ExChange Wales Annual Adoption Lecture

UK innovations in adoption support and their impact This lecture will explore the UK policy and research context for and recent innovations in adoption support with potential relevance to both adopted and other care experienced children & their parents and carers, including the learning from COVID. It will also identify the ongoing challenges for support,… Read More

It’s complicated: A longitudinal exploration of young people’s perceptions of placement in foster care and their reflections on changing children’s social care

Assumptions about what is best for children with social care involvement are often made by professionals, yet few studies have systematically asked youth about their perceptions and even fewer studies have explored how their perspectives may change over time. This study, Fostering Healthy Futures, asked 200 preadolescent children a series of questions about the difficulties… Read More

Supporting Parents in and Leaving Care

This event details recent efforts to co-develop a best practice charter, aimed at creating meaningful change for parents in and leaving local authority care. Co-produced with care experienced parents, practitioners and policy makers, the charter is aimed at Corporate Parents; professionals with responsibility for supporting young people in state care. In Wales, corporate parents are directed… Read More

Understanding the Support Needs of Children Adopted from Public Care: Findings from the Wales Adoption Cohort Study

Every child adopted from the public care system in the UK has a complex and individual history of early adversity that may include early experiences of maltreatment, neglect, or household dysfunction. Some children may have been exposed to drugs or alcohol in utero or may have a higher genetic risk for mental health problems. All… Read More

What makes life good? Care leavers’ views on their well-being

Since 2013, the Bright Spots programme has worked with children in care and care leavers to explore what makes life good for them. Their well-being is measured by the Your Life Your Care and Your Life Beyond Care surveys, which were coproduced with children and young people to capture what they felt was important. The… Read More

Lost in Transition? The post-school experiences of young people with vision impairment

This presentation explored evidence collected by the Longitudinal Transitions Study: a 11 year longitudinal qualitative study which has followed the post-school experiences of 80 young people with vision impairment and their progression into the labour market. During this session we focused on the different pathways pursued by the young people, giving consideration to the various… Read More

How Does the Well-Being of Children in Foster Care in Wales Compare with that of other Welsh Children?

Well-being is meant to be at the heart of services for children and adults in Wales – yet there is little research on the wellbeing of children in care. How happy and satisfied are children in care in Wales – particularly compared to other children? This seminar reports on research comparing children in care with… Read More