Nursery World - Over half of young children in care not told why they are there

Four- to seven-year-old children who are unaware of why they are in care are more likely to have low well-being, finds new research.

The study of 2,264 looked-after children and young people aged four to 18 across 16 local authorities, published today, reveals that of the 365 four- to seven-year-olds surveyed, 53 per cent thought it had not been fully explained to them why they were in care, and almost a quarter (23 per cent) were unsure of who their social worker was. Younger children were more likely to report this than older children.

As a result, these children were more likely to have low well-being and a few reported feeling very unsettled in their placements, not trusting their carers and not believing their carers noticed how they were feeling.

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