FtSE Member News: TACT responds to Barnardo's claims that "older children in care are forgotten"

TACT Fostering and Adoption strongly supports the concerns voiced by Barnardos that older children in care risk being overlooked for adoption due to the focus on finding placements for babies and young children.

TACT has been very vocal about our concerns for older children in care placed for adoption and the challenges faced by voluntary adoption agencies tasked with finding placements for ‘hard to place’ children. This not only includes older children but also those of Black and Minority Ethnic children, disabled children and sibling groups.

The current debate on adoption has failed to address many of the key issues affecting the adoption system and the care system it flows from. TACT highlighted these issues in a parliamentary briefing at the beginning of November.

Crucially, TACT has always maintained that early intervention should not be defined solely in terms of early years. Early intervention can involve action being taken at any age, be it from birth or as a teenager. Unfortunately, a focus on early years intervention runs the risk of older children being  overlooked, especially at times of financial constraint. We, as a society, must not forget or abandon these vulnerable young people.

TACT is committed to offering long term secure placements, whether with foster families or adoptive families, whatever the child’s age and takes pride in our successful work to date.

Read the full article published in Children & Young People Now on Monday 9 January 2012 'Needs of older children in care forgotten, Barnardo's chief claims'