27/01/2025: ‘Flawed statistics’ undermine understanding of children in care outcomes, warns regional body
Available figures do not enable councils to determine whether they are purchasing the right kinds of placement, according to ‘co-operative’ set up to test region-wide commissioning of care
03/01/2025: Care leavers missing out on home ‘essentials’, research finds
Care leavers in England are at risk of missing out on essential items when setting up their first home due to the lack of clear national guidelines on the levels of support offered by councils, latest research shows.
12/12/2024: Care-experienced group launches in Parliament
Campaigners and MPs advocating for care-experienced young people have formed a new cross-party group in Parliament.
11/12/2024: DfE plans will curb profiteering but not without cutting care placement supply, say social workers
With the DfE having unveiled planned reforms to children’s care placements, we gauged social workers’ views on their potential impact on profiteering
02/12/2024: Sevenfold increase in number of children placed in unregistered homes over past three years
Ofsted warns unregistered provision likely to be of ‘poor quality’, with just 8% of those that sought registration being approved.
24/11/2024: More foster carers in England leaving than signing up, says Ofsted report
Children’s campaigners say ‘national crisis’ adds to trauma for vulnerable young people, amid huge fall in numbers fostering.
18/11/2024: Children’s social care strategy: new measures to tackle ‘profiteering’ providers
Curtailing profit levels made by private care providers is to be the cornerstone of a new children’s social care strategy to be launched by the government today (Monday).
18/11/2024: Government urged to end the wilful neglect of teenagers in care
As the new government promises (18 November 2024) “a more secure life for children across the country”, and legislation that will transform the children’s care system, children’s rights campaigners urge it to end the wilful neglect of teenagers in care.
07/11/2024: ‘Archaic’ model for adopted children’s contact with birth families needs reform, say researchers
The adoption system should move away from an “outdated” model of letterbox contact with birth families towards face-to-face and digital communication, according to a major new report.
06/11/2024: Care leaver was ‘terrified’ ahead of 18th birthday
A woman who was “terrified” when she left the care system when she turned 18 is now helping young people going through the same experience.