The Bright Spots Programme is a research and service improvement tool that works to ensure that care-experienced children and young people have a say in decisions that impact their lives. Developed by Coram Voice in partnership with Professor Julie Selwyn at the Rees Centre, University of Oxford. 

https://coramvoice.org.uk/for-professionals/bright-spots-programme/about-bright-spots-programme/

The Bright Spots Programme has been working with children in care and care leavers for over a decade to understand what they feel is important to have a good life – it has heard from around 25,000 children in care and care leavers.

Focus on Staying Connected

Back in 2022 we published a report on children and young people’s views about staying connected to the important people in their lives. 

https://coramvoice.org.uk/latest/staying-connected-report-published/

Watch a film made by young people about why staying connected is so important 

Report findings:

• Over 7,500 children and young people in care shared their views and experiences on contact arrangements with their families.
• Over a fifth of children felt they saw their mums, dads and siblings too little
• Compared with foster and kinship care, more young people in residential care were dissatisfied with how often they saw their family.
• Half of young people didn’t feel involved in decisions social workers made about their lives.

Focus on staying connected with children who are adopted

One of the reasons children in care and care leavers wrote about why they didn’t see their brothers and sisters was because younger siblings had been placed for adoption. 

I can't have contact with my young brother because he is adopted. I'm only allowed to write to him twice a year. (11-18yrs)

I'd like to know about and see my brother who has been adopted. I don't have a photo or know how he is. (8-10yrs)

There is one brother I don’t see because he is adopted. I find it hard with my mum because I don’t see her much and don’t know much about her and what to talk about. I don’t know anything about my Dad. I don’t know if he is very nice or not. I feel nervous and scared. (11-18yrs)

Recommendations

Staying Connected makes seven key recommendations to improve policy and practice:

1. Work with all children in care to identify the key relationships in their lives.
2. Make arrangements for children and young people to maintain contact, develop relationships and reconnect with people who are important to them.
3. Listen to and involve children and young people in decisions about the arrangements to see and keep in touch with family and others who are important to them.
4. Keep children in care informed about their families, why they can or cannot see them, and what arrangements have been made for them to spend time together.
5. Normalise family time whenever possible, minimising the use of contact centres and supporting children and families to meet in the community they can or cannot see them, and what arrangements have been made for them to spend time together.
6. Ensure plans are regularly reviewed and reflect the current circumstances, wishes and needs of children and young people and their families.
7. Make sure the workforce has the skills and knowledge to prioritise and confidently support children in care to stay connected to the people who are important to them.

Learn more and use the findings:

• Read our Key findings and Recommendations report to give a quick overview of what the research found and how services might be improved
• Read the full Research Report to learn more in depth about what children and young people said.
• Download the Workshop template and Self-assessment and reflection sheet to explore and review how to address the findings and recommendations in your local area.
• Film from the research team on the findings
• Watch our webinar on Staying Connected
• Read Julie Selwyn’s academic article