The evidence scope was commissioned by the NSPCC and Action for Children (AFC) to gather material on provision for adolescents on the edge of care and their families. The remit requested a particular focus on innovative approaches, including an exploration of the use of respite stays in residential units. What became apparent from the start of our exploration was the surge in attention over recent years around edge of care needs and provision within policy and research. This has already been captured in a number of recent literature reviews and reports, two of which provide comprehensive and informative discussions of the literature and research currently available on adolescents on the edge of care (see ADCS, 2013 and Bowyer and Wilkinson, 2013). Given the availability of this detailed literature, the aim of this evidence scope was to build upon the available evidence by drawing together some of the key learning from the existing reviews and adding to this knowledge base by gathering new primary data from policy and practice stakeholders and leading academics on the ways that services can best support this group. This involved carrying out surveys and telephone interviews with children’s services providers and experts across the UK and internationally, to gather practice evidence on the range of edge of care provision. This report, therefore, draws together new data based on current practice and learning to enhance evidence from existing sources. In doing so, we hope to further the debate on how edge of care provision for adolescents is currently defined and utilised and to identify scope for its future potential. The evidence scope took place from February to April 2015
