New Research From the IASR

In more news from the IASR: the following new research reports are now available to read online for FREE:

• 'Research into Gang - associated sexual exploitation and sexual violence' - Interim Report November 2012 http://www.beds.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/215873/GASV_Interim.pdf
• 'What's going on to safeguard children and young people from sexual exploitation? How local partnerships respond to child sexual exploitation.' http://www.beds.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/121873/wgoreport2011-121011.pdf

New Research Evidence on Looked After Children & Adoption From Barnardos

Photograph by MegaBu7

Baranrdos has published a new, free to download report: What Works in Achieving Adoption for Looked After Children: An Overview of Evidence for the Coram/Barnardo's Partnership

The review was commissioned by Barnardo's and Coram to support their partnership initiative which provides consultancy and support to local authorities with the aim of increasing the number of children adopted from care and reducing delays in making and implementing decisions about adoptive placements. 

The work forms part of the Department for Education 'Pathways to Permanency project'.

"It Shouldn't Happen Here" , Save The Children Launches Its First Appeal To Help UK Children

The charity Save the Children, best known for helping some of the world's poorest families, has launched its first appeal to help UK children. 

The charity says the UK's poorest children are bearing the brunt of the recession, with some missing out on regular hot meals or new shoes.The campaign urges the government to focus on benefits for low-paid families and ask employers to pay a living wage.

Researchers for Save the Children surveyed more than 1,500 children aged eight to 16 and more than 5,000 parents, focusing on the lowest income groups.

The study draws on Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) figures which estimate that there are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK and predict a steep rise in the numbers in coming years.The charity defines living in poverty as having a family income of less than £17,000 a year.

More than half the parents in poverty surveyed (61%) said they had cut back on what they ate and more than a quarter (26%) had skipped meals in the past year.Just under a fifth (19%) said their children sometimes had to go without new shoes when they needed them.

The report, It Shouldn't Happen Here, also reveals the extent to which children are aware of how much financial strain their parents are under with more than half (58%) saying they thought it was getting harder for their parents to pay for everything.

Some 52% of the poorest children agreed that not having enough money made their parents unhappy or stressed and 43% 'strongly agreed' that their parents were cutting back on things for themselves such as clothes or food.

Launch of GSCC's Practice Placement Report

The General Social Care Council (GSCC) today published its report, “The supply of social work practice placements: employers’ views” which analyses the views of employers on the provision of practice placements for social work students. This report is the first of five learning and research reports that will be published by the GSCC ahead of its closure on the 31 July 2012.

The press release which includes a link to the report can be found on the GSCC website - http://www.gscc.org.uk/news/47/Employers+value+experience+of+having+students+on+placements%2C+GSCC+report+finds.html

Kerrin Clapton, the author of the report has also written a blog for the Guardian Social Care Network which was published this morning. This can be viewed here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/social-care-network/2012/may/02/social-work-practice-placement-students

Government Reports & Statistics - Week Beginning 16th January 2012

The following new Government Reports & Statistics may be of interest:

• Child rights impact assessment of the Welfare Reform Bill
  Office of the Children‟s Commissioner
  This impact assessment considers the Bill in the light of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Human Rights Act 1998 and other international human rights obligations. It highlights the following risks as of real concern: An increase in child poverty as a result of the household benefit cap and housing benefit changes, resulting in poor health and educational outcomes for children.
  Published 11 January 2012
  http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_555

• The Good Childhood Report 2012: a review of our children’s well-being. Children's Society.
  Researchers questioned more than 30,000 children and young people aged eight to 16 in the UK. The report identifies six key priorities needed for a happy childhood including the conditions to learn and develop; a positive view of themselves; have enough of what matters; positive relationships with family and friends; a safe and suitable home environment and local area; opportunity to take part in positive activities to thrive. Other findings include: choice and family have the biggest impact on children's happiness; the quality of children's relationships with their families is far more important than the structure of the family that they live in; low well-being increases dramatically with age – doubling from the age of 10 (7%) to the age of 15 (14%).
  Published 12 January 2012
  http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/research/well-being/good-childhood-report-2012

• Cafcass care statistics, December 2011 . There were 795 care applications in December 2011. Care application demand has remained at a very high level. Between April and December 2011, Cafcass received 7,487 new applications. This figure is 10.5% higher when compared to the same period last year. Applications received between May and December this year have been the highest ever recorded by Cafcass for these individual months.
  Published 9 January 2012
  http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/news/2012/december_care_statistics.aspx

• Youth custody data – November 2011
  Ministry of Justice
  Monthly statistics on the population of children and young people in custody within secure children's homes, secure training centres and young offender institutions.
  Published 13 January 2012
  http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/youth-justice/custody-data.htm
  
  
  

Website of the Week: Justice

The Justice website is a UK Government website aimed at all those working within and reliant upon information produced by the justice system. The site contains many free to download publications and reports including:

• The latest justice related news
• Court, criminal justice and prison statistics
• Research and reports
• Guidance on a wide range of policy areas including freedom on information, human rights, prisons and probation, youth justice and protecting vulnerable adults
• Consultations on reforms & changes to the law