Older children and adolescents constitute over 40 per cent of children admitted to care or accommodation. Concerns about these high rates of admission have led policy-makers and practitioners to consider innovative ways of working with adolescents. In many local authorities, specialist support teams have been set up, which offer intensive, short-term, preventive services which aim to divert adolescents from the care system. This book reports the findings of a study, commissioned by the Department of Health, into the effectiveness of these specialist support teams. The book charts the development of policy on preventive services for children and provides a comprehensive review of the research on interventions with older children and adolescents. It then outlines the multiple risk factors in the lives of the young people in the study, assesses the services they received and compares outcomes for young people referred to specialist support teams with ...

The decision whether or not to reunify a child in care with their birth family is one of the most serious taken by children's services, and often involves considerable risk. This book examines the long-term consequences of this decision for children who entered public care for abuse or neglect. It compares the experiences and progress of children who remained in care or returned to their birth families up to four years after the decision was taken. It covers how the decision is made, the factors taken into account when making it and provides important suggestions for effective decision-making. It compares the progress made by the children in relation to their safety, stability and emotional well-being. The book demonstrates that, contrary to common belief, long-term care can be a positive option for maltreated children. This book provides important messages for reunification policy and practice in relation to maltreated children. It will be essential reading for social work practitioners, researchers and policy makers.