Widening our knowledge concerning young looked after children: the case for research using sociological models of childhood

Abstract

The Assessment and Action framework for looked after children, designed to improve outcomes for all children in public care and those at home on care orders, is now well established in the UK. This paper offers a critical evaluation of the framework by examining the model of childhood upon which it is premised and by exploring its relationship to children's rights as conceptualized in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). It will be argued that the particular child development model which underpins the framework addresses the rights of looked after children to protection and provision but does not allow for their participation rights to be sufficiently addressed. A critical review of the research concerning the education and health of looked after children is used to illustrate these points. It will be argued that what are missing are the detailed accounts of looked after children themselves. It is concluded that there is a need for the development of additional research approaches premised upon sociological models of childhood. These would allow for a greater engagement with the participation rights of this group of children and complement the pre‐existing research agenda.

Visual methodologies, sand and psychoanalysis: employing creative participatory techniques to explore the educational experiences of mature students and children in care

“…For mature students, this is necessary so that we do not simply widen access at the point of entry but ensure that they complete their studies. Regarding care experienced children and young people, subjective accounts of their educational experiences can potentially inform prevailing discourses, which are weighted towards the words and ideas of researchers, professionals and policy makers; rather than those of the children and young people themselves (Winter 2006;McLeod 2007). By relying on the accounts of adults who work with (or on) children and young people, it is unlikely that structural and organisational changes, which meaningfully benefit their lives, will be realised.…”

Sport and physical activity in the lives of looked-after children: a ‘hidden group’ in research, policy and practice

“…To gauge a more nuanced understanding of looked-after children that incorporates the interconnections between the care setting, other socio-cultural factors and pays attention to individual agency, Winter (2006) called for the wider use of sociological understandings in research and policy. Often, research on looked-after children has explored the views of caregivers, practitioners and policy-makers who have been asked to speak for children in research studies.…”

In, out and after care: Young adults' views on their lives, as children, in a therapeutic residential establishment

“…These individuals are referred to officially as looked after children (LAC) 1 in England (Winter, 2006). LAC have, invariably, experienced some adversity in their lives that has left them with a range of needs (Halfon, Mendonca and Berkowitz, 1995;Quigley, Dowty and Danjczek, 2008).…”