Care Crisis Review: Family survey results

Authors: Calum Webb, Martin Heneghan, Permala Sehmar and Kate Morris
The reflections set out in this paper are drawn from the results of an online survey conducted by Family Rights Group on behalf of the Care Crisis Review. The Survey was promoted via social media, FRG’s newsletter, organisations that sit on the Stakeholder Advisory Group and linked professional and practice networks. Family members were encouraged to complete the survey (hosted by Survey Monkey) and 871 family members responded.
The survey was ‘self-selecting’ in that family members actively chose to respond and inevitably this means this cannot be a representative sample of all family members using children’s services. Indeed, those dissatisfied with their experiences are more likely to have been motivated to respond. The organisations promoting the survey are more likely to have contact with families unhappy with their social care experiences, for example family members that have a positive experience are unlikely to use advocacy or advice services. There are also family members who will have not been able to respond, including those without internet access or those who find online written surveys difficult. The responses to the survey must be considered in this context, and it is difficult to generalise in anyway. The responses did however, offer some useful insights and raise some important questions that have relevance for future developments.
The analysis summarised the quantifiable responses in a series of charts, some of which are included in this report. The research team used a thematic approach to grouping the responses to the open ended questions.