Introduction

This chapter takes a closer look at individual children and what happens to them during a period of residential care, specifically in relation to problematic or offending behaviour. The evidence draws on two sources: a one-year cohort study starting with all children resident or admitted to children's residential care in a one-month period in 2006 (46 children in all) and case studies of 16 children through an analysis of case file data (and follow-up on information gaps with care staff where necessary) during the summer of 2007. Both these sources of data relied heavily on the support of local authority staff. The cohort study was set up and based on existing data collected on the children within social care and cross-referenced (for accuracy and additional information) with education and youth offending team staff. The case file data collection was undertaken by care staff, following consultation and training. Staff visited a children's home other than their own to collate data on two children (one who had arrived with a record of offending behaviour and one who had no such record). The cohort study illustrates the extent to which a group of children get into trouble (if at all) during a period of residential care. This part of the research tracked any offending behaviour in the context of the nature and duration of the care experience, alongside evidence about educational participation. The case studies investigated in more depth the kind of behaviours presented at the level of the home (including offending behaviour); whether there was any evidence of a restorative justice (RJ) approach being used with an individual and what impact, if any, it had; and, an overall assessment of key aspects of the current residential care episode on individual children.

In Chapter Two, we took a critical look at the notion of ‘outcomes’ and care and the extent to which outcomes can be ascribed to the care experience. One of the difficulties is in ascertaining whether any problems that arise are linked to living in care or to what happens to children and young people before they enter the care system. We also highlighted that outcomes are usually presented in relation to all children in care, with no distinctions made between residential and other forms of care. This chapter addresses the latter issue, as all children in this study are in residential care.