Innovative project supports care experienced children and young people to build lasting relationships
A five-year trial of the Family Right’s Group’s Lifelong Links approach in Scotland in three local authorities has been successful in working with children and young people to establish stable and supportive networks around them, helping them during their time in care and their transition into adulthood.
An evaluation of the trial commissioned by Family Rights Group (FRG), has been published by CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, today (26 September) which highlights the learning, challenges, and opportunities of this innovative approach for children, young people, their carers, families and people who are important to them.
Lifelong Links supports children and young people who are in care by identifying and contacting relatives and other adults to create or develop connections. The programme, supported by the child's local authority, works to ensure that these relationships can continue to grow. The work can also include helping young people to find out more about their background and history, including through generating family trees, and can help to build their understanding and identity of who they are.
The evaluation found that:
- Lifelong Links can empower children and young people, and support their agency and sense of identity
- Lifelong Links can challenge the existing culture and practices within social work departments
- Having a Lifelong Links co-ordinator who is independent from others supporting a child, young person and their family means that this work can be less inhibited by any negative experiences or perceptions of previous social work interventions that children or young people may have.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Robert Porter, Principal Investigator for this study at CELCIS said:
“In this evaluation of the Lifelong Links Trial in Scotland, we heard directly from young people, their carers, and practitioners about the profound impact that connecting and reconnecting to family members or other adults important to the young person has had on their sense of identity, their confidence, and their wellbeing. This speaks directly to one of the key foundations of The Promise by the Independent Care Review, for children in care to be supported to develop relationships, and we cannot underestimate the lifelong effects that this will have.”
Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive of Family Rights Group, which developed Lifelong Links with young people, and now supports local authorities to implement it, said:
“Too often the care system breaks rather than builds relationships for children, including with their family and friends. Yet we all need people who are there for us, to celebrate good news and to support us when things are tougher. Lifelong Links was designed to do just that, and the evidence is that it is transforming lives.
"This new research by CELCIS adds further evidence to the case for Lifelong Links to be an offer to every care experienced child and young person in every part of the UK.
"Lifelong Links is increasing the number of people that children in care can turn to, improving their mental health and sense of identity, and giving them greater agency over their lives. Outcomes which are all fundamental to Scotland’s Promise to its young people.
“We invite the Scottish Government and local authorities to work with us to make Lifelong Links a universal offer to care experienced children and young people.”
All three local authorities are committed to continuing to deliver the support and benefits of Lifelong Links for children and young people in their area.