The needs of children in care have been neglected and given insufficient attention by Tony Blair say leading charity, the Fostering Network.
In the past 10 years Tony Blair’s Labour government has launched countless initiatives to reshape the welfare state and invest in education, health and the justice system, but too little has been done to improve the life chances of the 50,000 children and young people looked after by the state.
The Fostering Network argues that without addressing the needs of children in care there is a risk that many of Blair’s efforts to reduce social exclusion will be weakened.
The latest government figures clearly demonstrate the damning consequences that this underinvestment has had on children in care:
- One in every 10 children in care attained five good GCSEs in 2006, compared to more than half of all children. Less than five per cent of care leavers go on to university.
- Young women aged 15-17 who have been in care are three times more likely to become teenage mothers than others of their age.
- More than a quarter of adults in prison have spent time in care.
In order to improve outcomes for children in care and ensure they have the same opportunities to a successful future as other children in our society, the Government needed to invest greater resources into fostering. According to the Fostering Network this would have resulted in far more fostered children growing up to be successful, economically active and responsible citizens, with far fewer making demands on statutory services.
Robert Tapsfield, chief executive, the Fostering Network, said:
“It is a sad fact that today people who have come through the care system are grossly over-represented in prisons and under-represented in universities. But with proper investment in services to meet the needs of children in care, things could be so different. A successful foster carer can quite literally transform the life of a child in care.
“However, under Tony Blair insufficient effort has been made to recognise the vital role and contribution foster carers make in today’s society. Despite raised expectations placed on foster cares by the Government they have continued to be treated as volunteers, receiving inadequate support, training and pay.
“I urge the next prime minister to commit to making a real difference to the lives of these forgotten children by becoming a good corporate parent to the country’s most vulnerable children.�
After 10 years of Tony Blair’s government, children are still being forced to move from home to home – more than one in 10 pre-school children can expect three or more placement moves each year and half of 10-15 year olds will also suffer the same fate.
Currently around one in five fostered children are placed more than 20 miles away from their home, meaning they have to change schools, live long distances from friends and family and are separated from their brothers and sisters. The impact this has on children in care is not only emotionally damaging but is also detrimental to their education and future life chances.
To achieve the best outcomes for children in foster care, the Fostering Network calls on the new prime minister to introduce:
- A fee structure that pays foster carers for their work and skills and includes realistic retainers between placements.
- A framework for training foster carers that is in line with other occupations in the child care workforce.
- Support systems to ensure that foster carers and their families get the help they need to do their demanding job.
- Allowances to cover the day-to-day costs of caring for fostered children, set at a rate no less than the Fostering Network’s minimum recommended allowances to cover the full cost of fostering to carers.
Currently there is a shortage of over 8,000 foster carers in England, to address the recruitment crisis the Fostering Network is launching a two week campaign, Foster Care Fortnight, from 14–27 May to call on the general public to think about helping a child in their community by becoming a foster carer. To find out more about the campaign visit www.fostercarefortnight.co.uk.