The Live Wire



Press Release

Adoption is only part of the solution – we need to get the system right at both endS

1 November 2011

Prime Minster David Cameron has this morning announced that he will publish a new Green Paper with "floor targets" on adoptions for children in care and punitive measures for local authorities that fail to meet them.

Also buried in the fanfare about the 'Give a Child a Home' campaign are new league tables and a question about care leavers. On accommodation we learn that in the lowest performing authorities the percentage of care leavers at 19 who are in unsuitable accommodation is as high as 30% in Doncaster and 27% in Southampton for the year ending 31 March 2011. Only 16% of the 150 Local Authorities in England have 100% of their care leavers in suitable accommodation, as has been required in law since the 2000 Children (Leaving Care) Act. For Higher Education the differences are even more stark. Whilst Barking and Dagenham had an impressive 39% of their care leavers in Higher Education at the age of 19 in 2010/2011, Leeds, Norfolk and Suffolk returned an average of just 3% over the last three years, with a further 21 boroughs having no care leaver at all aged 19 in HE during the year ending 31 March 2011.

Also resonating from a decade ago, we are reminded of Tony Blair's pre-Christmas announcement in 2000 when he gave a similar commitment to shaking up the adoption and fostering system, increasing the numbers of children in care put up for adoption and reducing delays.

As well as refocusing on adoption, Government is again looking for help to deliver best practice in leaving care services, and out of six questions being asked through its Facebook site as part of the new campaign it is seeking views on a aiding transitions to independence:

"For those children who never find a permanent family, the transition out of care at 18 can be difficult. Leaving care can feel like a 'cliff edge', with support pulled away and a shaky transition to adult services. We want to look at best practice in meeting the needs of children leaving care, such as improving access to appropriate accommodation and ensuring the welfare system supports care leavers to find training and employment"



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