FtSE Member News: Action for Children responds to the Care Inquiry report

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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