Meeting children's needs within a family focussed agenda: The case of support care

This article is concerned with the experiences and perspectives of eleven children engaged with a family support service in England and Wales, UK. Support care is a short break provision for children, designed to ease family tensions and prevent long-term separation. Children and young people are most affected by families' involvement with the service as they have to spend regular periods away from their parents and home. The article is based on findings from a qualitative case study of support care. Eighty-two qualitative interviews and 22 h of participant observation were undertaken with children and young people, parents, support carers and social workers. Children's experiences of support care are examined within the article and this includes consideration of initial engagement with the service, the delivery of care and the relationships established with carers over the course of the intervention. Some practice tensions are highlighted in efforts to support children as well as maintain emphasis on family-focussed objectives. It is argued that the service specific issues raised have wider relevance for family support and social work policy and practice.