Family Rights Group welcomes the Education Select Committee’s new inquiry report on children’s social care, published today.
The report highlights the urgent challenges faced by children, families and those working in the child welfare system, which we have long worked to see addressed.
The cross-party committee of MPs has made recommendations which draw on Family Rights Group’s work including using family group conferences to put families in the driving seat on decisions about their children, and strengthening support for relatives and friends stepping in as kinship carers.
Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive of Family Rights Group said:
“The Committee’s report is a timely reminder of the scale of the crisis in children’s social care and the urgency in improving outcomes for children and young people.
“Family Rights Group hears regularly from parents and kinships contacting our advice service, often in desperation, struggling to get the support they need for their children to stay safe and thrive. Meanwhile, too many children and young people in the care system are alone and isolated from friends and family who care about them.
“The Committee’s call on Government to address the factors driving the care crisis, including tackling child poverty, is critical.
“Landmark family group decision making reforms – galvanising the strengths of families – are being rolled out across the country. The Committee accepted our argument on the need to follow the strong evidence on the impact of family group conferences if this is to succeed in keeping more children safely in their families. Early findings from the Government’s pathfinder programme, also published today, reinforce that message.
“The Committee rightly recognises that reunification of children from the care system to their families, has been ignored by national policy makers for far too long. We endorse their call for a national government strategy on reunification, so that where in their interests, children are supported to safely return home.
“Kinship families have been the Cinderella of the child welfare system for too long. Government is taking forward our proposals for a legal definition and new kinship local offer. Support provision needs to be stepped up too including, as the Committee recommends, on financial allowances, employment leave, help in schools, and therapy for those children who have experienced trauma.
“Finally, children and young people in care and those leaving care are too often being let down by a system which is not ensuring they have the love and care they need to thrive in life. Relationships, especially with brothers and sisters, are important to us all, but too often are sidelined or even broken for children in the care system. 38 local authorities in England are delivering in our Lifelong Links s approach which is building not breaking those important relationships. We will continue to campaign for every child in care and care leaver to offered Lifelong Links, so they have people they can trust and rely on in child and adulthood.”