Children and Young People - Outcomes

Here are some of the conclusions from research conducted by Strathclyde University about our outcomes:

SWIIS Foster Care (Scotland) are providing placements for looked after children who could be regarded as otherwise ‘hard to place’

Once children are placed with SWIIS they tend to become settled in the same school.

The young people had better than average attendance for their stage and status in comparison with government data for looked after children in Scotland and with foster children in research reported by the University of Strathclyde and Scottish Government in 2008.

The type of education support SWIIS provides is not only likely to lead to enhanced attainment by young people but is also a vital component of placement stability for challenging and troubled young people.

A particular strength in SWIIS’s work is its multi-disciplinary approach, which is supported by effective communication across the agency.

Education workers help carers and young people to derive benefit from participation in schemes run
by schools to encourage wider achievements.

The education support is implemented in ways that help to mitigate exclusions and when they do occur reduce the impact on children and carers.

Evidence of SWIIS’s careful recruitment of carers who were committed to the SWIIS emphasis on
promoting educational achievement and who had the personal resources to co-operate effectively with SWIIS towards this end.

SWIIS Carers involved children in decisions and took account of their preferences.
Carers endeavoured to establish regular and supportive communication with the children’s birth parents.

Carers rated highly the communication with SWIIS staff and thought the quality of
support about educational matters was excellent.

SWIIS has considerable strengths in providing professional development. This is particularly important since SWIIS staff have a key role in developing carers’ understanding of how to support schooling and how to manage behaviours that might jeopardies the child’s or young person’s placement.