The Fairer Fostering Partnership
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Introduction
    • How To Become A Member
    • Application Form
    • Our Terms of Reference
    • Our Constitution
    • Our Charter
  • Campaigns
    • #forchildrennotprofit
    • Brad Kella’s Fostering Journey | Foster Care Fortnight
    • Fostering Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children
    • Changes to Fostering in Wales
    • Beyond Language that Cares
    • Vision for Children in Foster Care
  • Member Agencies
  • News & Jobs
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us

Fostering News: Concerning revelations in entitlements report

13/11/2013

 
Picture
The Fostering Network is concerned at revelations in a new report, which heard from over 1,000 children in care, care leavers, and professionals, showing that children and young people are not receiving their legal entitlements.

Jackie Sanders, head of media and campaigns at the Fostering Network, said: “The report reveals worrying statistics that only reinforce the importance of our ongoing campaigns Don’t Move Me and Tick the Box.”

The report shows:

• Over 70 per cent of children in care and 80 per cent young care leavers do not think they have all the information they need about the support they should receive from their local authority;

• More than one third of children in care do not know if they have a care plan, a vital document which sets out important decisions about the child’s life such as where they are going to live, whether they are allowed to have contact with their family and what they want to happen in the future;

• More than one in five children in care say their social worker does not visit them alone, meaning they may be unable to raise concerns about their safety or welfare without being overheard;

• One third of care leavers are not aware their local authority must help them with costs of being in education or training, and fewer than half know their local authority has to help them with accommodation during the holidays if they go on to higher education. Care leavers who are unaware of this support are likely to be deterred from continuing in education.

Sanders continued: “There is no doubt that children and young people should be made aware of all the facts to do with their care, so that they can approach independence with a clear pathway into a positive future.”

As well as offering revealing insights into how young people feel they are prepared for independence, the Entitlements Inquiry report, published today by The Who Cares? Trust, sets out 10 recommendations, developed with young people, to improve the way that children in care and care leavers can access the support they have a right to.

These include asking local authorities to set realistic and manageable maximum caseloads for social workers and personal advisors, to ensure that they have enough time to spend regular and quality time with the children and young people on their caseload.

You can download a summary of the full report, or the full report, on The Who Cares? Trust website.

Source: www.fostering.net/news/2013/concerning-revelations-in-entitlements-report#.Uo3jt8S-2-1


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    News & Jobs

    News stories and job vacancies from our member agencies, the fostering sector and the world of child protection and safeguarding as a whole.

    Browse Categories

    All
    Action For Children
    All4U Fostering
    Barnardo's
    Break
    Community Care
    Community Foster Care
    EPIC Family CiC
    Fair Ways Fostering
    FFP News
    Fostering Families
    Fostering News
    FtSE Member News
    FtSE News
    Industry News
    Kasper Fostering
    Member Job Opportunity
    Member News
    New Routes Fostering
    Pact
    Safer Fostering
    St Christopher's
    Supported Fostering Services
    TACT
    Team Fostering
    The Caldecott Foundation
    The Children's Family Trust
    The Foster Care Charity
    Together Trust
    Young People At Heart

    Photo of small child looking at yellow flower - part of FtSE's branding
The Fairer Fostering Partnership
c/o TACT Fostering
Innovation House
PO Box 137
Blyth
NE24 9FJ
[email protected]
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Introduction
    • How To Become A Member
    • Application Form
    • Our Terms of Reference
    • Our Constitution
    • Our Charter
  • Campaigns
    • #forchildrennotprofit
    • Brad Kella’s Fostering Journey | Foster Care Fortnight
    • Fostering Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children
    • Changes to Fostering in Wales
    • Beyond Language that Cares
    • Vision for Children in Foster Care
  • Member Agencies
  • News & Jobs
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us