EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
1. This report sets out the findings of the evaluation of the Reading Rich programme commissioned by the then Scottish Executive in 2004 (now Scottish Government). The programme comprised a series of literary interventions with the aim of:
'Promoting a reading rich environment for children and young people who are looked after in order to promote all of the known benefits of a reading rich environment, within which more privileged children are raised'1.
2. The programme was delivered between 2004 and 2007 through 7 different projects in a range of care settings throughout Scotland. The aim was to work with 50 young people in the first year and to roll out the programme to others in years 2 and 3. National Children's Homes Scotland ( NCH Scotland) formed a partnership with Scottish Book Trust ( SBT) to deliver the programme.
Evaluation aims and methodology
3. The key aims of the evaluation were to:
- Identify and evaluate the benefits of a 'reading rich' environment for children in residential and foster care settings in Scotland
- Identify examples of good practice to inform the development of looked after children policy
4. The evaluation planned to measure impact using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The evaluator conducted face-to-face interviews with young people and carers based on questionnaires. Information was also to be extracted from the participants' educational attainment records and Personal Care Plans to assess shifts in attitude and ability over the research period. However, eighteen months into the project the research methods were altered as a result of a range of unforeseen challenges, including:
- Difficulties in recruiting and maintaining anticipated numbers of young people, usually due to frequently changing care placements
- Insufficient time to determine whether there was a measurable impact on the young people
- Limited access to information on the young people to inform baseline research
- Problems in involving a sufficient number of the foster carers and residential care staff in the project
Findings relating to impact on young people
5. Although participation numbers were lower than expected (74 young people), post-intervention interviews with 41 young people and many of their carers revealed that the Reading Rich approach had the capacity to:
- address basic literacy skills and provide the tools for reading and writing, where many other approaches had failed
- provide a safe environment for young people to discuss and form attitudes and values relating to the most challenging things in their lives, for example, separation, bigotry, substance abuse and death
- offer a range of conditions to enable the young people to develop and extend their communication skills with their peers and carers
- provide pleasure and enjoyment, which was reflected in participation levels
- inspire the young people by introducing them to new genres of books, cartoon illustration, the world of theatre and, in some cases, filmmaking.
- offer unprecedented opportunities to excel and, in doing so, raise self-esteem
- motivate new actions and behaviour; some young people developed a reading habit that may remain with them for life, some have new tools for continuing to tackle their literacy problems and some have a clearer idea about what they might want from their future lives regarding a career.
Lessons learned from the delivery of Reading Rich
6. The feature, which appeared to have the greatest impact, was the writers' interventions. This aspect of the programme had the capacity to motivate, inspire, and increase the young people's expectations, and in many cases improve their behaviour.
Clearly, the involvement and commitment of care staff was key to the success of Reading Rich. It emerged that carers held a wide range of knowledge and experience of young people's literature. Some reported inadequate knowledge of children's books, some were unsure of how to share reading, and some felt vulnerable by becoming involved in the programme because they did not have a reading habit of their own.
7. A range of organisational challenges hindered Reading Rich's delivery. To an extent the two main partners, SBT and NCH Scotland, were able to address these. The partners are now acutely aware of the conditions required for creating a Reading Rich environment for looked after young people and have taken the following actions within their own organisations to ensure a legacy beyond the life of the project:
- NCH Scotland will seek to promote a reading rich culture across its services
- SBT will ensure that all projects aimed at young people take into account the needs of looked after children and include them as a target audience, as in, the Live Literature Scotland funding scheme, which now prioritises applications which involve looked after children
- SBT are targeting looked after children in all current and future initiatives such as through the 'On the Money' resource and through participation in the Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children's Books
- SBT is willing to offer a direct consultancy service to those working with looked after children.