The Care Pathways and Outcomes Study
The Care Pathways and Outcomes Study, which is being conducted within the Institute of Child Care Research, has been following a population of children who were under five years old and in public care in Northern Ireland on 31st March 2000 (n=374). It aims to find out where these children end up living and how they are getting on in their placements.
In the the current phase of the study, ‘The Children’s Perspective’, we have talked to the children themselves to find out how they were getting on. In the previous phase, ‘The Carers’ Perspective’, we talked to foster, adoptive and birth parents. View the report here!
We believe children are the best informants on their own lives, and it is usually only parents, teachers or social workers who tell us how children feel. It was now time for us to ask the children themselves!
For this phase, we created a new tool that has proved really helpful in allowing us to gain an insight into the young people's lives. View The Care Pathways and Outcomes Me-Book here!
We have finished conducting the interviews, and are currently analysing the data gathered. The findings of this stage will allow us to build on the existing literature that compares how children get on when they are either adopted, live with a long-term foster family (either relatives or non-relatives), or are returned home from care.
You can find out what taking part involved HERE.
Institute of Child Care Research, Queen's University Belfast, 6 College Park, Belfast BT7 1LP
Tel: +44(0)28 9097 5922, Fax: +44(0)28 9097 5900
