Support needs of children and young people who move due to domestic violence

This is the summary report of findings from research funded by the Scottish Executive and commissioned by Women’s Aid. The research explores the views, experiences and support needs of children and young people who have to move home as a result of domestic abuse.

Key findings:
- Information from prior studies suggests that children experiencing domestic abuse are likely to know about it and be affected by it; have sophisticated understandings and information about it; and to have mixed views about refuge life. Earlier studies also suggest that given the complexities of their lives, it can be difficult for organisations to find effective ways to support them.
- Moving school or returning to school following having to move house because of domestic abuse was a major source of anxiety; this seemed to be focused on anxieties about implications for relationships with friends and friendships.
- One theme emerging strongly from the interviews was the value young people placed on having someone they could completely trust to talk to about their experiences. However, finding someone appropriate to fulfil this role could be difficult.
- Support agencies should prioritise helping them maintain old friendships and networks; helping them build new ones where this is not possible.
- Recognition should be given to the value young people in this situation place on being able to talk about their experiences to someone they completely trust who will keep their information private; recognise how difficult it is for them to find support at this time from friends and relatives.
- Schools should acknowledge the difficulties young people have when return in to or moving school in this situation; appreciate this is a very difficult transition; make planned and appropriate provision.
- Schools should take seriously the concerns and anxieties young people have about peer relationships when returning to school or moving school in this situation; find ways to acknowledge this; make planned and appropriate provision.

Training and Development Needs of Leaders of Children's Services

This report follows a study involving six in-depth local area case studies including interviews with the Director of Children’s Services, assistant directors of children’s services, members of the Children’s Trust, the Chief Executive of the local authority (LA) and the Lead Member for Children’s Services (LMCS). A further sixteen interviews were carried out with DCSs over the telephone.

Key findings:
- The study highlighted the importance of strong leadership underpinned by a number of personal qualities and values necessary for effective delivery of the DCS role. The qualities identified were generally similar to those that might be expected for other local authority leadership roles. However, one in particular was considered critical for the DCS role - the passion for the children’s rights and entitlements agenda.
- Stakeholders described a range of professional characteristics (or behaviours) which they
considered to be important. These included:
• displaying a personal and professional demeanour which commands the confidence of
others;
• the ability to anticipate, manage and take risks;
• working collaboratively and recognising and respecting the skills of others;
• a commitment to developing others;
• ability to remain robust under pressure, and inspire others to do the same.
- Other issues which were considered to influence effective delivery of the role were raised by the DCSs consulted. These were:
• the corporate and political demands of the role;
• the mismatch between the statutory responsibilities and decision making powers;
• the expectations associated with the size and breadth of the role;
• the emphasis of responsibilities across all ECM outcomes.
- Given that many DCSs currently come from a specific professional background, gaining
experience of the sectors they were less familiar with was initially important;
- The integration agenda means that DCSs’ attention is predominantly focused on issues
such as: developing robust lines of accountability; outcome based management.
pooling budgets; joint appointments; and commissioning services. These represented
new challenges and have therefore required strong leadership skills.
- Some consultees identified that, for them, leading the partnership required an additional
set of skills and a change in style.

DCSF Customer Perception Survey

BMG (commissioned by the DCSF) have undertaken this customer perception survey by interviewing 1000 respondents across the UK (a sample designed to be broadly representative of the general public). The survey is structured on the 6 Department Strategic Objectives which the DCSF have.

Key points:

- 65% believe it is very important that 3-4 year olds attend some form of pre-school.

- 80% believe that bullying is a problem in schools, to some degree. Females being more likely to assert this claim.

- The majority of respondents feel that all situations are safe for young people during the day, although opinion is divided when considering situations for young people at night.

- The majority of general public respondents feel that the current quality of publicly funded education is good, with a minority rating any stage as poor to any degree.

- Respondents were most likely to rate the current quality of university or higher education as good as almost nine in ten gave a positive rating here (87%). This is followed by the younger education stages as nurseries, pre-schools and early learning were rated positively by 85%, while 84% feel that the quality of primary education is good. 6th Form colleges or Further Education colleges were felt to provide good quality education by 81%. Secondary schools were most likely to be rated as very or quite poor, by a third of general public respondents (34%), although still the majority of respondents rate secondary schools as good (66%).

- The majority of respondents feel that pupil behaviour is generally good (30%) or acceptable (40%), while around a quarter (27%) feels that it is poor.

- Seven in ten respondents agree that England is a good country for children to grow up in, while just over a quarter disagree that this is the case.

The influence of context on attainment in primary school

Growing awareness of the importance of parents and the home environment in shaping children’s achievement, coupled with the recognition of the school as a site for engagement in broader aspects of social and personal development, has raised interest in the interactions between these different influences as a way of addressing issues of educational attainment and inequality. This study by the Institute of Education explores the nature of these links and considers the relative contribution of different aspects of four different ‘contexts’ or likely spheres of influence on pupil achievement in England at Key Stage 2 (age 10/11), as well as their associations with one another.

Key findings:
- Pupils with better contexts – i.e. better individual, school and family background and experience – have higher scores in Key Stage 2 assessments in English, maths and science.
- Child capabilities are most important in predicting Key Stage 2 attainment across all three subjects. Social and economic family background factors carry the second-largest influence. Much weaker in predicting attainment are proximal features of the family (family relationships and behaviours), with the school-peer context having the weakest influence.
- Individuals who have a good quality experience in one sphere of their life are also more likely to have good experiences in other contexts.
- The effect of each context on attainment is affected by its relationships with other contexts.

Involvement of business in education

This DCSF review of the most robust evidence on the impact of education links with employers
specifically focused on measurable impacts.

Key points:
- There are positive impacts of employers’ involvement with education. However, there have been only a few studies that provide evidence of a measurable improvement in grades, or other measures of students’ attainment.
- Other positive impacts include preparedness for work, developing job and work skills, improving work-based competencies, attitudes and behaviours, enhanced employability and higher initial wage rates. Although not directly related to student attainment these findings provide valuable evidence of the impact and importance of business involvement in education.
- In ‘Business Involvement in Mathematics’, communication and exchange of ideas between teachers and the business community about the curriculum and teaching was a key contributory factor to the positive impacts.
- For mentoring to be effective it should be part of whole-school approach to raise attainment, and that there should be clear selection criteria for students receiving mentoring.
- In the Increased Flexibilities Programme, which provided vocational learning opportunities for young people, having employers as visiting speakers contributed to students gaining higher qualifications.
- Having employees working with schools as an actual work assignment, rather than as an extra-curricular activity, was a key feature of the success of the IBM business links with education.
- Positive impacts on students’ outcomes other than objective measures of student
attainment included:
• Lower drop-out rates, improved attendance, increased academic course taking, and the increased likelihood of graduating on time. (Kemple and Snipes, 2000).
• Higher rates of enrolment and continuity in post-secondary education, sustained higher levels of employment, and higher hourly wage rates.
- Of the higher quality studies, some found positive impacts on academic attainment. But, a similar number did not detect any impact.
- No high quality research has detected a negative impact on attainment.

The impact of programme led apprenticeships

This Ofsted survey evaluates programme-led apprenticeships (PLA) and their impact on improving participation and achievement. Programme-led apprenticeships provide an important alternative to the more traditional employer-led apprenticeship route for young people who have found it difficult to gain employment or for those who require an initial period of planned training before taking up employment. This report looks at the different methods of delivering programme-led apprenticeships and evaluates their success.

The Learning and Skills Council published "A Strategy for programme-led apprenticeships in England for 2007–2010 in July 2007". This report also looks at the implementation of this strategy.

Key points:
- Learners on PLAs were better prepared for their apprenticeship and were more likely to achieve their full apprenticeship framework in a shorter time period where PLAs were well-designed and provided an initial period of planned training which included elements of the apprenticeship framework.
- Employers were positive about the initial period of planned training that learners on PLAs had undertaken prior to becoming employed. It enabled employed apprentices to settle more quickly into their work roles.
- Too few further education colleges had converted their programme-led full-time vocational courses to ensure there was progression to an employed apprenticeship.
- Work placements, as part of a programme-led apprenticeship, gave a valuable opportunity for young people to start an apprenticeship where there were insufficient employers offering apprenticeships or where they needed work experience prior to being employed. But learners who spent too long on a work placement, without the prospect of securing employment, lost motivation and were more likely to leave their programme.
- The low level of payment available for learners on PLAs is a potential deterrent for those on work placements. There were examples of learners on PLAs working for 30 hours a week and receiving no payment.
- Insufficient use was made of PLAs as a progression route from Entry to Employment.
- Learners’ views on PLAs were mixed. Learners on PLAs who were completing an initial period of planned training were generally more positive than those on work placements.

The report also contains recommendations for the Learning & Skills Council, Government Departments, Skills Sector Councils and Learners and Providers.