Learning from Research: Young people’s experiences of family life with an SGO - making sense of complex relationships and life stories
The use of Special Guardianship orders (SGOs) to relatives in England and Wales has rapidly increased and deemed to be a generally positive solution to the care of children who cannot remain with their parents. The children for whom an SGO is made often have comparable backgrounds of adversity and trauma to those who remain in the care system or are adopted, however post order their experience can radically differ. SG families can experience financial hardship and operate within a network of complex family dynamics closely connected to the parents from whom the child was removed. The SGO academic research field in England and Wales lags significantly behind that of foster care and adoption, particularly around the young people’s experiences of family relationships including with their parents and understanding their life story (e.g. Harwin et al. 2019; Hammond, Young and Duddy, 2020).
In this session, we will be joined by Julie Young who will be sharing her recent research which addresses this significant research gap around young people’s voices and the growing need to understand, as well as support, the experience of young people with SGOs. In her study, semi-structured interviews, co-designed with young people with lived experience, were conducted with 22 young people aged 14-19.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- How this diverse group of young people experienced their family life, their relationships with parents and other family members, and communication around their life history.
- What mattered to these young people and what challenges they experienced as they developed throughout childhood and into emerging adulthood.
- Their suggestions for professionals and family members (including birth parents and special guardians) to ensure the best possible life for children and young people in SGO families
PRESENTER
Julie Young, Research Fellow, University of East Anglia
Following a first career in secondary and further education, Julie Young has been based at the University of East Anglia for over 20 years as a researcher in the Centre for Research on Children and Families. Alongside Professor Elsbeth Neil and others at UEA, she has played a key role in many important research projects in the fields of adoption, foster care and child protection. Much of her research has involved exploring the experiences of adoptive parents, foster carers, children and birth families in different areas of family life, especially around contact with birth families, life story work and communication about adoption. Studies include the Nuffield funded longitudinal 'Contact after Adoption' study; 'Researching Adoption Support' (part of the DfES Adoption Initiative); and 'A Survey Investigation of Adoptive Parents' Experiences and Support Needs’ as well as a scoping review of life story work research.
Her open access paper ‘Life story work for children and young people with care experience: A scoping review’ can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2516103220985872
Julie Young is also a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and an experienced teacher, trainer and consultant. She has facilitated numerous workshops and training events with legal and social work professionals as well as parents, across the UK, informing people about the research and its implications. She helped develop and pilot a training programme for schools looking to implement the Secure Base Model.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This session is for social workers, team managers, and senior practitioners working with kinship families. It may also be of interest to those working in adjacent fields like fostering. If you are a kinship carer and would like to attend please let us know using the contact information below.
FEES
Members: FREE (don't forget to log in to your account to receive your discount)
Non-members: £20+VAT.
Places on this event are limited, so early booking is recommended.
CONTACT
Telephone: 0207 520 7520 / 0310
Email: events@corambaaf.org.uk
£20.00