Permanently Progressing Phase 3: Adolescence and early adulthood

Concept Note – Permanently Progressing? Phase Three

Since 2014, the Permanently Progressing? study has been gathering information on the experiences, routes, and timeframes to permanence of all 1,836 children who became looked after in Scotland in 2012-13 when aged five or under. It is the largest longitudinal study of care experienced children in the UK and is tracking children’s progress to permanence and their outcomes at key life stages (early childhood, middle childhood, and late adolescence/early adulthood).

Phase 1 (2014-18) was funded by a philanthropic donor. It analysed children’s pre-care experiences, pathways and early outcomes from birth to age eight, drawing on administrative data, surveys of caregivers and social workers, interviews with caregivers and decision makers, and ‘play and talk’ sessions with children.

Phase 2 (2020-24) was funded by the same donor and the Nuffield Foundation. It built on and extended the findings of Phase 1. It drew on administrative data: Children Looked After Statistics (CLAS) and education data, surveys (of children’s social workers and caregivers), and interviews (with children, birth parents, kinship carers, foster carers, and adoptive parents).

Between them, Phases 1 and 2 built up a picture of the lives of the 1,836 children over time, including their experiences pre- care, their journeys and timeframes to permanence (or impermanence), their wellbeing, their connections with important people (including birth parents and siblings), and the supports they and their caregiver received/would have liked to receive.

Phase 3 (2026-2030) will revisit the 1,836 cohort children in late adolescence/early adulthood. The study uses mixed methods, and Phase 3 will draw on administrative data, surveys (young people and caregivers), interviews (young people, caregivers and birth parents) and focus groups (professionals). Utilising different forms of data enables the study to build a picture of the lives of young people and the people who are important to them which has both breadth and depth. It is a dynamic and textured picture of children’s (and their caregivers’) lives over time, rather than just a ‘snapshot’, enabling us to look back and identify continuities and changes for our cohort. 

The overarching aim of our communication and dissemination strategy for Phase 3 is similar to Phase 2 -  to ensure findings contribute to the evidence base about permanence and have a positive impact on policy and practice with, and on behalf of, children, young people and their families. Our dissemination strategy is underpinned by three questions – what do we want different audiences (including policy, practice, children and families) to know, feel and do. 

The audiences we will prioritise are those who are most likely to effect change in the lives of care experienced children, young people, and the people who are important to them – professionals from social work, education, and health; policy and decision makers, and of course children’s families. 

Permanently Progressing is distinctive, as it is the largest longitudinal study of care experienced children in the UK, tracking children’s progress to permanence (or impermanence) and their outcomes at key life stages (early childhood, middle childhood, and late adolescence/early adulthood).