An examination of current specialist mental health projects for 'looked after' children within England

Abstract

Evidence on outcomes for children in public care would suggest that the state does not make a good substitute parent. But it is not so easy as to correlate the outcome measures achieved by children in public care to the state's care alone as many of the histories of children looked after are incredibly complex. Professionals' current knowledge base of effective interventions to support children who carry and bear enormous emotional trauma is challenged by the complexities of these children's lives and the impact that their experiences have on them. Solutions are not quick fix and require dedication from a whole range of people involved in children's lives. Central to this is the psychological and emotional support children are given. This study examines current specialist mental health projects for looked after children within England. A variety of new projects have recently been established across England with the express purpose of working to improve the mental health of children in public care. This study examines a selection of these projects: how they were set up; funding arrangements; staffing numbers; types of professionals involved; services offered; and evaluation methodology used. The study describes the areas of key learning, themes and developments that have emerged from these specialist services.