Listening to children about their physical and mental health is crucial for their overall well-being. By actively engaging with them and understanding their needs, we can create a supportive environment that promotes both their physical and emotional development.
Join our final live event for Members’ Week where we will be partnering with CAMHS to talk about mental health support for children and young people, and the research that has been done to listen to children and improve practice.
COACHES study: “What’s the point?!” How does CAMHS listen to children with a social worker?
In our fourth and final live event, we will be welcoming a team of researchers from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge.
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Live event
2pm – 3.45pm | Online via Zoom | Members only
Despite efforts to include young people’s perspectives in their mental health care, research shows that those with social work involvement often feel unheard. Analysing 16,566 case notes from 70 young people involved with CAMHS, the research team, including three experts-by-experience, found that system priorities led professionals to focus on risk and compliance rather than truly listening to the young people's needs.
Navigating online life with children and young people | Physical health impact
In a short digital booklet, Dr Vicki Walker and Jane Poore, CoramBAAF’s Adoption Consultant, will collate and share key statistics, information and resources that shine a light on the physical health of children and young people in relation to the digital world.
Dr Vicki Walker and Jane Poore are working together to develop a range of resources concerning ‘Navigating online life with children and young people’. Explore the collection – new resources will be added throughout 2024-25.
Recommended reading on physical and mental health
Dr Dennis Golm, Editor-in-Chief, has selected relevant articles from our ‘Adoption & Fostering’ journal that reflect today’s topic for you to browse. Similarly, Jo Francis, our Publishing Manager. has chosen key titles from our bookshop to give you an opportunity to delve deeper into today’s themes and topics.
Download today’s reading list!The lifelong health and wellbeing trajectories of people who have been in care
A study using secure data found that cared-for children had a deeply unequal chance of enjoying the same social and economic advantages in adulthood as other children. Findings show that there were highly inconsistent impacts on health, socioeconomic circumstances, family life and living arrangements, the extent of which varied depending on care arrangements.
This research provided evidence for the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, which led to the UK Government pledging an official implementation strategy including further support activities. The project also produced a range of resources to help practitioners and policymakers to understand the disadvantages experienced by adults who had been in care as children.
Further resources
Outcomes for Black children in care: a rapid evidence review synthesis
This rapid review explores the body of work already focusing on Black children in care and highlights existing evidence gaps. The review shares some positive results for Black children in terms of their physical health.
Find out moreSupporting mental health and well-being
A National Voice facilitated engagement sessions and focus groups between Department for Education policy officials and care-experienced children and young people. The session focused on how professionals could best support children and young people’s mental health and well-being.
Read the young people’s summary reportHealthy futures: supporting and promoting the health needs of looked after children
But looked after children and young people have higher levels of health needs than their peers, and these are often met less successfully – leading to poorer outcomes. In particular, they have significantly more prevalent and more serious emotional and mental health needs.
Find out moreThe Big Ask: children in care and care leavers
The Children's Commissioner for England published a report focusing specifically on the findings of the Big Ask survey in relation to children in care. 5,936 responses to the Big Ask were from children in care (aged 6-17) - over 3,800 of these were in foster care and nearly 2,000 in residential care.
See moreBlack young people often struggle to access mental health support
A finding of the Barnardo’s ‘double discrimination’ report was that the mental wellbeing of Black care-experienced children was often not given the priority it needed.
Find out moreExploring health inequalities faced by care-experienced young people
Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH) worked with Coram Voice to facilitate conversations about health inequalities for care leavers. Care experienced young people face specific barriers to accessing healthcare services, which can have a detrimental impact upon their health and wellbeing.
Read the report