TACT has joined forces with six other charities – Barnardo’s, The Care Leavers Association, Catch 22, The Fostering Network, Voice and The Who Cares? Trust – to call on the Government to make radical changes to the way that care leavers are supported in England. The Care Leavers Coalition have outlined the case for reform in their briefing, Still Our Children, published today. Many young people in care will have experienced difficult and often traumatic childhoods and many of them will have been abused or neglected. At the age of 21 years the relationship between the young person and the state often ends abruptly, which can lead to poor outcomes for care leavers. The coalition call comes as the Queen’s Speech marks the opening of a new Parliament and the Government sets out its plans for the next term. The Children and Families Bill – in which care leavers are not mentioned at all – is reaching a crucial stage as it makes its way through the House of Commons. The Care Leavers Coalition wants to see three specific changes in the Bill:
“I wasn’t ready for the responsibility of living on my own just then – I was juggling my last year at university with being a single mum – I felt there was just too much on my plate at that time. I was basically told you’re not the only young person who needs accommodation. “Having more flexibility around the support I could have had would have made a real difference to me.” The number of young people aged 16 and over leaving care has risen each year from 8,170 in 2007 to 10,000 in 2012. The state has a role as corporate parent which the Care Leavers Coalition believes it is failing to fulfil. Changes are needed to improve comparatively low outcomes for care leavers:
Read our briefing paper: Still Our Children – case for reforming the leaving care system in England Source: tactcare.org.uk/news/tact-calls-for-radical-reform-for-children-looked-after-by-the-state/ Barnardo’s is calling for more to be done to help children in care move to adulthood. We believe care leavers in England need support for longer and are calling for the cut off age for support to be raised from 21 to 25 for all care leavers for the first time.It comes as the Queen’s Speech announces that the Children and Families Bill – which has no provision for care leavers at all – will continue into the next Parliament term. A previously unpublished YouGov survey conducted on behalf of Barnardo’s found that:
Care leavers are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, who are more likely to become homeless, be unemployed and spend time in prison:
Barnardo’s chief executive Anne Marie Carrie said:Each child has something unique to offer our society and deserves an equal start in adult life. Children leaving care are often the most vulnerable young people in our society who need the most support. Unfortunately this support is often not available nor is it consistent across the country. Paradoxically only care leavers who are in education, employment or training get support until they are 25. Those who aren’t – and who arguably need it the most - do not. That is why we are calling for support for all care leavers to be raised to the same age.” The call comes six months after the Department for Education and Barnardo’s vice president, fashion designer and care leaver himself Bruce Oldfield launched the Care Leavers Charter. Source: www.barnardos.org.uk/news/latest-news.htm?ref=88368 A DESIRE to support and inspire disadvantaged children is thought to be the main reason people foster, a survey by an adoption and fostering charity has found. The survey of 100 people by Parents And Children Together (PACT) for Foster Care Fortnight™ found that 72% of responders suggested that people would be motivated to foster to help a child achieve in life. More than half of respondents had considered fostering at some point and over 60% had known someone who had fostered. The results of this poll are published by PACT during Foster Care Fortnight™ to share people’s ideas around the motivations and barriers to fostering. The Fostering Network estimates that 9,000 new foster families need to be recruited to provide homes for children who can’t live with their birth families. PACT’s survey also found that 21% of respondents would consider fostering children under five years old, but only 5% were interested in fostering teenagers. Other findings were:
“A number of people may be ideal foster carers but never had the prompt to come forward and find out more. Foster Care Fortnight can be that call to action, and I encourage anyone who knows they are good with children and would like to offer their time and skills in a very practical way to get in contact. “Our information events are a chance to hear from inspiring PACT foster carers about the difference they are making to a child’s life now and in the future.” To find out more about what’s involved come to PACT’s Fostering Information Afternoon on Thursday 23rd May, at 9 Southern Court, South Street, Reading, RG1 4QS, PACT’s Fostering Information Afternoon on Wednesday 29th May at Clapham Library, SW4 7DB, or PACT’s Fostering morning on Thursday 30th May at Sutton Central Library, SM1 1EA. For more information about fostering download a PACT Guide to Fostering at www.pactcharity.org/Fostering or call 0300 456 4800. Source: www.pactcharity.org/news/143 Despite no mention in Wednesday’s Queen’s speech – Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns Matthew Downie explains why the out-dated law on child neglect must be reformed this parliamentary session: Child neglect is the most common form of child abuse in the UK. As many as 1.5 million children in the UK are believed to be neglected in some way, and it is the most common reason for a child protection referral. Neglect can take many forms, from the often obvious signs of physical abuse through to abandonment. What often isn’t mentioned, however, is the prevalence and impact of emotional neglect, which can be just as devastating to the development of a child as physical abuse. And yet emotional neglect is not covered by the current criminal law. It’s time for this to change. The existing legal framework was originally drafted in 1868 after a cult known as the Peculiar People denied their sick children medical care believing this would challenge the will of God. The Children and Young Person’s Act of 1933 expanded this legislation during the inter-war years, but today the law on neglect remains solely focused on the physical element of this abuse, as dictated during the Victorian era. Social services and family courts work from the civil law definition of neglect, as contained in guidance under the Children Act 1989. The definition includes the full range of both physical and emotional harm, and is widely accepted by practitioners. The differences between the two legal codes present real difficulties for police and social workers who need to work together effectively in these cases, and of course in the middle of this mess are vulnerable and neglected children, who deserve a better and more common sense approach to their protection. The evidence about the damage done through severe emotional abuse has already led to some changes to criminal codes. The government recently announced changes to guidance for prosecuting domestic violence cases, where for the first time, non-physical harm of a person over 16 through domestic abuse will be recognised as a criminal offence. This is to be applauded, but why is it that we are prepared to offer this protection to people over 16 and not to children under that age? Of course we need to be careful that any alteration to child protection laws does not criminalise vulnerable parents. But a new alternative presented by charity Action for Children, and drafted by leading lawyers, child protection experts and academics, seeks to allay this concern with a modern criminal definition of neglect, as well as clarity about the threshold for police intervention. This alternative to the current law would cover severe emotional neglect, clear out obscure definitions and align the criminal law with the civil code, therefore ensuring the police and child protection experts were operating under a commonly understood framework. Eighty years since our criminal laws on child neglect were last updated this parliamentary session provides a chance for us to right a longstanding wrong by protecting neglected children from the full range of harm that is done to them. Source: www.actionforchildren.org.uk/news/archive/2013/may/out-dated-law-on-child-neglect-must-be-reformed FtSE Member News: St Christopher’s use of attachment theory presented at academic conference1/5/2013
On Tuesday 9th April, researchers from the Lifespan Research Group at Kingston University presented their findings on how attachment theory is being used to positively affect the lives of young people living in St Christopher’s children’s homes. Attachment theory looks at how children form a bond with their primary caregiver and the influence it has on emotional and social development. Using attachment theory with children and young people in care helps practitioners to understand problem behaviours and tailor the support to each child’s needs in order to have the best impact on outcomes. The Lifespan Research Group has been working in partnership with St Christopher’s for more than eight years and together, introduced an attachment assessment framework into our work with young people in residential care. Based in part upon this work, St Christopher’s, in collaboration with the research team, developed the ‘Q Pack’ which is now being used across all residential and fostering services. Find out more about St Christopher’s approach to residential care here. Senior Researcher, Catherine Jacobs recently presented the findings of work being carried out with young people living in St Christopher’s homes using Attachment Style Interviews (ASI) at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference in Harrogate. The findings covered our work with 58 young people in both the UK and Isle of Man homes and showed how, for the 11 follow ups researched so far, the positive changes that were being seen. At the start, nearly all the young people had insecure attachment styles, with high rates of ‘angry-dismissive’ and ‘disorganised’ styles. They also had high rates of behavioural and emotional disorder. At follow up, there were reductions in both symptoms and scorings that assessed their insecurity levels. Director of Operations, Ron Giddens said: “This research shows how important assessing attachment style is in supporting children in care. In the coming months, we will be sharing our findings of our work with the Lifespan Research Group on ASI and Q Pack to help raise awareness of how innovative practice can have a positive impact on the lives of young people. I’d like to thank Catherine Jacobs and Toni Bifulco from Kingston University and all staff who have been implementing the ASI and Q Pack, for their hard work and support.” Senior Researcher, Catherine Jacobs said: “The Lifespan Research Group is very pleased to continue to work in partnership with St Christopher’s to provide high quality attachment interviews and questionnaires that influence care planning and provide a strong evidence base for positive change in looked after children. “We look forward to presenting more follow-up outcomes alongside St Christopher’s at a workshop at the National Commissioning Conference in Derbyshire at the beginning of July 2013. The conference will be attended by commissioners and senior staff from Local Authorities across the UK and the Isle of Man Government.” Source: www.stchris.org.uk/news/St-Christophers-use-of-attachment-theory-presented-at-academic-conference.aspx Eight leading charities, including TACT, are urging the Government to rethink care and the way in which the most vulnerable children and families who encounter the care system are treated in England. The call to base decisions on need and not legal status comes following an eight-month inquiry into the best way to provide permanent homes for children. The Care Inquiry, which has outlined its findings and recommendations in Making Not Breaking – Building Relationships for our Most Vulnerable Children, found that the care system too often breaks not makes relationships for children in care. The Inquiry heard that when children move, which they still do too often, important relationships are needlessly being broken and lost. Moreover, support for children and the adults who look after them is currently based on legal status and not on need. As a result, the Inquiry concluded that a new approach must be taken to finding permanent homes for those children in and on the edge of care. The current Government focus on and improvements in adoption must be matched by improvements in support for children going home from care or living with relatives or foster families. The report highlights the need to recognise and treat all options – return home, kinship care, adoption, foster care, special guardianship, and residential care – as equally valid, and given the same political, financial and cultural priority. The Inquiry is calling for a system that places need at its heart, helps to build and maintain ongoing relationships for children and ensures that the right support is provided for all children into adulthood. The failings of the care system have long been recognised, but the Inquiry found that they are becoming increasingly urgent and require a fresh approach. The increase in poverty, unemployment and changes to the benefit system are putting additional strains on families in difficulties. This has then been compounded by public sector cuts reducing the ability of local authorities to carry out their duty of care towards vulnerable children. The number of children in the care system in England has risen since 2008 and is continuing to rise. Robert Tapsfield, chair of the Care Inquiry steering group, said: “The work of the Inquiry left us in no doubt that the care system continues to fail too many children, and that tackling this problem is increasingly urgent and requires a fresh approach “What has been particularly striking is that all those giving evidence to the Inquiry – children, care leavers, adoptees, social workers, adopters, foster carers, birth families, practitioners, managers and academics – spoke with one voice about the need for the system to make, protect and nurture relationships, not break them. “The message for Government today is that we need to rethink care, and how children are being treated within the system. Our report contains a huge range of policy and practice issues, but at its heart is the need for cultural change. All care options are equally valid, all decisions about children should be in their best interests, and all their relationships must be valued and treated with respect.” Read about the Care Inquiry For more information about the Care Inquiry contact Gareth Crossman, TACT Executive Director of External Affairs on 07976 389 925 or 020 8695 8120 Notes to editors 1. The Care Inquiry is a collaboration of eight charities (Adoption UK, British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), Family Rights Group, the Fostering Network, Research in Practice, TACT, The Together Trust and The Who Cares? Trust), and is partly funded by the Nuffield Foundation. 2. Over the past eight months Inquiry activities have included three sessions with a broad range of participants with direct experience of care or the work of the care system. The Inquiry also ran a consultation exercise with children and young people with experience of adoption, fostering, kinship and residential care, facilitated a review of the research evidence by an academic group, responded to queries and submissions, and used social media to encourage a wide interest in the issues under discussion. 3. Making Not Breaking – Building Relationships for our Most Vulnerable Children consists of findings of the Care Inquiry and a range of recommendations focusing on cultural change, policy and practice. 4. The launch took place from 6pm-8pm on Tuesday 30 April in the Hoare Memorial Hall, Westminster. 5. Around 64,000 children and young people are in care and looked after away from home in England on any one day. The majority of these (50,000) live with 45,000 foster carers. Around 7,350 new foster families are needed in 2013 alone. Most children who cease to be looked after return home. Around 3,500 children are adopted from care in a year although that is expected to rise significantly. It is estimated that an additional 600 adopters are required per year to meet demand, in addition to the current shortfall of 2,000 adopters for children already waiting. Census analysis from 2001 also shows over 143,000 children in England who were unable to live with their parents were being raised by wider family, and the number is likely to have risen sharply since then. Only a small proportion (around 5 per cent) of these are in care. Source: tactcare.org.uk/news/base-decisions-on-need-not-legal-status-the-care-inquiry-urges/ Director of Strategy and Development, Sam Olsen, responds to the Care Inquiry: "We welcome the publication of the Care Inquiry report and the renewed focus it given to improving standards of care for looked after children and young people. "St Christopher’s places a great deal of importance on helping children and young people to develop positive relationships - with each other, our staff, their foster carers and, where possible, with their families. Role modelling positive relationships is crucial if the children and young people we support are going to understand what a healthy relationships looks like and have the ability to develop them when they move into independence. Above all else, we have found that if children and young people feel cared for, then this an enormous impact on how they feel about themselves and what they are able to achieve. "Our approach to residential care is based on a combination of attachment theory, social pedagogy and behavioural management. For the past eight years, we have also been working with Lifespan Research Group to develop ‘Q-Pack’ and attachment assessment framework into our work with children in residential care. This is proving to have a positive impact on outcomes for young people by helping us understand problem behaviours and better tailor the support to each child’s needs. "We acknowledge that it is often difficult for our staff to be able to maintain relationships with children and young people when they have been moved on from our service. While many young people maintain contact with key staff members on an informal basis, the system does not support this more formally. Our vision is that if we can provide a range of fostering, residential and 16+ supported accommodation in the areas we work, then we will be better able to provide a continuity of care, support transitions as the child moves down the pathway and maintain the relationships the children have developed over time. "Key to achieving this is working in partnership with local authority commissioning teams so that we can develop and deliver the range of services that can best meet the needs of local children. A more strategic approach to commissioning means that more children and young people can be matched to placements in their home borough and we can help put care packages in place that can provide the best standard of support. "This kind of partnership working is a central theme of St Christopher’s growth strategy. We are already taking positive steps to give us the best chance of delivering the recommendations of the Care Inquiry and look forward to working in partnership with more local authorities to create brighter futures for looked after children." Source: www.stchris.org.uk/news/Response-to-Care-Inquiry.aspx Eight leading charities are urging the Government to rethink care and the way in which the most vulnerable children and families who encounter the care system are treated in England. The call to base decisions on need and not legal status comes following an eight-month inquiry into the best way to provide permanent homes for children. The Care Inquiry, which has outlined its findings and recommendations in Making Not Breaking – Building Relationships for our Most Vulnerable Children, found that the care system too often breaks not makes relationships for children in care. Responding to the Care Inquiry report Jane Butler, Service Development Manager for Looked After Children Services at Action for Children, and who gave evidence to the Inquiry, says: “We welcome the Inquiry’s commitment to identifying how best to provide a stable and permanent home for children in care in England, and its recognition that their needs should be at the heart of the system. “Our own experience of supporting children within the care system reflects the Inquiry’s findings. We know that having stable and loving relationships are key and that ensuring children or young people are placed in environments that meet their individual needs, which often requires tailored targeted support, helps rebuild lives. “Providing appropriate and effective support for children and young people who are returning to their birth families is essential to ensure a smooth return home rather than bouncing in and out of care. Strong partnership working between local authorities and fostering and adoption agencies, to develop appropriate packages of support that meet individual needs, is vital.” Source: www.actionforchildren.org.uk/news/archive/2013/may/action-for-children-responds-to-the-care-inquiry-report |
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