WIREDGOV

Responding to an Education Committee report entitled 'Into independence, not out of care: 16-plus care options', Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board, said: "Looking after vulnerable children is one of the most important things that councils do and is a responsibility they take incredibly seriously.

Local authorities work extremely hard to make sure that all children in care are found suitable accommodation and are well looked after, and the vast majority of councils will only ever use bed and breakfast accommodation as a temporary solution to exceptional circumstances. "The child's best interests must always be our central concern, and there will be times where emergency placements are required at extremely short notice. We must be careful to ensure that any ban on the use of bed and breakfasts does not leave vulnerable young people effectively homeless due to a lack of temporary accommodation. These cases are often extremely complex and take time to resolve in a way that offers the best long-term solution to the young person. "The DfE's Innovation Programme has a particular focus on care options for adolescents, and several councils are already developing innovative proposals to tackle this issue locally. Councils across the country will be keen to learn from the experiences of these trailblazers, and it is important that these projects are given the time and space to develop before existing provision is removed whole-scale. "Similarly, stronger regulation of 'other arrangements' may offer a level of reassurance to some, but we must be clear that regulation is no guarantee of quality. Councils should always assure themselves that any provision, be it fostering, residential care or independent accommodation, will meet the specific needs of the young person placed there. "Like any family, councils aim to provide a package of support that reflects the circumstances that individual young people face as they move towards adulthood. Across the country, councils have excellent schemes in place to help young people leaving care make that transition to an independent life, and we should look to learn from this existing practice before introducing more centrally imposed regulation."

Contact Lynne Morris, Senior Media Relations Officer Local Government Association Telephone: 020 7664 3282 Media Office (for out-of-hours contact): 020 7664 3333 Email: lynne.morris@local.gov.uk www.local.gov.uk

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