Children in public care complain that they have too many placements. Professionals agree but little is known about the reasons for this instability or how it affects different groups of children. The Pursuit of Permanence explores this core issue for children’s services.
Based on the largest study of the English care system in recent years, the book examines the children (what they need and what they want), their movements into, out of and within the care system, the nature and quality of their placements and the outcomes (whether the children are settled or happy). It analyses the reasons for movements and outcomes in different groups of children, and the relative impacts of the departments, social work teams and placements. It concludes with suggestions about how the care system should work, what it should offer and how it should be managed and inspected.
This detailed, innovative and comprehensive study is essential reading for all professionals and academics involved with fostering, leaving care, adoption and children’s services, as well as policy makers and students on social work courses.
Table of Content
Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction. 2. Who is Looked After? The Children’s Characteristics. 3. Who is Looked After? The Children’s Families, Wishes and Behaviour. 4. Groups of Children and Their Chance of Permanence. 5. Admissions and Discharges. 6. The Children and Their Different Paths in Care. 7. Going Home and Leaving Care: The Case Studies. 8. Placements: How They are Used. 9. Placements: How One Leads to Another. 10. Children Based in Care. 11. Children and Outcomes. 12. Placements and Outcomes. 13. Carers, Homes and Outcomes. 14. Teams and Outcomes. 15. Councils and Outcomes. 16. An Overview. Appendix 1. Representativeness of the Study Samples. Appendix 2. Analysis of National Data. Appendix 3. Monitoring and Quality Assurance. References. Subject index. Author index.
About the author
Ian Gibbs is a research consultant at the SWRDU at the University of York. His main area of research is looked after children, particularly those in residential care and foster care.
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