Nine areas have been chosen to pilot mental health assessments for children when they enter the care system. The Department for Education-funded pilot is to take place over the next two years in a bid to improve mental health support for looked-after children – by spotting problems at an earlier stage. The nine areas are: Brighton and Hove, Devon, Doncaster, the London Borough of Merton, North Yorkshire, North Tyneside, Salford, Staffordshire and West Berkshire. Each will test the use of an assessment that is focused on building trust between the professional carrying out the test and the child, through the APP (attention, perspective taking and providing empathy) model. The assessment will also include the views of those around the child, including their carer. A common barrier with current testing that the pilot aims to address is a difficulty in engaging children in conversations about their emotional wellbeing. Read more.
You may also like
Early intervention investment could save councils £7bn, researchers say
Councils in England with above-average rates of looked-after children could save a total of £7bn over the next decade by focusing on early intervention policies that target vulnerable families, according to researchers. The research focuses on the...
April 15, 2021
Fathers’ involvement in care proceedings
Researchers at the University of East Anglia and Lancaster University have published findings from research looking at fathers’ involvement in care proceedings in England. Findings from analysis of anonymised family court records for more than...
April 12, 2021
Children in social care
The Department for Education (DfE) has published figures on outcomes for children in need including children looked after by local authorities in England. The findings, which cover the year ending 31 March 2020, include: 48.3% of children in need...
March 29, 2021