1. Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us
This slide deck sets out what children and young people told us about their experiences of children’s homes and foster carers

2. Background
Each year, we use online questionnaires to gather views about children’s homes, secure children’s homes, adoption services, fostering services and residential family centres.1
The questionnaires are for children and young people, parents, staff, social workers and other professionals, such as independent reviewing officers.
The questionnaires ran from 11 January to 3 April 2016 and we received responses from 23,575 individuals.
Our main purpose is to use the responses, along with other information we have, such as previous inspection findings or any concerns, to decide when to inspect and what to focus on when we do.
(You can find the footnotes at the end of the presentation.)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

3. Who are the children we are talking about?
There are 11.5 million children aged 0−17 years in England.
70,440 are children looked after.
74% of children looked after live with foster carers (51,850).
8% of children looked after are in children’s homes (around 5,940).2
2,859 children placed by 150 local authorities told us about their children’s home or foster carers in our 2016 questionnaires.3
You can view the accompanying data here: what-children-and-young-people-told-ofsted
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

4. Key messages from 2016
Last year, we looked at what children and young people told us was good about their children’s home or foster carers and what could be better.4
This year, we heard some important messages from children:
children need to understand why they came into care
children can find moving into a new home a difficult experience
children need to be able to build relationships with adults they can trust
children rely on the adults caring for them to help keep them safe.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

5. Children need to understand why they came into care
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

6. Most children told us they understand why they came into care
I have been helped to understand why I am in care
children’s homes (1091 total responses)
fostering (1293 total responses) 84
90% 4%
84% 7%
90% 4%
Yes No
Yes No
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us
Slide 6

7. The field social worker
Helping children to understand why they came into care is important work
They make sure I understand and encourage me to talk about it and if I don't understand why then they will always find out the answers to my questions (age 15, children’s home)
The field social worker
and staff have explained why I'm in care. I understand the situation and control my emotions better now (age 16, children’s home)
My social worker has explained fully things to me, also, my foster carers always talk to me about things going on if I am ever confused about anything to do with me being in care (age 16, fostering)
My foster mum explained in great detail about why I am in care. She did life story work, which helped me understand about my past. It helped me a lot and I felt a lot better once I understood (age 10, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

8. Not all children have been helped and some need better support to understand
People just tell me I can't go back to my mum's (age 16, children’s home)
No one has gone through all of the reasons with me (age 15, children’s home)
I have been explained to but I still don't understand (age 13, children’s home)
I don't really understand why my parents couldn't keep me (age 10, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

9. Children can find moving into a new home a difficult experience
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

10. Children don’t always get to find things out about their new home
Around one in four children told us they didn’t receive useful information before they moved in or had a short break at their children’s home
(1367 total responses)
Around one in three children told us they didn’t receive useful information before they moved in or had a short break with their foster family
(1402 total responses)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

11. Even fewer children get to visit their new home
Around one in three children told us they weren’t able to visit their children’s home before they moved in or had a short break
(1366 total responses)
Around half of children told us they weren’t able to visit their foster family before they moved in or had a short break (1399 total responses)
Some children already knew their foster carers because they were family members or people they had visited for short breaks; this may be why the figures are lower when compared to children’s homes.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

12. Finding things out beforehand can help children
They let me have a sleep over and had a meal so I felt comfortable before moving (age 17, children’s home)
They make sure I understand and encourage me to talk about it and if I don't understand why then they will always find out the answers to my questions (age 15, children’s home)
My previous carers informed me of my new family. My new family made a DVD about themselves and where I was going to live. I watched this with my then carers and on my own (age 15, fostering)
I got a booklet about
the foster family with pictures of them, my room, what the home looked like and the birth children. I got it before my first visit so I could ask questions if I wanted to with my social worker. It made me feel much better about where I was going, less worried too
(age 15, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

13. Some children didn’t know anything about their new home or who they would be living with before they moved in. Some told us they didn’t find anything out because their move was unplanned or they couldn’t visit because their new home was too far away.
I was not told
anything about it at all and neither was my family (age 14, children’s home)
I wasn’t given any information and was informed it was far away and when I was brought it was with strangers (age 14, children’s home)
All that was done the social worker I had at the time turned up and took me away. I didn't have a single clue I was being moved into another foster home (age 13, fostering)
I was moved from a previous placement without having any knowledge of who they were, where they lived, nothing (age 16, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

14. Children need to be able to build relationships with adults they can trust
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

15. Children told us that when other people have picked on them or upset them, staff or foster carers have helped and supported them by getting involved and:
helping children to deal with difficult situations and offering support and reassurance
talking to those involved
contacting the school (where necessary) to get the situation resolved
taking action to stop it from happening again.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

16. When children get the right help
Staff talk to me and
give me good ideas how to deal with it. Also staff speak to the school teachers and let them know if I have any problems with other kids at school (age 14, children’s home)
Staff would talk
to me first then talk to the [other] young person and help me to rebuild my friendship with the young person (age 12, children’s home)
I have talked to my
carers about issues that have worried me and they gave me good advice and ways to be confident to say 'no' if I feel pressured to do things (age 17, fostering)
We talk through things that have upset me and they help me to put things into perspective. Things do not bother me as much now as they would have done before I moved to this family (age 15, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

17. But not all children get the help they need
They say they can’t do nothing most of the time (age 15, children’s home)
The staff are rarely in
the room at the time that I was
upset however when I tell them what happened they don't do anything about it however some staff members
hear/see it and do something about
it however this is very rare
(age 15, children’s home)
It doesn't feel like it but they tell me they are doing it (age 11, fostering)
You get picked on… most of the time staff say ‘grow up’ (age 15, children’s home)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

18. Children told us that staff still don’t always get it right when deciding who comes to live in their home
But they did answer this question more positively than last year
Staff make good decisions about who comes to live in this home
80%
2016 (1070 total responses)
74%
57%
52%
80%
52%
2015 (1114 total responses) 8% 5%
All/most the time
All the time
Never
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

19. Involving children when someone new moves in can make a difference
Staff tell us when they are thinking of another kid coming, and we can give our thoughts and feelings on it (age 17, children’s home)
We are always consulted about a new person moving in. We get to meet them and show them round (age 17, children’s home)
One young person has moved here whilst I have been here, I was spoken to before she moved and asked my views and opinions and I met her before she moved in and we get on well (age 15, children’s home)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

20. It can make it difficult for children when staff don’t get it right
They often make
mistakes about who will get on well together (age 15, children’s home)
I feel we are put here and it doesn’t matter if we don't get on (age 15, children’s home)
The new kids usually disrupt the site and everyone falls out and it's not nice (age unknown, children’s home)
Some of the young people who have moved here since I have arrived disturb me while I am settled (age 14, children’s home)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

21. Children want to feel part of their foster family
I feel like I fit in with my foster family
(1292 total responses)
80%
94% 1%
All the time
All/most the time
Never
Although most children feel like they fit in with their foster family, those who don’t told us that some of the reasons why were because:
their foster family is too different from their own family and they don’t feel like they belong
their foster family isn’t their ‘real’ family
they blame their own behaviour.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

22. When children don’t feel like part of the foster family
Sometimes I don’t always feel like they like me (age 17, fostering)
I sometimes feel angry
towards my foster mum because she is not my birth mum and towards my foster sister
because she lives with her birth mum and I do not (age seven or younger, fostering)
There are a lot of people that come to
the house whom all share the same culture.
I am the only person in this house who shares my culture. At my original home for example, we don't use a knife to eat (but here they use a fork and knife to eat everything) because home is a place where you're supposed to feel the most comfortable. It felt very odd and robotic
(age 17, fostering)
Because I was bad sometimes my brothers don't want to talk to me so I feel I have let them down (age 12, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

23. Children rely on the adults caring for them to help keep them safe
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

24. Children living in foster homes told us they feel safer than those living in children’s homes
I feel safe inside the children’s home
(1365 total responses)
I feel safe inside my foster home
(1407 total responses)
93%
99%
<1%
70%
92%
<1%
All/most the time
Never
All the time
All/most the time
Never
All the time
These figures were similar to last year.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

25. Children told us they still feel less safe outside their home
I feel safe outside the children’s home
(1356 responses)
I feel safe outside my foster home
(1406 responses in total)
<1%
65%
92% 1%
66%
91%
All the time
All/most the time
Never
All the time
All/most the time
Never
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

26. This year, we asked children to tell us more about why they don’t feel safe outside their home
Some of the reasons they gave were:
because of the location of their home and the surrounding area
they were worried about strangers
they might come into contact with members of their birth family
they don’t feel safe in school, for example because of bullying
because of certain places, for example areas they aren’t familiar with or busy places.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

27. When children don’t feel safe outside
Because the area surrounding the care home is a rough area (age 15, children’s home)
Sometimes I feel
unsafe at school because sometimes the other children are not very nice to me (age 12, fostering)
Worried my mum might find me here (age 13, fostering)
I sometimes get
anxious when I'm out. I feel uncomfortable with people I don’t know
(age 15, children’s home)
Because I don’t
know who’s outside on the street or who might bully me (age unknown, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

28. Children need adults to teach them how to be safe
Children told us that staff or foster carers help them to stay safe by:
spending time with them, always being around and doing activities with them
keeping in contact with them when they are out and checking who they are with
having rules in place, for example curfews
asking about their day and if they have any worries or concerns
providing helpful advice, for example about making good decisions, being aware of strangers and staying safe online
making sure they are physically safe such as helping them with road safety or ensuring that any equipment they rely on, for example wheelchairs or safety harnesses, is used properly.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

29. How children are helped to stay safe
They consider my needs
and how I may react to certain
places or conditions i.e I don't like dark or crowded spaces, I also hate waiting for anything. They hold my hand and talk to me when I feel scared or nervous as I try to run (age 12, children’s home)
The staff always
make me aware of either who I talk to or who I hang around with and the dangers of the internet and social media (age 16, children’s home)
They give me reassurance.
I have lots of foster family members that I know I can ring who will come to collect me if I needed them to (age 15, fostering)
Boundaries, which I
didn’t have before. Explain things to me so that I can understand (age 16, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

30. Children staying with foster carers told us they have less chance to talk to someone independent about being missing
Did you have the chance to talk to someone
independent about being missing
(children’s homes 454 total responses)
Did you have the chance to talk to someone
independent about being missing
(fostering 170 total responses)
81%
13%
66%
29%
Yes No
Yes No
When children had the opportunity, they talked to independent organisations such as Barnardos or Catch-22, or their social worker or the police.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

31. Children who go missing can be helped when staff and foster carers try to understand the reasons why
Staff from the home
were really worried about me, afterwards they discussed with me the reasons why I went missing and what they could do as a staff team to help me feel more settled
(age 14, children’s home)
Staff have always sat down with
me when I have come back and spoken
to me about when I have gone to understand why, staff have tried to come up with alternative things for me to try when I have been upset to stop me going missing and this has helped a lot (age 15, children’s home)
I used to go missing
a lot but each time I came back they would talk to me about why I had done
what I did (age 13, fostering)
My foster carers had
an idea why I went missing but
on my return my foster carers did not pressurise me to talk about it until I was ready to speak to them (age unknown, fostering)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

32. Not all children felt that staff or foster carers tried to understand why they went missing and even when they did, children didn’t want to talk to them
Some of their comments provided an insight into why this might be
I always get lectured
and in trouble when it happens. This is annoying because they don't really know why it happens (age 17, children’s home)
They just got mad and shout (age 12, fostering)
I would tell her stuff
and she wouldn't listen to me and wouldn't care about what I was saying so I ran away (age unknown, fostering)
They say that it is my
choice to go missing and therefore the consequences are my fault even though when I do go missing I always have a reason behind it (age 14,
children’s home)
Get the cops
after me and that was it (age 16, children’s home)
Coz they wanna
be nosy (age unknown, children’s home)
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

33. Footnotes
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

34. Footnote 1
Due to a low number of responses to the questionnaires for secure children’s homes and adoption services, these have not been included in this presentation. We do not have a questionnaire for children staying at residential family centres because of their young age.
Adoption services include voluntary adoption agencies and local authority adoption services.
Fostering services include independent fostering agencies and local authority fostering services.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

35. Footnote 2
Data about the number of children looked after, living with foster carers or living in children’s homes refers to the position as at 31 March 2016 and is taken from ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2015 to 2016’, Department for Education, published 29 September 2016, including-adoption-2015-to-2016.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

36. Footnote 3
1,410 children and young people told us about their children’s home and 1,449 children and young people told us about their foster carers.
We do not inspect individual foster carers. We inspect the local authorities and agencies that recruit them.
In relation to children’s homes and fostering services, the responses from children do not solely relate to children looked after. A number of children who are not looked after receive services. For example, children who receive short breaks or are placed under other arrangements. Most users of short breaks are children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities but other children in need may also receive short breaks. The breaks usually have two aims to enable the child to participate in fun, interesting and safe activities and to provide a break for parents.
The percentages for all questions don’t include the ‘this question isn’t for me’ responses.
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

37. Footnote 4
What children and young people living in children’s homes or with foster carers told us was most important to them in 2015
people-living-in-childrens-homes-or-with-foster-carers-told-us- was-most-important-to-them
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us

38. Ofsted on the web and on social media
Children’s social care questionnaires 2016: what children told us