WIREDGOV

- All care leavers now guaranteed further training and access to work -

- Children’s Secretary to write to every child and young person in care -

- Let children in care have suitcases and sleepovers -  

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls will today back children and young people in care and promise them the same as every other child with a promise that they should not be stopped unnecessarily from taking part in activities their friends do.

Through one of the most significant reforms - the ‘From Care2Work’ programme - all care leavers are now given a guaranteed opportunity to get training, mentoring and access to jobs. Thirty of the country’s biggest employers have committed to supporting care leavers into employment, including Tesco, O2, Aviva and Marks and Spencer. 

And the Children’s Secretary is now asking all local authorities to get on board with this positive scheme to ensure the 6,000 young people leaving the care system in the next year have the opportunity to succeed and thrive.

In 2007 the Government launched the Care Matters programme, a wide ranging set of reforms to the care system bought in to improve the service that vulnerable children and young people receive. And today the Government will publish the first annual progress report into these reforms, setting out the progress to date, the range of measures introduced since Care Matters and outlining the Government’s priorities for the care system for 2010.  

As part of the Government’s reform programme of the care system Ministers met with young people who raised concerns that they miss out on many experiences their peers have because their carers are unsure of the rules around how they can spend their free time. They also told ministers that if they have to move from a foster parent to a children’s home they are often given a bin-liner for their belongings rather than luggage.

Ed Balls said:

“Children in care deserve the best parenting we can give them, that is why we introduced such an extensive package of reform through Care Matters. I want Local Authorities to put children and young people in care in the driving seat by empowering them to directly contribute to making the care system better.

“In just two years, the number of young people achieving good GCSEs has doubled and many more are going into training and employment than before our reforms, but this is not enough. There must be a renewed effort from everyone involved in the lives of children in care to drive forward these ground-breaking reforms.

“Where I feel progress is not being made, where care leavers are not getting the support they need or where children and young people are being let down by the system redesigned to support their needs and address their concerns, then we will take action to turn the system around for the better.

“I was horrified to learn that when children in the care system are moved between placements they are often given just a bin-bag to put their possessions into. I want these children and young people to be treated with the dignity and care that we afford our own children.  

“If a child or young person has to change placements during their time in their care they must be given appropriate luggage. It might seem like a small step but it is a big and important gesture for the vulnerable children in our care to feel respected and loved. 

 “Children in the care system also tell me they are banned from sleepovers at trusted friend’s houses and feel they miss out on occasions nights which are an integral part of growing up. Children in their care should be sharing the experiences of their peers wherever possible.”

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls will confirm today that children and young people in care will soon have to be consulted and their views considered before any major change can take place in their life.

Through a series of reforms announced in recent years, the Government wants to put children and young people in the driving seat for reform, by empowering them to directly contribute to making the care system better. The proposed change to the law will be outlined in a letter that will be sent individually from Ed Balls to every child and young person in care, currently over 60,000.

In his letter, Ed Balls will say:

“We are changing the law so that you must be asked for your views before any major change takes place in your life, for example, before you are moved from a foster carer or children’s home, as well as on day to day issues like pocket money, bedtimes and food.

“I promise you that improving the support you get is extremely important for the Government. We will listen to your views before we make our decisions. We want to make sure you have the same chances as other children to fulfil your dreams and to be happy.”

The letter will be published alongside the first ministerial annual report into the care system. It outlines what the Government has done since 2007 to implement the promised reforms from the Care Matters programme and what ministers expect these vulnerable children and young people to receive from everyone responsible for their care – central and local government, social workers and carers. Ministers will also publish for the first time a specially tailored version of the report aimed at children and young people in care.

Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan said:

“I have seen the difference reforms are starting to make across the country but it is evident that the system varies greatly from region to region. The Government is clear that the voice of children and young people should be central to planning, commissioning and the delivery of services that affect them.”

“The fact that local authorities will be making Pledges to the children and young people in their care is a major step in the right direction. It will mean that children and young people in the care system will see in black and white the commitment from their corporate parent to improve their life chances quickly and effectively.”

Dr Roger Morgan, Children’s Rights Director for England, said:

“I welcome the commitment of the Government to listening to the direct voices of children and young people in this year’s Stocktake of care. Children and young people know best the outcomes of care provision for themselves, including the issues of uneven delivery of services and the challenges that must still be faced for children in care and care leavers, as well as what is working well or improving. 

 “I will be issuing my report ‘Messages to the Minister’ at the conference, independently giving the input of children and young people to the Stocktake, for delegates to judge for themselves how the issues children have raised are being addressed.”

Ed Balls’ Five Point Plan for children in care

Ed Balls will write to every child and young person in the care system to outline the recent changes to the care system that will most affect them:  

­ Proposals to change the law to ensure that children and young people in the care system are consulted on any changes to their care before they happen, including when a child is moved between care settings.

­ All local authorities have been asked to set up Children in Care Councils to regularly ask children and young people in their care for their views on how support could be improved. Local authorities will also be writing a Pledge outlining their commitments to improve the system.

­ Local authorities must ensure their school system gives children in care the best chance of succeeding, including giving children in care priority over others to get into the school most suited to their needs. They must also ensure every school has a designated teacher to support the additional needs of children from the care system who will arrange 1:1 tuition if the child falls behind.

­ PCTs and the NHS will have additional guidance to ensure that if children from the care system raise concerns about depression or other health problems that they are acted upon quickly and effectively.

 Every local authority is expected to sign up to the From Care2Work programme to make sure that every young person in care has the opportunity to go into employment or further training after leaving schools.

 Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. The documents published today can be found at: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=viewlatestadditionstocatalogue&PageMode=publications&Type=LatestAdditions&

2. The From Care2 Work programme funds the National Care Advisory Service (NCAS) to work closely with national employers and local authorities to offer opportunities for work experience and mentoring to support care leavers into work.

3. Click here to see letter from Ed Balls to children in care

4. This initiative complements the government's ‘Backing Young Britain’ campaign – uniting business, government and the voluntary sector to create thousands of opportunities for young people. For more information visit: http://interactive.bis.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain/

5. Although times are tough, we can all play a part. We are asking organisations to commit to one or more of the following to Back Young Britain:
­ Offer volunteer places or become a volunteer mentor for school or university leavers
­ Provide work experience opportunities
­ Offer internships to graduates, 18 year olds and non-graduates
­ Consider a young person for a job through a work trial
­ Supply apprenticeship opportunities for 16-24 year olds
­ Bid for one of the 100,000 jobs for young people from the Future Jobs Fund
­ Engage in a Local Employment Partnership

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk