scholarly journals Coping and support-seeking in out-of-home care: a qualitative study of the views of young people in care in England

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e038461
Author(s):  
Rachel M Hiller ◽  
Sarah L Halligan ◽  
Richard Meiser-Stedman ◽  
Elizabeth Elliott ◽  
Emily Rutter-Eley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Support Seeking ◽  
And Coping

ObjectivesYoung people who have been removed from their family home and placed in out-of-home care have commonly experienced abuse, neglect and/or other forms of early adversity. High rates of mental health difficulties have been well documented in this group. The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of these young people within the care system, particularly in relation to support-seeking and coping with emotional needs, to better understand feasible and acceptable ways to improve outcomes for these young people.Design and study settingThis study used 1:1 semistructured qualitative interviews with young people in out-of-home care in England, to provide an in-depth understanding of their views of coping and support for their emotional needs, both in terms of support networks and experiences with mental health services. Participants were 25 young people aged 10–16 years old (56% female), and included young people living with non-biological foster carers, kinship carers and in residential group homes.ResultsParticipants described positive (eg, feeling safe) and negative (eg, feeling judged) aspects to being in care. Carers were identified as the primary source of support, with a supportive adult central to coping. Views on support and coping differed for young people who were experiencing more significant mental health difficulties, with this group largely reporting feeling unsupported and many engaging in self-harm. The minority of participants had accessed formal mental health support, and opinions on usefulness were mixed.ConclusionsResults provide insight, from the perspective of care-experienced young people, about both barriers and facilitators to help-seeking, as well as avenues for improving support.

‘Getting our voices out there’: acceptability of a mental health participation programme for young people with out of home care experience in Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1085-1093
Author(s):  
Jessie Rafeld ◽  
Kristen Moeller-Saxone ◽  
Sue Cotton ◽  
Simon Rice ◽  
Katherine Monson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
System Level ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Care Experience ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Meaningful Participation

Abstract Youth with experience of out-of-home-care (OoHC) typically have poorer mental health than their peers in the general population, and lack opportunities to contribute to service planning. Promoting mental health through leadership training may improve young people’s mental health and facilitate system change. The Bounce Project is a pilot youth-leadership mental health training programme co-designed with young people who have experienced OoHC. In this study, we evaluated the Bounce Project from the young people’s perspectives to explore the acceptability, successes and limitations of the training to promote the participant’s mental health and their contribution to system level change. Thirteen young people aged 18–26 years old who had experienced OoHC and participated in the Bounce Project were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematically analysed. Four major themes were thereby identified: making their mark; opportunities for growth; redefining roles and pitfalls of research participation. Participants valued the opportunity to have their voices heard, participate in research and learn about mental health. Perceived negative aspects included infrequent participation opportunities, interpersonal difficulties and frustration about the limitations of research including pressure to recruit and restrictive deadlines. Participating in the Bounce Project was a mostly positive experience, but young people also encountered barriers to meaningful participation. Youth with lived experience need more avenues to participate in research and leadership, but research programmes require specific designs that take into consideration the needs of participants and create opportunities for effective and meaningful participation.

scholarly journals “I think I have a problem”. Disclosure of mental health difficulties by friends.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Lampard-Scotford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Young People ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Mental Health Issue ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Coping Responses ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
And Coping

Amidst concerns that the prevalence of young people experiencing a mental health issue is increasing, it is important to understand young people’s responses to mental illness disclosures. Drawing on data from one-on-one interviews with six participants aged between 19 and 22, this paper demonstrates how perceived barriers, age and context changes, and stress and coping responses effect a young person’s response to a mental illness disclosure from friends, and how these responses serve to either prevent or facilitate future help-seeking. Consequently, participants suggested stigma was the most significant impediment to help-seeking behaviours in young people with MHPs. Age and context differences were also highlighted, alongside their effect on the participants’ stress and coping responses to disclosures and perceptions of barriers in mental health. Implications for future research and practice are also outlined.

Assisting Carers to Respond to the Mental Health Needs of Children

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Fergeus ◽  
Cathy Humphreys ◽  
Carol Harvey ◽  
Helen Herrman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Developed World

Across the developed world, efforts are being made to identify and develop effective interventions that will reduce the prevalence and severity of mental health problems among children and young people in out-of-home care. Foster and kinship carers have been identified as critically important in this process. In order to develop an understanding of what interventions and/or supports assist carers in responding effectively to the mental health needs of the children and young people in their care, a scoping review was undertaken. Using the scoping study method, 1064 publications were identified, and 82 publications were selected for further analysis. The review shows that promising interventions that aim to improve the mental health of children and young people living in out-of-home care have been developed and trialled both in Australia and internationally. However, the review also highlights the lack of research specifically focused on the role of the carer.

Mental Health Supports and Young People Transitioning from Out-of-home Care in Victoria

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina Rahamim ◽  
Philip Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
The Impact

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OHC) are a vulnerable group. One particular manifestation of disadvantage is poor mental health outcomes which may reflect both the traumatic effects of childhood abuse, and a lack of support on leaving care. This article presents the findings of a small qualitative study undertaken in Victoria which explored the views of OHC and mental health service providers regarding the mental health support needs of care leavers. The findings are consistent with existing research results internationally in highlighting a number of key factors that influence mental health outcomes including the impact of pre-care, in-care and transition from care experiences.

scholarly journals Supportive practices: perceptions of interventions targeting parents whose children are placed in out-of-home care

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-362
Author(s):  
Emelie Shanks ◽  
Ylva Spånberger Weitz
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Child Welfare Services ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Welfare Services ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Individual Support ◽  
Financial Arrangements

Knowledge regarding the needs of parents whose children are placed in out-of-home care is still limited and studies focusing on interventions targeting this group are scarce. This article explores birth parents’ views on their needs and perceptions of support delivered by two different interventions: one offering support to individuals and the other providing a parental group. The methodology comprised a thematic analysis of 14 qualitative interviews. Parents’ expressed needs revolved around five issues: participation and influence in the relations with child welfare services; their emotional needs; their social needs; their relationship with their child; and practical and financial arrangements. The results revealed that the two interventions had overlapping as well as specific supportive functions and that these met some of the identified needs. Both programmes provided an opportunity for parents to speak openly about their grief and experiences of stigma and to receive help to cope with it, thus functioning as empowering and stigma-relieving practices that provide emotional support. The intervention that offered individual support contributed to a reduction in parents’ feelings of powerlessness when negotiating with child welfare services and functioned as an equalising practice by facilitating participation and influence. The parental group succeeded in reducing parents’ social isolation, providing social support and functioning as a normalising practice. However, neither intervention was explicitly perceived as helpful for improving parent–child relationships or practical and financial arrangements. The study highlights how the parents benefitted from receiving different types of support and contributes to knowledge about a group that has been neglected in practice and research.

Evolve Therapeutic Services: Outcomes for Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care with Complex Behavioural and Mental Health Problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Eadie
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Therapeutic Services

This study evaluated Evolve Therapeutic Services, an innovative Queensland, Australian programme employing a trauma-informed collaborative wrap-round model of care in combination with a flexible intervention approach that is individually tailored to children and young people in out-of-home care who present with complex and extreme behavioural and mental health problems. The sample consisted of 768 children and young people. Three measures, the Children's Global Assessment Scale, Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were used to assess functioning via a pre-post treatment design. Outcomes were assessed by comparing pre and post-treatment mean scores using repeated-measurest-tests. For estimates of differences in the proportion of children and young people in the clinical range between pre and post-treatment the McNemar test was used. In addition, surveys were completed by carers and stakeholders. Results provided a demographic profile, clinical profile and pre and post-treatment comparisons. Results revealed significant improvements across a range of problem areas: general functioning and adjustment; antisocial behaviour; overactivity and poor attention; non-accidental self-injury; problems with scholastic and language skills; emotional symptoms; peer and family relationships; self-care and independence; and school attendance. Survey data supported the outcomes from the stakeholder-rated and carer-rated measures. Findings provide ongoing evidence for the effectiveness of the therapeutic intervention programme.

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care and problematic substance use The views of young people and workers in Victoria

2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Baidawi ◽  
Philip Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Young People ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Problematic Substance Use ◽  
Problematic Substance ◽  
Research Findings

Existing research findings indicate that young people from state care backgrounds experience higher rates of substance use and misuse than the general population. This study explored the nature of this relationship via semi-structured, qualitative interviews with four young people who had recently transitioned from state care and three workers in the out-of-home care field, plus a focus group with seven out-of-home care and leaving care workers. The findings suggest that a range of individual, interpersonal and systematic factors contribute to problematic substance use. They include the use of self-medication to address past and present trauma, a lack of meaningful and stable relationships, and state care policies and practices that lead to young people experiencing premature and unplanned exits from state care. Some significant implications for policy and practice are identified.

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