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CHAPTER ONE: OUTLINE OF BRIEF
Provision for children who are looked after in care settings has been a key issue in education but associated challenges, such as transitions to independent living for young people leaving care have not received so much attention. In particular, housing issues are an area of increasing concern both for the Scottish Executive and others who work with this group of young people. This research review focused on young people who have been looked after at home ( e.g. under a supervision order from a Children's Hearing) and those who have been looked after and accommodated ( e.g. in foster care, residential units, residential schools, or in secure accommodation). It aimed to scope existing and ongoing research in Scotland and the UK, examining relevant research, policy, practice and theoretical work.
Young people who have been looked after are known to be a high risk group with regard to homelessness and repeat homelessness. In 2004, guidance ' Supporting Young People Leaving Care in Scotland: Regulations and Guidance on Services for Young People Ceasing to be Looked After by Local Authorities' set out new duties for local authorities towards this client group. Moreover, the Homelessness Team at the Scottish Executive has undertaken to keep guidance to local authorities on the Duty to Act in the Best Interests of Children in allocating permanent housing under review and update as required. A recently published report (2007) Looked After Children and Young People: We Can and Must Do Better concerned with the educational barriers faced by looked after children and young people acknowledges the significance of housing and a wider set of support issues for looked after young people, building on the Social Work Inspection Agency's 2006 report, Extraordinary Lives - creating a positive future for looked after children and young people in Scotland . The messages in We Can and Must Do Better include emphasis on the importance of the following as prerequisites to enabling looked after children and young people to be 'effective life-long learners' and 'successful and responsible adults': the corporate parent role, clear advice and emotional, practical and financial support for looked after young people as they make the transition to adulthood/ independent living, flexible and appropriate support before, during and post transitions, and good quality accommodation.
The overall aims of the review were to support developments in policy, practice and joint working by mapping research in two areas: transitions out of care settings and housing issues. More specifically the aims were as follows:
Aims:
Transitions out of care settings
- to draw together research on factors that contribute to successful transitions for young people who are looked after
- to outline the different approaches to provision which could be considered for this group
- consider differences in how independent living is defined
- provide a picture of what processes are employed to assess the needs of formerly looked after young people in Scotland
- the forms of accommodation which are considered suitable and those which are provided
- consider whether independent living is always seen as ultimate goal and whether different models of provision are in use
Housing issues:
- pull together existing and ongoing work in area of housing
- provide details of related practice (models of transition) and theoretical works looking at this issue
- identify evaluations of different approaches to managing the process of transition
- models that are in use - identify through web searches
Early scoping work revealed that there was little literature on some of these issues, particularly those relating to housing issues. Time constraints also meant that detailed investigations had to be limited. However, the research team employed the following methods to scope the area and, in this , they were also mindful of further background questions that had been raised by the Scottish Executive (see Annex).
Research Review Methods
This review was essentially a thorough scoping exercise, though it is unlikely that a longer and more systematic review would uncover very much more information. The team included existing expertise in the area of young people in care settings (Elsley). Starting with this, we ensured all relevant materials were accessed through a range of bibliographic search engines. We also contacted colleagues and organisations who are experts in this area in order to ascertain that we were covering the key issues likely to be involved in reviewing this evidence (for example, significant gaps, current conceptual and analytical thinking in the field, range of evidence likely to be available). Where relevant we accessed smaller studies, unpublished and grey literature. For certain sections we made concise appraisals of existing reviews. A broad, non bibliographic internet search engine was also used, Google, as were the search engines accompanying particularly relevant websites such as those of Health Scotland and other Government or voluntary sector sites and research organisations such as ESRC, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Nuffield and a range of more specialised research centres and voluntary organisations like the Policy Studies Institute and Children in Scotland.
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