The materials reviewed include accounts of work to build and sustain stable, trusting relationships with children and young people. Some sources describe efforts to provide greater consistency in the adults involved in their lives and to create spaces where relationships can develop over time. Trauma-informed approaches are referenced in several accounts, including support for adults to understand how past experiences and unmet needs can shape behaviour, and to respond in ways that feel predictable and empathetic.

There are also examples of carers, parents and families being offered practical, non-judgemental support intended to strengthen stability at home and reduce pressure during difficult moments. This can include making time to build relationships, helping carers make sense of what a child or young person may be communicating through their behaviour, and offering early help where relationships feel under strain. The accounts suggest that sustained support to carers can contribute to greater consistency in a young person’s day-to-day life.

Some sources describe efforts to develop relational and trauma-informed practice across staff teams. This includes access to training, reflective supervision and ongoing support, alongside collaboration across settings, so adults are better able to recognise children and young people’s experiences and respond in therapeutic and value-led ways.

The materials also distinguish between work to reduce avoidable disruption and approaches used when change cannot be avoided. There are accounts of pressures being identified early in an attempt to maintain stability, including work to strengthen family relationships. Where moves do need to happen, some sources describe early planning, involving young people in decisions, and keeping them informed about what is happening. Schools are described in several accounts as a steadying influence during change, with familiar routines and relationships helping children and young people feel more settled. Some materials also include examples of support continuing through change, so young people do not experience abrupt gaps in the relationships they rely on.

What is being learnt about change

The materials reviewed reinforce established learning about the conditions that support stronger experiences for children and young people. The accounts suggest that stable, trusting relationships are closely linked to emotional safety and positive development. They also indicate that instability, including moves, changes in key adults or inconsistent support, can unsettle children and young people and interrupt progress. The evidence highlights the ongoing importance of relational continuity and environments where stable, nurturing connections can be developed and sustained.

Key elements of success

• Prioritising the development of trusting relationships.
• Improving consistency in staffing and living arrangements where possible.
• Using trauma-informed approaches, supported by training, reflective supervision, value-led recruitment and resourcing that enables understanding and therapeutic responses.
• Creating warm, supportive environments, including by helping carers and families build capacity to offer steady, nurturing relationships.
• Reducing avoidable disruption and sustaining relationships during unavoidable change.

Examples

• Making time to stay involved during difficult periods so relationships are not lost when circumstances become unstable.
• Keeping staff teams consistent where possible to support calmer routines and allow relationships to deepen.
• Offering practical, non-judgemental help to carers so they can respond more steadily during challenging moments.
• Using reflective supervision and training to support adults to respond in trauma-informed, therapeutic ways.
• Keeping schools informed about changes at home so familiar routines and relationships can provide steadiness.

What must change

• Frequent or unplanned moves that disrupt relationships.
• Changes in trusted adults that lead to relationship breaks.
• Gaps in therapeutic or wellbeing support during periods of change.
• Not involving schools when changes at home occur.

Across the materials reviewed, preparing for change is described as working best when planning is collaborative, starts early and involves the people who matter to the young person. These principles applied to a whole range of changes described, including moves between different homes and carers, becoming an adult and moves into supported accommodation. Some sources describe approaches that bring together young people, families, carers and workers across services to prepare for change in ways that reflect individual needs and circumstances.

Early planning is a strong theme. The accounts include examples of preparing for potential change from the outset of a placement, identifying emerging pressures that could lead to disruption and addressing these before a move becomes necessary. Some materials also describe early help aimed at reducing risks linked to housing instability or homelessness, including support with finances, wellbeing, employment and housing options.

The evidence also includes accounts of young people and families being involved in planning. This can include listening to their views, keeping them informed and including them in decisions about next steps. Coordinated planning across education, health, social work and community supports is described as helping to make change feel clearer and more predictable, including by strengthening shared understanding of roles and expectations.

Continuity is emphasised in several sources, including continuity of support and continuity in relationships that matter most to young people. There are examples of trusted adults helping change feel safer, either by remaining involved during transitions or staying connected afterwards. Schools are again described as offering steadiness during change, with familiar routines and relationships helping young people navigate uncertainty.

The materials also describe challenges. These include unplanned or poorly communicated decisions about where young people will live, which can feel unsettling and difficult to manage. In some accounts, this relates to decisions that young people do not expect or do not agree with, particularly when they are not fully involved or supported to understand what is happening and why. Other accounts describe plans that do not fully consider housing or financial needs, especially when young people move into aftercare, sometimes contributing to instability or gaps in support. In response, some sources describe efforts to plan moves more carefully, involve young people, and keep support in place as they move between homes or services, so help and important relationships do not end abruptly. Even when there is limited time to prepare, such as in emergency or crisis situations, the accounts highlight the importance of clear communication and continuity of support and relationships to help young people understand and manage change.

What is being learnt about change

A consistent message across the accounts is that change tends to be experienced as smoother when planning starts early, involves the young person and their family or carers, and is coordinated across the services involved. The materials reviewed suggest that continuity, both in relationships and support, can reduce uncertainty during change. These insights apply across a wide range of transitions, including the first move away from the care of family or those closest to them; moves into or between secure care, aftercare or supported accommodation; and other changes in where young people live. The evidence indicates the importance of preparation, communication and approaches that help young people remain connected to the people and places that support their sense of safety.

Key elements of success

• Beginning planning early and preparing for change from the outset.
• Involving young people and families so plans reflect their needs and preferences.
• Coordinating support across education, care and community support.
• Tailoring plans to individual strengths, risks and circumstances.
• Maintaining continuity in relationships and support through and beyond change.

Examples

• Planning transitions early and returning to plans regularly so change is not experienced as sudden.
• Bringing together people from different parts of a young person’s life to plan shared expectations and reduce uncertainty.
• Supporting young people to stay connected to people who matter to them, such as former carers, brothers and sisters, friends or trusted adults.
• Providing practical tools, including digital access or communication support, so young people can maintain important relationships.

What must change

• Last-minute decisions about where a young person will live, without clear, supportive communication.
• Insufficient follow-up support when moves happen with limited time to prepare, including emergency or crisis situations.
• Plans that do not address risks linked to housing or finances.
• Sudden loss of support or trusted relationships during change.
• Unnecessary separation of brothers and sisters when moving.
• Lack of clear, supportive explanation where separation does occur.
• Not supporting young people to maintain important connections with carers, friends, brothers and sisters, or trusted adults.

The materials reviewed describe support as most effective when it is flexible, timely and able to adjust to the changing needs of children and young people. This is reflected across accounts of community-based support, residential care, foster care and transitions involving secure care. Some sources describe approaches that increase support at the right moments, respond during crises and offer intensive assistance to help stabilise situations. Alongside access to specialist therapeutic help, mentoring is described in several accounts as most effective where there is an established, trusted relationship, providing another adult for young people to talk to during unstable periods.

The evidence includes accounts of efforts to address inconsistency in the support available. This can include variation in access to therapeutic services and broader wellbeing support. Whole family support is described as important in reducing pressures at home, including help linked to mental health, housing, finances and other practical needs. Multi-agency involvement is emphasised in several sources as a way of creating support that feels coordinated and responsive, particularly when change is being considered or cannot be avoided.

Challenges described in the accounts include delays or limits in accessing certain types of specialist help, which can add uncertainty for young people. Some sources also describe limited multi-agency coordination following significant change, at times leading to gaps in support. In response, there are examples of efforts to strengthen communication and shared planning across services so children and young people continue to receive consistent help during instability or transition.

What is being learnt about change

Across the sources reviewed, flexible and responsive support is described as central to meeting evolving needs. The materials reviewed suggest that support works best when it can adjust early, before difficulties escalate, and when it remains steady during periods of change. The accounts indicate the value of access to a broad range of specialist support, including therapeutic help, wellbeing services and mentoring, alongside whole-family assistance that addresses pressures linked to housing, finances, mental health and relationships. The evidence also points to the importance of early multi-agency collaboration, supported by ways of working that enable shared planning and information rather than services acting in isolation. These insights suggest that improvement relies on coordinated, adaptable support that can respond at the right time and maintain continuity across different parts of a young person’s life.

Key elements of success

• Providing flexible, adaptable support early, before challenges reach crisis point.
• Enabling access to a range of specialist support and mentoring.
• Supporting multi-agency collaboration through shared planning, information and aligned ways of working.
• Using step-up and step-down approaches so support can increase or reduce as needs change.

Examples

• Responding to high-risk situations with clearer shared plans and support for those involved, helping reduce escalation.
• Increasing community-based support at pressure points to help stabilise situations and reduce the likelihood of disruptive moves.
• Combining specialist, mentoring or wellbeing support with practical whole-family help so young people experience steadier support during instability.

What must change

• Inconsistency in the support offered, including long waits for specialist help.
• Limited multi-agency involvement when change is being considered.
• Support that cannot adjust or increase when a young person’s needs change or remain consistent outside periods of crisis.
• Gaps in communication and planning that lead to abrupt losses of help during transitions.