Quality statement 4: Support to explore and make sense of identity and relationships | Looked-after children and young people | Quality standards

Quality statement

Looked-after children and young people have ongoing opportunities to explore and make sense of their identity and relationships.

Rationale

Developing a positive identity is associated with high self-esteem and emotional wellbeing. Life story work can contribute to this by helping children and young people to explore and make sense of their family history and life outside the care system. Having accurate and up-to-date personal health information is an important part of this and may also be important for the immediate and future wellbeing of children and young people during their time in care and afterwards.

Children and young people have needs and preferences for contact with people they value, for example siblings, who may be an important part of their identity. Good contact management is important for promoting a sense of belonging, positive self-esteem and emotional wellbeing.

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 offer ongoing activities to looked-after children and young people to explore and make sense of their identity, including their life story and appropriate health history.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

b) Evidence of local arrangements to coordinate ongoing contact with people that looked-after children and young people value, including former carers, siblings, other family members, friends or professionals, if this is desired and in their best interests.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

Outcome

a) Feedback from looked-after children and young people that they feel supported to explore and make sense of their identity and life story, including their health history.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records and surveys.

b) Feedback from looked-after children and young people that they feel supported to have continued contact with people they value.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records and surveys.

c) Feedback from looked-after children and young people that they have a supportive peer network.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records and surveys.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (organisations providing care) ensure systems are in place to offer looked-after children and young people ongoing opportunities to explore and make sense of their identity, and to maintain contact with people they value, if this is desired and in their best interests.

Health and social care practitioners and education staff offer looked-after children and young people ongoing opportunities to explore and make sense of their identity, and coordinate ongoing contact with people they value, if this is desired and in their best interests.

Commissioners (for example, local authorities) ensure they commission services that offer looked-after children and young people ongoing opportunities to explore and make sense of their identity, and to maintain contact with people they value, if this is desired and in their best interests.

Looked-after children and young people are offered ongoing opportunities to explore and make sense of their identity, and are supported to maintain contact with people they value, if this is desired and in their best interests.

Source guidance

Looked-after children and young people. NICE guideline NG205 (2021), recommendations 1.2.3, 1.2.6, 1.2.7, 1.2.12 1.2.13, 1.5.23, 1.5.28 and 1.5.36

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Carers

Carers include foster carers (including family and friends carers), residential carers and supported lodging providers. [Adapted from NICE's guideline on looked-after children and young people, and expert opinion]

Health history

A history compiled by healthcare professionals from the information held in their records and additional information given to healthcare professionals from other teams, to give practitioners and carers a clear sense of their past, present, and likely future physical and mental health needs. [NICE's guideline on looked-after children and young people, recommendation 1.5.8]

Life story

A personal or family history that helps the looked-after child or young person make sense of their journey through the care system and beyond, their significant relationships, and their identity. It can be an organised activity with a person trained to support this type of work, or an informal process reflected in the everyday conversations between carers and looked-after children or young people. It should include:

the present – identity, strengths, and significant relationships
the past – reasons for entering care and for any placement breakdowns, important memories and relationships
the future – building independence, careers, hopes and dreams.

[NICE's guideline on looked-after children and young people, recommendations 1.5.23, 1.5.24 and 1.5.25]

Equality and diversity considerations

It is important for looked-after children and young people to be given the opportunity to develop their own identity, rather than assumptions being made by those working with and caring for them based on particular characteristics, such as ethnicity, faith or gender.

Certain groups of looked-after children and young people may face additional issues affecting their sense of identity. For example, children and young people in the following groups may face discrimination and isolation that can affect their ability to develop resilience and self-esteem:

black, Asian, and other minority ethnic groups
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
those from different religious backgrounds
refugees and asylum seekers
disabled people with complex needs
autistic children and young people
children and young people with a learning disability
those from different socioeconomic groups
LGBT+ people.