20.08.18
Care services for vulnerable children in ‘silent crisis,’ new analysis shows
Over 13,000 vulnerable children are receiving care in areas rated in the lowest standard of support, damning new analysis has found.
Local services for children in need of help were dubbed as a “silent crisis,” in a new report by the Social Market Foundation, a thinktank who used Ofsted data to compile the figures.
A shocking 63% of local authorities in England providing services for children at risk were deemed to either “require improvement” or are “inadequate” according to the children’s services inspectorate— prompting further concerns about the safety and standards of care services across the country.
This means that a massive 47,000 children—65% of all looked-after children—are being cared for in local authorities that are deemed to be falling short of a good standard.
The Social Market Foundation highlighted the impact that poor standards of care can have on a child’s future: in 2015-16 it was estimated that approximately 39% of the children in secure training centres had been in care.
Not only this, but a quarter of the adult prison population has previously been in care, and children who have been through the care system reoffend twice the rate of children who have never been looked after.
“It is clear that the right reforms in the right places could make a world of difference to the most vulnerable children in our society,” the report said.
“From increasing professionalisation and support for foster carers, to a review of commissioning frameworks and ensuring stability for children in foster care, there are numerous reforms that must become national priorities if we are to make a meaningful difference to the lives of vulnerable children.
“None of these are new issues. Neither are they uncontroversial. Many other reports have highlighted the challenges they represent, and a range of different views exist over the right way forward.”
The report noted that the issue is “scarcely discussed” at Westminster, and called on parliament to bring more attention to the ongoing crisis.
Additionally, low standards of care services provided by local authorities can lead to underachieving children in education: just 14% achieved five A*-C GCSEs, including maths and English, in 2015. This is a shockingly 41% lower than the national average.
Linda Briheim-Crookall, head of policy and practice development at young people’s charity Coram Voice, said she was “deeply concerned” by the figures, noting that there were “many things to improve.”
“Too many of children’s comments highlighted individual poor experiences, disrupted relationships and lack of stability,” she added.
“Looked after children have generally had very difficult experiences before coming into care and need help to deal with the issues they face. Unsurprisingly they are more likely to have low wellbeing than children in the general population.”
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