Children’s Residential Care in England An Evaluation of RESuLT Training David Berridge

Children’s residential care Now smaller but very important sector Costs £1 billion per annum Longstanding concerns about training and status in residential work Some evidence that homes are more effective if they have good leadership/coherence/some theoretical underpinnings Important for staff (and young people) to have some explanations for why residents feel and behave as they do

Martin Narey Review of Children’s Residential Care (2016) ‘I found the children to whom I spoke to be overwhelmingly positive about life in a children’s home’ (p5) But children’s homes can and should be better Short-term nature of the work: more than half of placements last less than three months Commissioning practices Criminalisation Staying Close/Staying Put Training and qualifications (p58)

Evaluation of RESuLT Training Residential and Social Learning Theory (social learning theory; relational skill building; neuroscience) 12-week, whole-home course attended by all staff. Co-facilitated by 2 specially trained, CAMHS, social work/residential care specialists Evaluation collaborative project Bristol/Loughborough/Ipsos MORI DfE Social Care Innovation Fund: 9-month evaluation. Disclaimer Did the training lead to improved confidence, skills and knowledge of staff teams; help to promote positive behaviour and relationships in the home for young people? Report due out imminently

Methods 5 LA and one independent provider; six Intervention Homes and four Comparison Homes 82 staff participated in the training: quantitative data on staff characteristics; attendance and feedback on the training sessions; staff experiences at work pre- and post-training; young people’s characteristics and progress; aggregate data on young people Qualitative interviews with 42 staff (inc 6 heads of homes) and 10 yp living in the Intervention Homes

Main findings 1 Staff attendance at weekly training very good (79%) Staff feedback on all sessions very positive Complementary experience and skills of facilitators effective; linking learning to weekly experiences in the home Improvements in staff working environment as a result of the course especially in quality of work; communication; and motivation. (eg ‘I feel supported at work’; ‘I feel that my co-workers and I work well together’; ‘my colleagues and I have similar ways of working with the young people we look after etc’)

Main findings 2 Limited data on young people’s progress (n=25) Monthly aggregate data – fewer problems of yp behaviour in Intervention Homes throughout, not as a result of the training Interviews with staff showed they liked the balance of the training between different theoretical and practical components Evidence that the training was being used on a daily basis and led to changes in how staff were operating (‘There seems to be less sanctions, definitely yes’)

Young people’s views ‘They deal with things differently…in a good way…leave them to calm down and then try to talk to them.’ ‘They never used to sit down with us because they were too busy doing work all the time. But they sit down with us now, so it’s good.’

Overall conclusion ‘…It is a major challenge for researchers to demonstrate that training has an impact; that any changes are attributable to the training itself rather than other factors; and that one form of training is preferable to another. This short-term evaluation indicates to us that the RESuLT training had good quality, relevant content. Training facilitators were skilled and well-prepared. Staff liked the balance between its theoretical components of social learning theory, interpersonal skills and neuroscience, which have practical application. Whole-group training was important: it helped bring staff teams together and contributed to a more coherent approach. Staff and most young people confirmed that the training was being used and it led to some improvements. On this basis, our conclusion is that RESuLT training strikes the right chord, is suitable for the modern residential sector and should be encouraged and expanded with continuing evaluation.’

Publications Residential Care in England (2016) Report of Sir Martin Narey’s independent review of children's residential care. London: DfE. Berridge, D., Holmes, L., Wood, M., Mollidor, C., Knibbs, S. and Bierman, R. (in press) RESuLT Training: Evaluation Report. London: DfE.