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British Journal of Social Work Vol. 34 No. 8 © BASW Trading Ltd 2004 all rights reserved
Good Practice in the Education of Children in Residential Care
Bernard Gallagher is Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Applied Childhood Studies at the University of Huddersfield where he specializes in the areas of child protection and child care.
Chris Brannan and Rob Jones are Directors of New Horizons (Child Care) Ltd., an independent company providing therapeutic residential care to sexually abused children and young people. Prior to this, they were senior managers in Shropshire Social Services Department, where they had worked for 15 years.
Simon Westwood is Managing Director of New Horizons and before that worked for ten years as Assistant Director in Derbyshire and Birmingham Social Services.
Correspondence to The Directors, New Horizons (Child Care) Ltd., Unit B, Silkmoor, New Street, Frankwell, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 8LN, UK. E-mail info{at}new-horizonschildcare.co.uk
Summary
Research shows that the education of children in residential care is generally poor, in terms of both process and outcome. This has highlighted the uncertainty over how best to educate these children and a pessimism over what they can achieve. Drawing upon the findings of an evaluation of a children’s home, this paper argues that children in residential care can have good educational outcomes. It also shows that it is possible to identify the processes by which these outcomes can be brought about. However, this largely positive assessment is predicated upon education being defined broadly in respect of ‘process’ and ‘outcome’. Moreover, it is important not to underestimate the formidable challenges inherent in this work. While the multi-agency nature of this work gives rise to one of the most significant, it has to be recognized that responsibility for the education of children in residential care falls primarily to children’s homes. If children’s homes are to meet the increasing expectations that are being made of them, national and local government will have to undertake a radical transformation of residential childcare, especially in terms of attitudes towards, and resources invested in, this sector. Central to this is the establishment of a qualified and properly supported workforce.
Keywords: Education, looked after children, good practice, residential childcare
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