IROs know from experience that stable and well-matched care for children and young people in care often makes all the difference, but this paper argues that there is system failure in delivering this at scale. At a time when resources are so precious, the sector must tighten its control of the money spent on children … Continue reading ARE WE VALUING CARE? Children’s services essay collection | iMPOWER
The government is urging councils, the police and courts across England to sign up to an agreement aimed at reducing the unnecessary criminalisation of looked-after children and care leavers. The national protocol calls for a reduction in the number of incidents at children's homes that police are called out to. Read full piece at source: … Continue reading Call to end unnecessary criminalisation of children in care | Children & Young People Now
This is a reported case from a Circuit Judge, so not binding, but very interesting. Effectively the IRO backed a plan of adoption based in part on abysmal home conditions, but had not been told by the social worker of dramatic improvements. 17. The IRO Handbook places a high burden on social workers to ensure … Continue reading S (Recognising The Role of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)) [2018] EWFC 71 (08 November 2018)
Rt. Hon. Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division recently Key Note Address: “Crisis; What Crisis?”Association of Lawyers for Children Conference 2018 23 November 2018. This conference is meeting at a time when an unprecedented number of applications are being made each month by local authorities for care or supervision orders in relation to children. … Continue reading Keynote by Rt. Hon. Sir Andrew McFarlane “Crisis; What Crisis?”
The government must do more to divert families with ‘entrenched’ problems away from the courts, research by the chief children’s social worker has concluded. The ‘Case for clear blue water’ briefing by Isabelle Trowler found too many marginal cases involving children at risk of significant harm were entering the family justice system. The study argued … Continue reading Families must be diverted away from courts, Trowler report argues
Please listen to this BBC Radio 4 piece. It concerns 38 year old entrepreneur Simon who is fighting to become his teenage niece's legal guardian after she was placed in care. Until last year, Simon was a highly successful businessman with a city lifestyle to match. Then his business went under - and with it … Continue reading The Untold, Fighting for My Niece | BBC radio 4
How will the £84m funding announcement to expand Leeds, Hertfordshire and North Yorkshire's innovation projects make a difference to the sector as a whole? Read more at source: Zahawi announces plans to extend DfE innovation projects to more councils | Children & Young People Now
Every year the Department for Education publishes official statistics on children in care. These statistics tell us how many children live in foster care or in a children's home, what proportion moved placement and educational outcomes. What is missing from these numbers is the voice of children and young people living in care themselves. How … Continue reading Hearing the voices of children in care | LocalGov
How a care-leaver self-published his childhood story and was invited to European Parliament Please watch and share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voFxd1BjqeE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0UUGfuvoFI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9rCSGKxyJo In less than a year debut-author, street musician and care-leaver Ben Westwood’s book Poems From a Runaway has gone from strength-to-strength as social workers, foster parents, missing children’s charities and safeguarding boards embrace his … Continue reading How a care-leaver self-published his childhood story and was invited to European Parliament | Ben Westwood
Featured article - 13 November 2018 via SCIE By Rachel Leslie, Project Implementation Manager, Break - Changing Young Lives Cambridgeshire and Norfolk are developing their arrangements for supporting young people as they leave residential care. Staying close and staying connected in East Anglia - definitely one to watch. Read more: Staying close and staying connected in … Continue reading Staying close and staying connected in East Anglia | SCIE #ECLCM
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