Journal of Children s Services

Hannah L. Thompson; Marie‐Claire Reville; Anna Price; Laura Reynolds; Lauren Rodgers; Tamsin Ford

2014 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-05-2013-0019

Purpose – There is a lack of valid and reliable generic measures of Health‐Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) for children under eight. The purpose of this paper is to assess the psychometric properties of the newly formulated Quality of Life Scale for Children (QoL‐C), which uses a pictorial response format. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 335 primary school children completed the QoL‐C on two occasions, two weeks apart. Children aged four to seven were interviewed one‐to‐one while children aged eight to nine completed the measure as a class activity. Test‐re‐test reliability, convergent validity and child‐parent concordance were assessed. Findings – Only one child refused to complete the QoL‐C, which suggests the measure is user‐friendly. Test‐re‐test reliability was moderate for the measure's total score (intraclass correlation coefficient =0.48, 95 percent CI 0.39, 0.57) but low to fair for individual items ( K from 0.13 to 0.37). Internal consistency was moderate (α=0.42 time one, 0.53 time two). A small significant correlation was found between the QoL‐C and Child Health Meter in the expected direction ( r =−0.32), suggesting convergent validity. There was low concordance between the children's QoL‐C responses and parent's responses ( r =0.19) to a parallel measure. Research limitations/implications – The results suggest that further development of this measure is needed. However, the findings indicate that one‐to‐one support increases the reliability of very young children's responses. The use of pictures, emoticons and minimal text used in the QoL‐C should be investigated further. Originality/value – Low parent‐child concordance underscores the importance of younger children getting the opportunity to share their views about their HRQoL.

Liam O’Hare; Paul Connolly

2014 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-05-2013-0021

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a free book gifting programme, called “Bookstart+”, in improving family reading outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Bookstart+ consists of a pack of books and reading materials provided to families at their two‐year‐old child's statutory health visit. The pack is accompanied by a short priming demonstration, delivered by the health visitor, on shared reading. The evaluation took the form of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) with 460 families from the client lists of 115 health visitors. Findings – The study found evidence of: a positive significant effect on parents’ attitudes to reading and books (Cohen's d =+0.192, p =0.034); no significant effect on parental attitudes to their child reading ( d =+0.085, p =0.279); and a negative effect, approaching significance, on public library usage ( d =−0.160, p =0.055). Research limitations/implications – The attrition rate was high, with only 43.9 per cent of the target families completing all of the research. However, this level of attrition did not lead to any significant differences between the control and intervention groups on their pre‐test measures. Practical implications – The study provides recommendations for free book gifting service provision in relation to pack contents and delivery. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the limited international RCT evidence on free book gifting programmes.

Judy Hutchings; Margiad Elen Williams

2014 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-08-2013-0027

Purpose – This paper aims to describe coal‐face challenges to making services in the UK work to ensure the mental and physical health, safety and wellbeing of children. Design/methodology/approach – After briefly referring to some challenges to effective joined‐up service provision, it describes examples from the first author's experience of problems, during 30+ years as an NHS clinical child psychologist, and some solutions. It then describes two challenges that underpin many of these problems: lack of understanding of, or training in, evaluating evidence for interventions and a more general lack of knowledge about effective behaviour change principles. Findings – The paper concludes with recommendations about how to achieve effective joined‐up services. Common themes emerging from the research are discussed, including choosing evidence‐based programmes, providing adequate training to staff, and increasing people's understanding of behavioural principles. Originality/value – Having effective joined‐up services would mean better services for parents and their children, and would be more cost‐effective for the NHS. The ideas presented in this paper could also be applied to other services within the NHS.

Jan Nordoff; Iolo Madoc‐Jones

2014 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-12-2013-0037

Purpose – Children who enter the care system in England and Wales are among some of the most vulnerable children in society, often presenting with high levels of need. Ensuring that the children's workforce has the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of caring for this group of children has been at the forefront of policy agendas over the past two decades. This paper aims to report on an educational initiative to develop the capacity of residential childcare staff to work therapeutically with children. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the origins and nature of the Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Childcare and documents the reflections of tutors responsible for delivering the programme on their experiences. Comments from a small student sample are included to highlight the student perspective in studying for the Foundation Degree. Findings – The paper concludes that while some barriers exist in delivering the Foundation Degree to residential child care workers, programmes designed to develop knowledge and understanding of working therapeutically with children should be promoted. Originality/value – The paper highlights some of the issues and challenges associated with educating the children's workforce and reports back on one of the first Foundation Degrees in the UK focusing on residential and foster care workers.

Alison Hurst; Anna Price; Rebecca Walesby; Moira Doolan; Wendy Lanham; Tamsin Ford

2014 Journal of Children s Services

doi: 10.1108/JCS-09-2013-0030

Purpose – Despite an increasing policy focus, routine outcome monitoring (ROM) is not common practice in UK children's services. This paper aims to examine whether it is feasible and valid to use measures from ROM of evidence‐based parenting programmes (EBPPs) to assess the impact of services and to drive service improvements through feedback mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach – This is a secondary analysis of ROM measures collected from a London clinic offering EBPPs over five years. Demographic information from referrals was compared for attendees and non‐attendees. Changes in parent reported child behaviour were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Findings – No significant differences were found in socio‐demographic characteristics of attendees and non‐attendees. Statistically significant differences were found between pre‐ and post‐scores on parent reported SDQ scores and VAS concerns, as well as the SDQ Added Value Score. The data collected did not allow for investigation of a dose‐response relationship between the level of attendance and any improvement made. Originality/value – This study illustrates that ROM can provide useful information about the impact of EBPPs in a particular clinical context. Demographic data could support service managers to evaluate reach and uptake while evidence of improvements can be communicated back to parents and support future funding bids. Incomplete data limited the inferences that could be drawn, and collaborations between research centres and clinics may be a way to optimise the use of ROM to drive service improvement and innovation.