Costs & Effectiveness of Services Children in Need – serie

Care services for children depend on a limited supply of resources; it is vital that these are used to best effect. This book considers the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these services and their contribution to children's well-being.The book presents the findings of a set of original research studies. It looks at services provided by the statutory, for-profit and voluntary sectors, examining the way they are delivered and how resources are distributed. It examines the cost of providing particular services, the extent to which they improve outcomes for children and the degree to which they can be considered cost-effective. It explores what changes can and should be made to improve efficiency, paying particular attention to the possible contributions of early intervention and better co-ordination. From the research findings, Jennifer Beecham and Ian Sinclair draw key messages for practice for the use of resources and for future research in this area.This is an invaluable book for those practitioners, policy makers, managers, who are concerned with social care services for children.

Managing Children's Homes focuses on leadership, effective management, the allocation of resources, and ensuring positive outcomes for young people in residential care.The book develops an interdisciplinary understanding of what needs to be taken into account when establishing and maintaining good practice on behalf of young people living in children's homes. The authors explain the considerable variation in quality achieved by children's homes and how this relates to management style, working environment and staff structures. The skills and qualities that make effective managers of homes are explored. These, along with factors such as the provision of resources, are investigated to demonstrate how to attain a successful children's home environment and longer-term achievement for looked-after children.Based on innovative, DfES-funded, interdisciplinary research, this book will be essential reading for staff and managers in children's care homes and will also be of interest to students, policy-makers and directors of social services.

Care services for children depend on a limited supply of resources; it is vital that these are used to best effect. This book considers the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these services and their contribution to children's well-being.The book presents the findings of a set of original research studies. It looks at services provided by the statutory, for-profit and voluntary sectors, examining the way they are delivered and how resources are distributed. It examines the cost of providing particular services, the extent to which they improve outcomes for children and the degree to which they can be considered cost-effective. It explores what changes can and should be made to improve efficiency, paying particular attention to the possible contributions of early intervention and better co-ordination. From the research findings, Jennifer Beecham and Ian Sinclair draw key messages for practice for the use of resources and for future research in this area.This is an invaluable book for those practitioners, policy makers, managers, who are concerned with social care services for children.