Opportunity for parents of children in care to take part in research! Together with colleagues at Kingston University, National Children's Bureau are embarking on a timely and cutting edge study of children’s homes placements in England. By analysing data from children’s social care, education and Ofsted, and talking to people with lived and professional experience we hope to better understand: - how, and how well, placements are matched to children’s needs; - why some children’s home placements work better than others; - how children’s homes placements, and the way they are planned and used, could be improved. The research is funded by a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and runs from April 2024 to March 2026. As you may be aware, there have been concerns about the quality of some placements, regional differences in what is available, and children placed far away from their families. We know that many children and young people living in children’s homes often have complex social, emotional or mental health needs, and that they tend to have poorer outcomes than other children in care (in terms of health, education, employment and wellbeing). Despite this, little is known about the factors affecting outcomes for children and young people living in children’s homes, or why some placements in children’s homes may appear to work better than others. We believe this research will provide a vital opportunity to help improve the way children’s homes placements are made. As part of the research, we are keen to hear from parents who have lived experience of one or more of their children being in a children’s home. We are planning to facilitate two focus groups, one this year and one next year, and optional one to one interviews in between. We would like to ask your help, in spreading the word of this opportunity to any people who may have relevant lived experience. We understand you will only want to share details of activities that are worthwhile, supportive and take account of the needs of people with such experiences. With this in mind, we can reassure you of the following: We are consulting a group of those with experience of social care involvement in their families on the design of our activities and will seek to protect the wellbeing of participants in how we undertake the focus groups. Before formally asking for their consent, we will talk individually to prospective participants to understand how their needs and situation may affect their participation and ensure that they understand what the research involves. Parents who initially consent will have a right to withdraw at any time. We intend to use our influence as a national charity with a key role in informing children’s social care policy and practice to ensure that research findings are acted on. Parents will be offered a £20 voucher as a thank you for their time investment for each focus group/interview they have participated in. The study has received ethical approval from Kingston University’s ethics board. The information sheet, which we would talk parents though, is attached with further details. Parents who are interested in taking part can express an interest by completing this form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FK3DSCN The linked page also includes key information about the study and our contact details for parents with questions/or want help with the form. We would be grateful if you are able to pass this information on to any parents you work with who may be interested in taking part. We will also of course welcome any further introductions to colleagues who may work with such parents or others with professional or lived experience in the sector. We will also be very happy to answer any questions about the research activities we are recruiting for or the wider study.
Posted by Ben Fraser at 2024-10-18 14:28:33 UTC