Perspectives of Children in Extraordinary Circumstances Contributing to the Conceptual Development of Child Indicators Children in State Care Enhancing Our Understanding of Child Well-Being Professor Colette McAuley University College Dublin

What the paper will cover Child well-being as a concept Child indicators and the issue of measurement Children’s contribution to the concept and how we measure it Children in state care-their thoughts on what is important for their well-being Translating the views of children in care into sensitive indicators of their well-being

Child well-being as a concept A developing concept Advances in theory, legislation and information sources all influence how we understand and conceptualise children’s well-being The concept needs clarification and links with existing theories of childhood and child development made apparent

Child Indicators and the issue of measurement Efforts to define child well-being interact with efforts to measure it Changing context complicating effort to develop indicators and outcome measures of children’s well- being Some of the recent changes- child survival (minimum needs) to child well-being (quality of life); from negative (dying, distress) to positive outcomes (sparkle, satisfaction and well- being); current well-being as well as well-becoming; child and adult perspectives. (Ben-Arieh, forthcoming 2010)

Children’s contribution to the concept and how we measure it Focusing on child well-being means we need to turn our attention to the daily lives of children We need to know more about what children are doing and what they think and feel about their current lives To learn about this, we need to ask children for their views. Listening to children will increase our understanding of their worlds and help us think about how we might develop indicators of their well-being

Children in state care- Their thoughts on what is important for their well-being Children in state care are children in extraordinary circumstances Need for more focus on their current quality of life alongside indicators of future outcomes Children and young people in care have demonstrated their willingness and ability to share their views on their daily lives and what is important to them eg OFSTED consultations and a developing body of research evidence The challenge is how to translate what we hear from children into indicators of their well-being which are sensitive and child- centred

Key messages from two studies Cohort of younger children predominantly of 8 years of age entering planned long-term foster care placements. Study followed their progress over two years and interviewed them on three occasions. Prospective study of children’s experiences in the early stages of placements. Follow up study a decade later when they were predominantly young adults who had left care. Study focused upon their current lives post-care and reflections on their childhoods in care.

Initial Study-Key messages Children in middle childhood are very capable of and interested in being involved in research and can share a great deal about their emotional and social worlds. The children told us about: the impact the move into long-term foster care had on their lives-often feeling sad about losing friends, teachers, someone who took a special interest in them contact with their birth families being a really important issue for each of them yet they were not always consulted, kept informed or given a choice how moving school and families together was really difficult for them how important it was to them not to appear to be different from their peers particularly in school settings

Follow-up study-Key messages As young adults, they welcomed the consultation and provided rich reflections. Many had experienced a decade of stability in foster homes and schools. Many others had made significant relationships or had at least welcomed the experience of family life. A few had remained troubled. The young people told us: in the successful foster care placements, feeling accepted, wanted and being treated in the same way as their own children were important factors. Practical and emotional support in and after care made a huge difference to their lives contact for most was a positive experience; for others it brought further rejection, abuse and the re-enactment of earlier dysfunctional family patterns developing trust can be very difficult, especially for those most troubled that access to long-term therapeutic support was needed for many children in care who had had really difficult experiences earlier in life

Translating the views of children in care into sensitive indicators of their emotional well-being Some important things from the child’s point of view being accepted, wanted and respected by my foster carers and having their support and understanding keeping in touch with people who I care about and who care about me (family, friends, and others) feeling safe in new places not standing out as different from other children, especially in school knowing those I care about (often parents/brothers/sisters) are safe having someone I can trust getting special help for very difficult worries when I need it

Translating the views of children in care into sensitive indicators of their emotional well-being Child-centred sensitive indicators Feeling wanted, accepted and respected especially by current carers Having a choice about who I see and when Being able to keep in contact with people who are important to me Feeling I can trust at least one adult Feeling safe in new areas, new schools Knowing I have support with daily life issues Knowing I can get special help when I need it How do we measure and compare across the care population and cross- nationally?

References Ben-Arieh, A. (forthcoming 2010) ‘Developing Indicators for Child Well-Being in a Changing Context’ In C.McAuley and W. Rose (Eds) Child Well-Being: Understanding Children’s Lives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Bradshaw, J. and Richardson, D. (2009) ‘An Index of Child Well-Being in Europe’ In Child Indicators Research, 2 (1). Department for Education and Skills (2003) Every Child Matters London: The Stationery Office. McAuley and Rose, W. (Eds) (forthcoming 2010) Child Well-Being: Understanding Children’s Lives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Fliers available with list of contributors included. McAuley, C., Pecora, P. and Whittaker, J. (Guest Eds) (2009) ‘High Risk Youth: Evidence on Characteristics, Needs and Promising Interventions.’ Child and Family Social Work 14 (2). Articles by Pecora et al (US), McAuley and Davis (England) and Eglund and Lausten (Denmark). McAuley, C., Pecora, P and Rose. W. (Eds) (2006) Enhancing the Well-Being of Children and Families Through Effective Interventions. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. McAuley, C. (2006) ‘Outcomes of Long-Term Foster Care: Young People’s Views’ In D.Iwaniec (Ed) The Child’s Journey Through Care. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons. McAuley, C. (1998) ‘Child Participatory Research: Ethical and Methodological Considerations’ In D.Iwaniec and J.Pinkerton (Eds) Making Research Work: Promoting Child Care Policy and Practice. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons. McAuley, C. (1996) ‘Children’s Perspectives on Long-Term Foster Care’ In Hill, M. and Aldgate, J. (Eds) Child Welfare Services: Developments in Law, Policy, Practice and Research. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. McAuley, C. (1996) Children in Long-Term Foster Care: Emotional and Social Development. Aldershot: Avebury.