It has recently been argued that the relationships with people who care for and about children are the golden thread in children’s lives, and […] the quality of a child’s relationships is the lens through which we should view what we do and plan to do (Care Inquiry, 2013, p2).
This review explores the growing emphasis being placed on the relationships of children and young people in care. It examines: the nature and type of these relationships; what indicators are used to define quality; why relationships are beneficial; what barriers there are to their formation; what initiatives have been designed to support relationships; and what evidence there is about their impact.
This Insight was written by Karen Winter (Queen’s University Belfast).