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Government failing children leaving care
November 28, 2002 12:00 AM
Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Social Services, commenting on the new figures released by the Department of Health on the educational achievement of children leaving care showing that 6 out of 10 get no GCSEs and that only 5% get 5 A*-C GCSEs, said:
"It is not surprising that looked after children who have experienced abuse, neglect, rape, torture, disability, bereavement and homelessness are failing to achieve when many are not allocated a social worker and almost all experience some form of mental health issues.
"Setting targets to achieve in GCSEs is distorting the priorities of social services. Their first concern should be to get these most vulnerable of children back on their feet after horrendous and traumatic experiences.
"Ministers must concentrate on reducing truancy and exclusion if they are to achieve any successes in improving the outcomes of children leaving care."
ENDS
Notes to editors
• In 1998, Ministers set a target that the proportion of children leaving care aged 16 or above who have gained at least one GCSE or GNVQ qualification increases to 50% by 2001, and to 75% by 2003.
• The 2001 target was missed with only 39% of looked after children achieving a single A-G GCSE.
Children leaving care have the following issues to contend with:
• Four out of five will be unemployed or unemployable.
• Three in five will have no educational qualifications
• One in three of the prison population was a looked after child.
• One in four looked after children will be a parent when they leave care.
• One in five will be homeless two years after leaving care.
• Currently there are 58,900 looked after children. The charity Young Minds estimates that 96% of looked after children have mental health problems.
• The Chief Inspector of Social Services, Denise Platt, in her 11th Annual Report states that:
"In the councils inspected, an average 3% of cases of children on the child protection register were not allocated and an average 5% of looked after children were not allocated to a social worker. From a sample of case files, doubts were raised about arrangements to protect one in eight children. Inspectors took the view that the welfare of children was adequately safeguarded in only 21 out of 32 councils. A particular area of concern was staff recruitment which was insufficiently robust to ensure adequate safeguards."
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