Quality standard
Quality statement 4: Training and support for carers
Quality statement 4: Training and support for carers
Quality statement
Health and social care provider organisations provide training, education and support programmes for carers of school aged children and young people with attachment difficulties.
Rationale
Carers can benefit from training and support to improve the stability of placements and reduce the likelihood of placement breakdown. Unstable placements are associated with poorer mental health and behavioural problems in children and young people.
Quality measures
The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.
Structure
a) Evidence of local arrangements to provide training, education and support programmes for carers of children and young people with attachment difficulties.
Data source: Local data collection.
b) Evidence that training, education and support programmes for carers of children and young people with attachment difficulties are appropriate to the age of the child.
Data source: Local data collection.
Outcome
a) Breakdown of placements for children and young people with attachment difficulties.
Data source: Local data collection. Department for Education's looked after children return, collects return to care after or during previous permanent arrangement. See also National Audit Office's children in care (2014).
b) School attendance rates for children and young people with attachment difficulties in care.
Data source: Local data collection. See the Department for Education's outcomes for children looked after by local authorities in England (2015).
c) School exclusions for children and young people with attachment difficulties in care.
Data source: Local data collection. See the Department for Education's outcomes for children looked after by local authorities in England (2015).
What the quality statement means for different audiences
Service providers (health and social care providers) ensure that carers of school aged children and young people with attachment difficulties can have training, education and support before and during a placement. Service providers should offer a range of training and support programmes appropriate for different age groups of children.
Health and social care practitioners (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services [CAMHS], specialist paediatricians, and social care practitioners) ensure that they consider training, education and support programmes for carers of school aged children and young people with attachment difficulties before and during a placement.
Commissioners (local authorities) ensure they commission training and support programmes for carers of school aged children and young people with attachment difficulties before and during placements. Programmes should be appropriate to different age groups.
Carers of school aged children and young people with attachment difficulties have training and support before and after they provide a place within their care.
Source guidance
Children's attachment. NICE guideline NG26 (2015), recommendations 1.5.4 and 1.5.8
Definitions of terms used in this quality statement
Carers
A foster carer (including kinship carers), special guardian or adoptive parent. [Adapted from NICE's guideline on children's attachment]
Training, education and support programmes
The content and type of training, education and support programmes can vary according to the age of the child or young person and their individual circumstances. Examples of training and support programmes that could be provided can be found in section 1.5 of NICE's guideline on children's attachment.