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Performance targets and stability of placements for children long looked after away from home
Author(s) -
Ward Harriet,
Skuse Tricia
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1002/chi.673
Subject(s) - mental health , longitudinal data , psychology , service (business) , longitudinal study , developmental psychology , medicine , psychiatry , business , sociology , marketing , demography , pathology
There are concerns that the performance indicators for children's services may not be adequately interpreted and used to improve service delivery for individual children. Data from a longitudinal study of 249 looked after children demonstrate that one target—improving the stability of placements—is more likely to be met if agencies can identify which children move frequently and why. While age, behavioural difficulties and the absence of mental health support may have contributed to placement breakdowns, the majority of moves were planned transitions from one temporary placement to another, suggesting that the system may ignore the needs of those children who cannot swiftly return home. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.