Children and young people

Many local authorities have promoted the participation of children and young people in service development. Evidence from this review shows that their views are increasingly influential. Several agencies made explicit reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to participate in decisions about themselves.

This guide contains imaginative methods that can be used to bring the views of young people to the attention of managers and members.

Foster carers

Many agencies have encouraged carers to participate in and evaluate many aspects of the fostering services affecting both themselves and the children they foster, and they are major respondents and witnesses in many research studies. They often use questionnaires and interviews and these are often related to actual placements to give specific feedback.

Parents and birth family members

Research has found very few examples of the parents and other relatives of fostered children being brought into participation and evaluation systems.

The role of information communication technology in user participation

Information communication technology is playing a major role in the development of user communication, participation and evaluation for young people and their foster carers.

Practice points

· Ask yourself if foster children participate in as many aspects of the fostering service as possible. Are there systems in your organisation to ensure that children’s views are fed back to senior managers and elected members?

· Consider ways in which senior managers in your organisation can get back to the ‘shop floor’ to listen to the views of practitioners and carers. Thinking about creating opportunities for looked-after children to have their say with managers and local councillors.

· Remember to involve foster carers as much as you can in the recruitment, training and support of other carers.

· Think about how you and your team can enable birth parents to participate in the way fostering services are delivered.

· Ask yourself if you routinely gather the views of birth parents about the service they receive. How do you use this information?

What we know from research

This guide considers the users of fostering services in three groups: fostered children and young people, foster carers and their families, and birth parents and other relatives.

Children and young people

One study (26) in three local authorities found that foster children were encouraged to participate in decisions affecting their lives. However, their views were very rarely communicated to policy makers at either senior management or elected member level.

Foster carers

Carers are encouraged to participate in many aspects of the fostering services and they are major respondents and witnesses in many research studies.

Parents and birth family members

A 2003 study (96) found that 50 per cent of care plans, where children were to be fostered permanently, did not specify the parents’ role in decision making. In 75 per cent of cases the care plans did not say how disagreements should be resolved, despite the fact that parental responsibility remained shared between the birth parents and local authority.

Findings from SCIE Practice Review 1

There appear to be marked differences in practice between how carers, children and relatives are brought into the participation and evaluation systems of fostering agencies.

Children and young people

Many local authorities have promoted the participation of children and young people in service development. Evidence from this review shows that their views are increasingly influential. Several agencies made explicit reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to participate in decisions about themselves.

This guide provides imaginative methods that can be used to bring young people’s views to the attention of managers and members - see Ideas froom practice.

Foster carers

Many agencies encourage carers to participate in and evaluate aspects of the fostering service affecting both themselves and the children they foster. They are often major respondents and witnesses in many research studies. Questionnaires and interviews are usually used and these are often related to actual placements to give specific feedback.

Parents and birth family members

Research has found very few examples of the parents and other relatives of fostered children being brought into participation and evaluation systems.

The role of information communication technology in user participation

Information communication technology is playing a major role in the development of user communication, participation and evaluation for young people and their foster carers.