Publisher's Synopsis
Although home on trial placements have been used for many years, until now they have been virtually unstudied. Before the 1989 charge and control regulations came into force this aspect of social work was a grey area. It was not known when or why children were allowed to go home, at what ages or with what intentions. There was no data concerning how long the placements lasted or how successful they were, and it was unclear who was on trial and if and when they had passed the test. This research examines the period before the 1989 regulations, providing a benchmark against which the nature and extent of the changes in practice may be assessed and filling some of the enormous gaps in current knowledge of placements home on trial.
