Children in care homes – is it really simply a last resort or can it be a positive experience?
The amount of young people taken into care has doubled over a decade. In 2008 the number was nearly 7,500 and last year it had tipped to 14,490.
In addition, the number of children who were being looked after by people other than their parents or carers had amassed to 72,670, a record high for England, equating to almost 200 children every day.
The increasing figures are blamed by experts on contributing factors such as poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence and poor housing conditions, and significant cuts to both children’s and family services that are supposed to help tackle the problems. This crisis looks sets to wider deepen as the Local Government Agency estimated that children’s services will be facing a £2 billion finding gap by 2020.
However, Nadhim Zahawi, Children’s Minister, has announced that more support will be given to vulnerable young people and more than £200 million would be invested over the next couple of years. He said: ‘We want every child to be in the stable, loving family home that’s right for them – in most cases children are best looked after by their families. Only as a last resort will a child be removed.’
Over recent years, the care system for children and young people has been undergoing transformation, driven by policy changes, including a shift towards fostering. Homes generally tend to be smaller, maybe four or six-bedded. Department of Education figures suggest 15% of children in the care system have been placed in a residential setting. Over half of homes are run by private and voluntary sectors and one third of local authorities no longer run homes, with 50% of councils closing at least one over the past decade.
Children’s care homes are constantly under the spotlight in terms of safeguarding against abuse. With so many businesses running homes, this has become contentious as there are concerns regarding putting profit above the care needs and welfare of the children. Providers must demonstrate that they are attaining high quality standards and complying with regulations and evidencing improved outcomes, assisting and guiding the child to reach their aspirations and offering opportunities to hit their full potential.
It tends to typically be more teenagers who are placed into a home after several unsuccessful fostering placements. In most cases their needs will be complex; the government have stated that 30% are placed due to abuse and neglect, and 38% have special educational needs. There is a higher risk that they will have come into contact with the Criminal Justice System. The Department of Education released a report in 2012 which outlined that the emphasis on using fostering means that it is the older children more likely to end up in a care home, due to their challenging needs or have failed to settle with their foster family. Alison O’Sullivan, president of the Association of Director of Children’s Services, disagrees that it is because of their failure to settle into their fostering set up, and instead it is because their complex needs can be met and addressed in a home and they are given therapeutic support they desperately need.
Smaller homes have the potential to suit this purpose and offer the child adequate support, including mental health conditions – 62% of children in care homes have mental health issues, and can best serve their needs. Accessing the right kind of support is vital and if this can be met in a home, it can surely lead to a positive experience with long-term benefits.