Dates: April 2020 – March 2022
Research Team: Dr. Birgit Larsson, Professor Elsbeth Neil, (UEA) Dr. Marcello Morciano, Dr. Yiu-Shing Lau (University of Manchester)
Funder: Action for Children

Returning home to live with parents is the most common route out of care, yet in terms of policy, practice and research the needs of children/young people who return home and the needs of their families are often overlooked.

The project, funded by Action for Children, is being jointly led by the Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF) at the University of East Anglia and the Health Organisation, Policy and Economics (HOPE) research group, University of Manchester.

The members of the research team will analyse Children in Need, Children Looked After and National Pupil Database data from 2009/10-2017/18 in order to produce a national picture of the characteristics and pathways of young people in care who return home.

IMPACT

Findings will be disseminated in a variety of formats so that they are accessible to service providers, commissioners and stakeholders. These include a final report which will include suggestions for further research, a CRCF research briefing, peer-reviewed articles, and three policy practice seminars, one in Manchester, one in Norwich, and one at Action for Children. Findings will further be communicated through social media channels and conferences.