July 2016

Dr John Simmonds, OBE (Director of Policy, Research and Development) discusses how he has come to understand permanence and what it involves at a Coram-i seminar. Powerful research and examples are presented to highlight how this concept can be utilised to inform practice and decision-making when considering the needs of looked after children.

Key points discussed in the presentation were:

• The significance of family networks, predictability and continuity as central to ‘permanence’ as a concept.
• Research on the patterns of children who have long term stays in care and its negative impact.
• The importance of trust in coping with discontinuity and continuity.

Here is a recording of his presentation:

Download the full presentation below.

• Attachments:
  • John Simmonds (pdf)
• Resource categories:
  Event resources
• Author:
  Kevin Yong