Leaving care interviews for young people who have been ‘looked after’

Abstract

Following recent ‘scandals’ surrounding services for children who are looked after, and the consistent research findings concerning the negative outcomes for young people leaving care, there has been an increase in concern regarding children placed in out-of-home settings. Additionally, there is also a developing awareness regarding the importance of children's rights, and the need to listen and learn from the experiences of young people in the ‘looked after’ system. This article describes how Leaving Care interviews have been introduced in one social services department as a result of a partnership between one local authority, a university and a voluntary childcare organisation. The interviews are designed to provide an opportunity for young people to raise any matters which may have some bearing on child protection issues as well as to provide some user feedback as part of an overall quality assurance strategy.