This work was carried out by What Works for Children’s Social Care (former organisation that merged to become Foundations) and was commissioned by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
The report found that certain demographics are over-represented in residential care and especially in the number of those who were identified as needing provision for SEN – over 90%.
Care journeys tended to include more placement moves and increased instability before entering residential care, which then continued once in residential care.
Outcomes for those in residential care tends to be poorer than the average outcome for a children in care.
A descriptive analysis of the experiences of children who have had a placement in a residential children’s home subject to children’s homes regulations (subsequently ‘residential care’) using national administrative data.
We were commissioned to carry out this research by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care to inform the Review’s understanding of the area and to support the formulation of recommendations.
The project aims were to:
Our analysis used individual-level, national data from the Children Looked After Dataset (SSDA903, CLA dataset), linked with extracts of the National Pupil Database (NPD) between 1998-99 and 2019-20.
Using descriptive statistics, we summarised the experiences of a snapshot of all children who were living in residential care in 2019/20 and a cohort of children who turned 18 in 2019/20 who had at least one residential care placement during childhood. We also looked at which characteristics are associated with the likelihood of a child experiencing a residential care placement using regression analyses.
We found that the demographics, care journeys and outcomes of children who have lived in residential care differ, on average, compared to those of all children in care. The analysis also highlights that children living in residential care are a varied group, and enter care at different stages of their lives or for different reasons.
Demographics
The characteristics of children living in residential care compared to all children in care suggest that:
Care Journeys
Despite on average entering care later than the population of all children in care, children who have lived in residential care spend longer and experience more placement moves during their care journey.
Instability prior to entering residential care is common, such as multiple placement breakdowns and fixed exclusions from school. This instability continues upon entry to residential care, with most children going on to experience multiple additional placements.
Our findings speak to the notion of residential care as a ‘last resort’ used after foster care and kinship care placements break down. Furthermore, it appears that once children are placed in residential care, they move between different residential placements or unsupervised accommodation, such as unregulated children’s homes or independent living.
Children who entered care aged 10 and under and went on to experience residential care aged 11 or older, as well as children who entered care between the ages of 11-15, experience more unstable care journeys and worse outcomes compared to the rest of the residential care sample.
Outcomes
Outcomes for children who have lived in residential care tend to be relatively poor compared to average outcomes for children in care. Our research is not causal, which means that it does not tell us why outcomes tend to be poorer and it does not suggest that this is a consequence of residential care.
Our findings underline the high level of need, unstable care journeys and poor outcomes of children who have experience of residential care.
This analysis cannot determine whether outcomes are a result of the residential care placement or driven by other factors such as high levels of SEN and unstable care journeys (both before and after entering residential care).
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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