Exploring qualitative outcomes to support progress towards keeping the promise

6. Conclusion

The outcomes set out above offer a working delineation of how children, young people, their carers or the professionals around them might describe their experience differently as progress towards the promise is made. They focus on quality of experience rather than whether or not, or how much, something is experienced. The outcomes are intended as a flexible resource to assist the DEG or others to appraise qualitative evidence that is found to be available and identify key gaps in that evidence. Some features, such as relationships of trust, appear in multiple outcomes, reflecting the importance of considering those aspects separately in relation to different spheres of children’s lives (e.g. schools, healthcare or the justice system).

The outcomes provide a tool for the DEG to consider available qualitative data in relation to needs for the Promise Story of Progress and make recommendations to the Promise Chairs Group. Opportunities to refine these outcomes may become apparent as work to monitor progress develops, and as the DEG extends its focus to individuals moving on from care or with previous care experience, or to children and families adjacent to the ‘care system’.

Next steps for the qualitative sub-group of the DEG will be to identify relevant sources for the outcomes relating to each Vision statement in The Promise Story of Progress. A further update on the work will be published annually.