Schools and primary care networks should be better utilised in supporting Local Safeguarding Partnerships, a new report into the issues faced by children in care has concluded.
Published today by the Children’s Commissioner for England and children’s charity, Coram, the report has revealed that children in foster care aged 9-17 were more worried about aspects of their life than all other children.
Drawing on 9,500 survey responses between 2016-2021, the poll found that 24% of children in foster care were worried about having a good education. Only 18% of other children shared this concern.
The survey also found that foster children were also more worried about getting on well with their current family than other children (18% vs 14%), and were more concerned about having a nice home to live in (28% vs 24%).
It also found that 10% of 6- to 8-year-olds in foster care were unhappy with family life, compared to 7% for all other children, and 88% of 9- to 17-year-olds in foster care were happy, compared to 94% for all other children.
The report comes ahead of the Government’s strategy to reform children’s social care, following the recommendations in the independent review carried out by Josh MacAlister.
It also includes a series of recommendations to improve the experiences of children involved with social care, including ensuring schools and primary care networks are better utilised in supporting Local Safeguarding Partnerships.
It also recommends that all children in care should be entitled to advocacy services as standard on an opt-out, rather than an opt-in, basis. Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza said: ‘We know from The Big Ask that children in care want the same security and stability of home, relationships and education as all other children. However, too often it is these essential elements of a good childhood that are missing for children in care.
‘My independent Family Review, which I published last year, demonstrated the positive effect that a strong family unit has on a child’s wellbeing and their outcomes.
‘We all have a role to play in providing a shield of support around children in care that mirrors the protective effect of family and allows them to be ambitious for their futures. The publication of the Government’s strategy to reform children’s social care provides us with a unique opportunity to reform the lives of children in care, and I will be relentless in pushing for the changes we need to see.’
Chief cxecutive of Coram, Dr Carol Homden said: ‘It is good news that the happiness of children in care is broadly similar to that of children in general. However, this new analysis also reveals that children in care are more worried than other children about some aspects of their lives: education, family relationships and where they live. If we focus on these three areas and listen to children about what matters to them most, we can close the gap even further and ensure children in care have the best possible chance in life.’
