Most children in care 'value staff'
Staff make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people who are in residential care but more work needs to be done on supporting them when they leave, according to four reports by the children's rights director for England, Dr Roger Morgan.
The reports Life in secure care, Life in children's homes, Life in residential special schools, and Life in residential further education are based on the responses of children and young people on what they most and least liked about where they lived, how it could be improved and whether they felt safe or not.
As well as staff, relationships with other children and young people were important, as were having a private bedroom, doing sport activities and using computers. The worst things about living in residential settings were missing family and friends, rules and restrictions, and other children and young people that they didn't get on with. In secure care, the most common negative point was the loss of freedom and being locked up. However, most young people said that a secure unit was a safe place for them to be because it kept them out of trouble and helped them to sort themselves out. "No-one can get you," was one response.
Morgan said: "It is important to hear children and young people's views on the issues affecting their life in residential care. For those making decisions about young people's lives, and for young people being placed for the first time, I hope the reports will give a fair picture of what life is like in different kinds of residential settings."
He added: "The young people told us they really valued the close support they received from staff and other young people in secure children's homes. However when they leave, this network vanishes. This highlights the need for greater support for those leaving secure units to help them rebuild their lives."
You can download a copy of "Life in Children's Homes" (pdf) here.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/9299/102494/file/Life%20in%20children's%20homes.pdf
7 April 2009
