Purpose – The article aims to examine the process and challenges of setting up and implementing evidence‐based programmes in regular service systems. Design/methodology/approach – The article offers a first‐hand account of a service manager seeking to implement Multisystemic Therapy and...

In the Netherlands young people with a child protection measure can be admitted to juvenile justice institutions in special cases. Since 2001 there has been a sudden rise in the number of child protection admissions. This article describes a needs analysis of the child protection cases and shows...

In the desire to improve outcomes for children in care, the issue of those individuals placed by local authorities in residential establishments run by external agencies has become especially salient. In addition to questions of quality and value for money, there are concerns about children...

Purpose – Out‐of‐home care has been a subject for policy debate since child welfare policies were first developed. Too often the debate is marked by ill‐informed sound‐bites linking “care” with negative descriptors such as “drift” or “languish”. The purpose of this paper is...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider some possible reasons for the relatively high rate in Wales of children looked after by local authorities. Design/methodology/approach Selected potential explanations for Wales having higher rates were tested against aggregate data from published...

Purpose The disproportionate representation in juvenile justice systems of children who are, or have been, in the care of the state is a major cause of concern internationally. However, the experiences of this particular group are largely absent from both policy debates and the international...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the contribution of what the authors have termed, “managed opportunities for independence” (MOI) in building the resilience of young people in care. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative, grounded theory methodology. Nine...

Purpose A residential care is home for children who live there and is simultaneously a workplace for employees aiming to safeguard the needs and development of children. Studies have shown that adolescents’ descriptions of life in residential care are connected to feelings of otherness and...