A UK Investigation into the Characteristics and Experiences of Children in Care who Have Experienced Significant Placement Instability

英国对经历过严重安置不稳定的照护儿童的特征和经历进行的调查

• 批准号: 2872778
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Bath
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2872778
• 关键词: UK; Investigation; into; Characteristics; Experiences

ContextIn 2021, approximately 102,000 children were living in the care of UK local authorities (NSPCC Learning, 2021). Children in care have been found to be at a significantly elevated risk for a range of mental health disorders including conduct disorder, suicidality, major depressive disorder, and reactive attachment disorder (Engler et al., 2022; Ford et al., 2007).Despite the House of Commons stressing the importance of 'permanence' in care (Hiller et al., 2022), many children in care repeatedly move between different placements; in 2020, around 5-10% of children in UK care had three or more placements in a single year (NSPCC Learning, 2021). This placement instability is a source of significant anxiety and distress that is assumed to be a causal factor in the development and/or recurrence of mental health problems (Rahilly & Hendry, 2014; Care Inquiry, 2013).To date, the complex relationship between placement instability and poor mental health outcomes for children in care has been underexplored. Understanding the defining characteristics of children who experience significant placement instability and the temporal relationship between placement instability and mental health is crucial. Additionally, increasing knowledge around the impact of service-level variations in the approaches used to support children with frequent placement changes could also provide critical insight into this issue.Aims and ObjectivesThe overall aim of this PhD is to explore the characteristics and experiences of children in care who have suffered from significant placement instability. Three main objectives are proposed:To quantitatively explore (using linear regression and growth curve analysis) the characteristics and demographics (e.g., sex, ethnicity, age at entering care, geographical region) of children in care to assess for differences between those encountering instability and those in stable placements. This will involve combining data from the Growing Up in England (GUIE) Dataset, the Children Looked After Wales Dataset, and the Scottish Government: Looked After Children Longitudinal Dataset.To employ quantitative methods (e.g., event history analysis and growth curve analysis) on the same datasets to explore the temporal relationship between placement changes and children's access to mental health services. This will enable exploration of three hypotheses: a) placement changes are associated with elevated subsequent mental health service access, b) mental health service access predicts subsequent placement changes, or c) placement changes are associated with lower mental health service access.To conduct a qualitative investigation into the causes (including service level factors) and consequences of multiple placement changes from the perspective of care-experienced individuals aged 16+. This will be done through conducting thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) on interview data which explores subjective experiences of placement changes, perceptions of factors influencing these changes, factors that mitigate or exacerbate any associated distress, and the implications for mental health service engagement.Potential Applications/BenefitsDespite being among the most vulnerable individuals in the UK, there remains a 'lack of collective knowledge' around the needs of children in care (Ofsted, 2022). This research will identify factors contributing to placement instability and elucidate the potential underpinnings of associations between placement instability and poor mental health, with important implications for the support children in care receive. The qualitative investigation may lead to recommendations for improved management of placement changes at a service level. Ultimately, this project will provide substantial knowledge around the characteristics and experiences of children in the UK experiencing placement instability, a major risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes.

2021年的Contection Actestion，大约有102,000名儿童居住在英国地方当局（NSPCC学习，2021年）。人们发现，受到关注的儿童的风险显着升高，包括行为障碍，自杀性，重度抑郁症和反应性依恋障碍（Engler等，2022; Ford等，2007）。尽管下议院居住，但强调“持久性的重要性”（Hiller et and Career et nrange nrange n. 202222），重复的态度; 2020年，在一年中，约有5-10％的英国护理儿童获得了三个或更多的位置（NSPCC学习，2021年）。这种安置不稳定是一种严重的焦虑和困扰的根源，被认为是心理健康问题发展和/或复发的因果因素（Rahilly＆Hendry，2014年； Care Conceiry，2013年）。要日期，已经没有培训在护理中的位置不稳定性与儿童精神健康局面不良之间的复杂关系。了解经历了明显的安置不稳定性以及安置不稳定性与心理健康之间的时间关系的定义特征至关重要。此外，围绕服务级变化在支持频繁安置变化的儿童的方法的影响的知识中，这也可能提供对这一问题的关键见解。该博士学位的aims和Absigivesthe的总体目标是探索受到严重安置不稳定的护理儿童的特征和经历。提出了三个主要目标：用于定量探索（使用线性回归和生长曲线分析）的特征和人口统计学（例如，性别，种族，进入护理年龄，进入护理的年龄，地理区域），以评估遇到不稳定性和稳定位置的人之间的差异。这将涉及将来自英格兰（GUIE）数据集成长的数据结合在一起，孩子们照顾威尔士数据集和苏格兰政府：照顾儿童纵向数据集。在同一数据集上采用定量方法（例如，事件历史分析和成长曲线分析）在同一数据集上，以探索位置变化与儿童的临时关系变化和心理健康服务之间的临时关系。 This will enable exploration of three hypotheses: a) placement changes are associated with elevated subsequent mental health service access, b) mental health service access predicts subsequent placement changes, or c) placement changes are associated with lower mental health service access.To conduct a qualitative investigation into the causes (including service level factors) and consequences of multiple placement changes from the perspective of care-experienced individuals aged 16+. This will be done through conducting thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) on interview data which explores subjective experiences of placement changes, perceptions of factors influencing these changes, factors that mitigate or exacerbate any associated distress, and the implications for mental health service engagement.Potential Applications/BenefitsDespite being among the most vulnerable individuals in the UK, there remains a 'lack of collective knowledge' around the needs of children in care (Ofsted, 2022）。这项研究将确定导致安置不稳定性的因素，并阐明安置不稳定与精神健康不良之间关联的潜在基础，对护理儿童接受的支持具有重要意义。定性调查可能会导致建议改善服务水平的安置变化的管理。最终，该项目将提供有关英国儿童经历安置不稳定的特征和经历的大量知识，这是心理健康不良后果的主要危险因素。