Taking Part in Research About Children's Homes

Kingston University and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) are carrying out research about children’s homes placements in England. The research is funded by a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

We want to understand: Why some children’s home placements work better than others; what young people, parents, care home staff and placement teams think about how well children’s needs and provision are matched; and, how this could be improved.

As part of this, NCB would like to talk to young people with experience of living in children's home (a residential placement) when they were in care. You can take part if:
  • You have experience of living in a children’s home in England, this could have been for a short or long period of time.
  • You are aged between 16 and 25.
  • You live in the UK and have a current UK mobile or landline phone number.

If you take part, you will need to:
  • Discuss children’s homes placements in two group sessions, which are planned to take place in November 2024 and Summer/Autumn 2025. These sessions will take place online and include other young people who have lived experience of care home placements.
  • Think about why some children’s home placements work well, and others don’t; what a ‘good’ placement looks like; and how placements could be improved.
  • Decide whether you would like to take part in an optional 1-to-1 interview in Spring/Summer 2025.
  • Agree to being recorded so discussions can be recorded accurately. These recordings won’t be shared outside of the Research Team who will be delivering the sessions and interviews. You won’t need to answer any questions that you don’t want to, and you don’t need to share any personal experiences which you would prefer to keep private.

All participants will be kept anonymous (this means your name and personal details won’t be shared), unless we have concerns that someone is in danger or is unsafe. You will receive a £20 voucher after each session you take part in.

This research is voluntary, this means you should only take part if you would like to. You are also able to decide to stop taking part at any point.

If you would like to take part, please complete this form.

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* 1. Which of the following applies to you?

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* 2. What is your name?

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* 4. What is your phone number?

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* 5. How would you prefer to be contacted?

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* 6. When is the best time to contact you?

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* 7. Are you able to take part in an online discussion on the following dates (you can tick more than one option)?

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* 8. What is your date of birth?

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* 9. What is your ethnicity?

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* 10. What is your gender identity?

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* 11. What is your postcode?

If you complete this application a member of staff from NCB may contact you to:

  • Answer any questions you have
  • Find out about any help you need to take part
  • Confirm if you are taking part in the research
  • Tell you how to join the online discussion group
  • NCB may also contact you by email about its other research. You can opt out of this at any time.
  • NCB will not share your contact details with anyone else.
You can read our Privacy Statement here to understand how we collect and manage your data.

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* 12. Are you happy to be contacted?

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