The wellbeing of children in care and care leavers – learning from the Bright Spots Programme: Strategic Briefing

Julie Selwyn (Rees Centre, Department of Education, University of Oxford), Linda Briheim-Crookall and Claire Baker (Coram Voice)

This briefing produced for Research in Practice (RIP) provides an overview of the key messages from the Bright Spots Programme. Although it is aimed at strategic leads and senior managers, the contents are of relevance to anyone working with children in care and care leavers. In telling the story of Bright Spots the briefing addresses two fundamental questions:

1. What makes life good for children in care and care leavers?
2. How can we make life better for children in care and care leavers?

The briefing provides key messages from the Bright Spots programme, practice examples and reflective questions to help strategic leads and practitioners think about how they might use the evidence and be involved in the programme in the future. Quotes from children and care leavers who took part in the Bright Spots surveys are included throughout the report.