The wellbeing of children in care and care leavers - learning from the Bright Spots Programme: Strategic Briefing (2022)
Introduction
This briefing provides an overview of the key messages from the Bright Spots Programme. Although it is aimed at strategic leads and senior managers, the contents are of relevance to anyone working with children in care and care leavers. In telling the story of Bright Spots the briefing addresses two fundamental questions:
1. What makes life good for children in care and care leavers?
2. How can we make life better for children in care and care leavers?
The briefing comprises three main sections:
- Overview of the Bright Spots Programme.
- Key findings from Bright Spots.
- Practice examples to improve children in care and care leavers’ well-being.
It is divided into the following sub-sections:
- Background to the Bright Spots Programme.
- What is well-being?
- What do children in care and care leavers say is important to their well-being?
- How does the Bright Spots Programme work for organisations?
- Key findings from Bright Spots.
- What makes life good for children in care and care leavers?
- Practice examples to improve children in care and care leavers’ well-being.
- What next for the Bright Spots Programme?
The briefing provides key messages from the Bright Spots programme, practice examples and reflective questions to help strategic leads and practitioners think about how they might use the evidence and be involved in the programme in the future. Quotes from children and care leavers who took part in the Bright Spots surveys are included throughout the report.
The Bright Spots Programme has been working with children in care since 2013, and care leavers from 2017, to understand what needs to be in place to enable these children and young people to flourish. The Programme helps local authorities to systematically gather the views of their children and young people. Findings are used to influence practice, service development and strategic thinking, which is essential in ensuring that children’s well-being is at the heart of delivering high-quality services.
The Programme uses four online surveys of well-being to capture the views of children and young people in care (a survey for each of the ages 4-7 years, 8-10 years and 11-18 years), and care leavers (age 18 to 25 years). To date, the Bright Spots surveys have been completed by over 17,500 children and young people from 59 local authorities in England and Wales.
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Analysis, decision-making, planning and review | Relationships and effective direct work | Confident analysis and decision-making | Designing a system to support effective practice
PCF - Rights, justice and economic wellbeing | Values and ethics
What matters to children in care and care leavers’ well-being: learning from the Bright Spots programme
This video by the Bright Spots team shares key learning from the Bright Spots programme so that professionals can better support children in care and care leavers.