach was being used.

Some factors that helped put these approaches into practice included training staff, offering follow-up supporting materials, and developing wider systems of working that support the approaches – for example careful planning when a young person is first admitted to a home. Therapeutic approaches can complement specialist therapeutic interventions – such as trauma-focused and cognitive-behavioural therapy, counselling and so on – but do not replace them. These specialist services are a vital part of the support that looked-after children and young people should have access to.

The report is available to read here: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/reports/report58/files/report58.pdf

Therapeutic approaches to social work in residential child care settings

We can open up and talk, rather than closing everything down
Young person in residential child care, Social Care TV film

SCIE’s newly launched report and at a glance briefing, produced in partnership with the Institute of Child Care Research in Belfast, focus on how residential child care staff in Northern Ireland trained in a variety of therapeutic approaches to enhance their practice and relationships with the young people.

Children and young people in care are among the most vulnerable in society.  Compared to the looked-after population in general, children in residential child care have some of the highest levels of need, including increased emotional and behavioural difficulties. 

What are therapeutic approaches?

Therapeutic approaches describe ways of working in which residential child care workers use a therapeutic perspective in their day-to-day social work with children and young people. This includes having a better understanding of how children’s experiences affect them, considering their emotional needs and fostering resilience.

Key findings from the study included:

•    Therapeutic approaches can help residential child care staff to use a therapeutic perspective in their day-to-day work

•    The approach is concerned with empowering all staff, not just those with therapeutic qualifications 

•    Staff reported the approach enhanced the consistency of their practice and their relationships with the young people

•    Young people were often not aware that a new approach was being used, but noticed an improved ‘atmosphere’.

A newly launched a Social Care TV film accompanies the report.  The film illustrates the impact of the approaches, focusing on the Lakewood Secure Unit in Bangor. Young people in the film say that talking about trauma and sharing stories means that they can “open up and talk, rather than closing everything down”.  Training for all staff, including kitchen staff, has helped them to create a calmer, and more positive environment.

• View SCIE Report 58: Therapeutic approaches to social work in residential child care settings on the SCIE website

• View SCIE's Social Care TV film: Therapeutic Approaches to Residential Child Care in Northern Ireland on the SCIE website