Outcomes for looked-after children 'still lagging behind'

Previous programmes of substantial reform and investment have left outcomes for looked-after children still lagging unacceptably far behind those for other children.

Inconsistency in practice and underperformance against current standards show that there are significant underlying challenges to implementation of the new raft of measures.

The Report examines the crucial elements of:

• Relationships - stable reliable bonds with key individuals are fundamental to children's security and development
• Placements - are in short supply and local authorities need more support to increase availability
• The performance framework - the quality of decision-making, of relationships, and of children's experiences of care.

Three themes run through the Committee's conclusions:

• First is the importance of a well-trained, fairly-paid, well-supported workforce in delivering the care.
• Secondly is how local authorities can come to approximate more closely the care of birth parents.
• Thirdly, there is the voice of the child: more independent support is needed for children to express their views.

The care system should not be seen as a sanction against failing parents, nor blight children's future prospects. Care must be an integral part of a continuum of effective support services for families under stress and not functioning well.

Parents should expect that children in care will have stability and personalised attention rather than a life ruled by uncertainty and bureaucracy and will have access to all the health and therapeutic care that they need to enjoy life and develop into independent adults.

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