Management Information Sheet

Emotional & Behavioural Health of Looked After Children
Using the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire
Sharing Ideas & Good Practice The Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ - Robert Goodman 1997) is a short screening questionnaire designed to measure emotional & behavioural health of children and young people aged 4-16. The SDQ is designed so that triangulated data can be gathered about a child/young person from the parent/carer and their teacher, and for 11-16 year olds the young person themselves.

This year, a new requirement was introduced by the Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSF) whereby all local authorities must report on the emotional and behavioural health of looked after children (LAC) aged 4-16. The tool selected by the DCSF is the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire, which was completed by all carers.

As this is the first year that the SDQ is being administered, Norfolk Children's Services decided to extend the process to get some triangulated data and to carry out some review activities. Looked After Children aged 11-16 were therefore invited to complete the SDQ, which 113 (around one-third of them) did. Teachers of LAC aged 11-16 were also given an opportunity to complete the SDQ and 139 correctly completed teacher questionnaires were received on behalf of LAC in their schools. In some cases the questionnaire was completed by the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children but often the form tutor, class teacher or other adult completed it; in one case relevant staff met to pool information when completing questionnaires about a number of children.

In June and July 2009 two Focus Groups for Designated Teachers of LAC were held and from these a number of comments and suggestions were made about using the SDQ. These were:

	A good exercise for general awareness raising about the importance of mental health & wellbeing of Looked After Children as well as others
	A good way of capturing the child's strengths & weaknesses
	An opportunity to reflect on the child over the past year or so i.e. to think about their behaviour and wellbeing over a long period rather than simply the most recent events/presentation
	A good way to focus on where intervention might help
	An opportunity to spend individual time with the child and discuss their emotional wellbeing with them
	An opportunity to get triangulated data i.e. views from child, home and school
	A way of tracking emotional health & wellbeing over time
	A useful phase transition document; the SDQ could form part of a transition pack
	A useful tool for pre & post measurement when using a specific intervention (a version exists for this purpose)
	Helpful for informing IEP targets
	A good way of sharing information by either: - passing the form on/receiving it or - a group of staff coming together to pool information when completing the SDQ
	Evidence to support accessing other resources/services e.g. Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services
	An opportunity to promote a solution focused approach and build on strengths identified
	A mechanism to help strengthen relationships between adults and children in school by completing with the child/young person
	A good way to raise emotional health & wellbeing in the Personal Education Plan (PEP) meeting
	A possible activity for staff to self-complete as part of whole school reflection on emotional literacy/wellbeing
	Consideration could be given to completing the SDQ for all pupils

Feedback about completing the questionnaire was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers reported that the SDQ was a quick & easy tool to use. Some commented that monitoring emotional health & wellbeing should be seen as relevant as tracking academic attainment.

The Focus Groups facilitated discussion about the SDQ as a tool and allowed participants to reflect on the emotional health & wellbeing of Looked After Children, as well as the wider pupil population.

Data from the questionnaires and feedback from a range of review activities is helping Children's Services in their planning to meet the emotional & behavioural needs of LAC in Norfolk.
For information about the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire visit www.sdqinfo.com or the youth in mind website at www.youthinmind.co.uk.

NB: Please remember that if the youth in mind website is used in order to complete a questionnaire on line children's names or other details should not be included.

Thanks to Fred Nicholson School and Notre Dame High School for hosting the Focus Groups.