Session Information
05 SES 08 A, Research on Looked-After children and Research on Problem Discourses
Paper Session
Contribution
This paper outlines the outcomes of a study exploring the health and wellbeing of looked after children and young people in a large city local authority in Scotland and some of the challenges involved in undertaking it. The study was commissioned by multiple agencies including education, health and social work in response to a gap in knowledge of the health needs of young people looked after by the local authority. Care for looked after children and young people is provided in four kinds of setting in the city: within the child’s own home, in kinship care, in foster care, or in residential care.
There is evidence that looked after young people are particularly vulnerable to poor health and social outcomesand previous research has identified that there is a lack of research which has collected the views of looked after children and young people and their families (Winter, 2006). In recent years, there has been an increased national focus in Scotland on improving these outcomes (Scottish Executive, 2007) and the city has gained a greater understanding of the wellbeing and health behaviours of its general population of 11-16 year olds in Glasgow City through its Schools Health and Wellbeing Survey, but this has not allowed for the identification of children who are ‘looked after’ before. This research was commissioned to generate the same degree of knowledge and understanding from a health and wellbeing survey for the sub-population of 11-16 year olds who are looked after by the local authority.
The objectives of the research were:
- To explore the health and wellbeing of young people aged 11-16 years looked after by the local authority
- To compare the health and wellbeing of 11-16 year olds looked after by the local authority with that of the general population of 11-16 year olds attending mainstream schools in the city by using the schools survey as a benchmark.
The theoretical framework for the survey was derived from previous iterations of the validated school health and wellbeing survey, but incorporated some additional questions designed to collect data relating to looked after young people such as relationships and caring responsibilities. It was intended that the outcomes of the survey would inform service provision and help to ensure that interventions are focused on the most vulnerable children and young people in order to reduce inequalities in health and wellbeing and achievement. The survey was undertaken in late 2014 and data analysis will be completed by March 2015.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Ford T, Vostanis P, Meltzer H, Goodman R. (2007) Psychiatric disorder among British children looked after by local authorities: comparison with children living in private households. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190: 319-25. Scottish Executive (2007) Looked after children and young people: we can and must do better. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Williams J, Jackson S, Maddocks A ., Cheung, W.Y., Love, A. and Hutchings, H. (2001) Case-control study of the health of those looked after by local authorities. Arch Dis Child, 85: 280-5. Winter, K. (2006). The Participation Rights of Looked After Children in their Health Care: A Critical Review of the Research, The International Journal of Children's Rights, 14: 77-95.
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