The Children and Families Truth Commission‘s latest survey about contact between children in care and their birth families has gathered almost 290 submissions since it launched, and while this is a staggering number, the Commission has decided to keep the survey open as part of an ongoing effort to reach as many affected children and their families as possible. 

The commission would like to say a very big thank you to the families who have taken the time to fill out this survey, and we remain hopeful that we can match the more than 300 responses our first survey received, thanks to your generosity and kindness.

The commission would also like to thank everyone who shared the survey and spread the word, the team is genuinely grateful.

The Commission had announced an October 31 deadline for the survey but an ongoing weekly increase in submissions led the Commission to keep the survey open beyond the closing date.

The survey will remain open for at least one more month.

What is the survey about?

The survey asks parents about their experiences of contact with their children once they were taken into care, and whether they felt their family’s human rights were supported in relation to child contact.

We decided to produce this survey as an additional piece of research connected to our first survey, which we believe is the first ever human rights-focused survey for children and families going through Britain’s child protection system.

An oversight on our part meant that we did not include what we feel are important questions about child contact with birth parents during child protection proceedings.

What happened to the first survey?

Our first survey is now closed. Once we receive responses to this latest survey, we will produce a joint report with findings from both of the surveys.

We would be so grateful for your support in filling out this second questionnaire, if you feel you are happy to do so.

Like the first survey, we have created the second survey so that we can better understand which human rights are being breached inside the system, and how.

We warmly invite you to complete the survey if you are a child or child-protection experienced parent or relative. The more responses we get, the more we can understand the problems.

Please fill this survey out if you can, and share it with others who may want to complete it, too.

How can I access the second survey and what if I have questions?

If you have any questions about, or problems with, the survey, you are very welcome to email the Commission at truthcommissionuk@gmail.com

You can access the survey here: https://qualtricsxm43cmb2m6b.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Q1eaGfk9cc9C2a 

The Commission would also like to extend its deepest thanks to Dr Jeri Damman, for her assistance in formatting this survey, her guidance on language and terminology, and for providing us with the text in the introduction about confidentiality and anonymity.

Dr Damman is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Sussex, who “specialises in how child welfare systems seek to engage with and involve birth parents.” Her research “addresses how meaningful participatory practices with birth parents at multiple levels in the child welfare system contribute to service improvements or reform, and ultimately positive child, parent, and family outcomes.”