Care reforms shouldn’t just focus on children’s homes

Government proposals miss out reforms needed for the entire children’s services system

Children’s homes providers have long argued for many of the changes the government now wants to make. But government proposals are too little and too slow. More importantly, as they focus entirely on children’s homes, they miss out reforms needed for the entire children’s services system.

Children’s homes flourish best in a positive children’s services system. The outcomes achieved by children’s homes are usually connected to what has happened before or elsewhere. One proposal is to stop siting homes in unsafe areas. We have not yet been given guidance about what defines a safe area and that will be a big part of the consultation.

Given that the focus is only on children’s homes means that an important question has not been posed. If we move residential homes out of an unsafe area then what of the young people who remain in fostering and birth families – how is it safe for them?

Children’s homes have to notify the authorities of involvement or suspicion of involvement with child sexual exploitation. The same must be expected of all placements, as providers of children’s homes representatives have long been arguing. We have also been arguing for a more skilled and qualified workforce and it’s great that this is on the agenda.

We’ve been pressing for greater collaboration between providers and other agencies such as the police. We hope that the new missing person protocol improves this through regular training and shared appreciation of each other’s tasks. Homes need protection and for the police to actively divert and disrupt malevolent external threats.

The notification of movements into and out of a home is something the sector has pursued for several years. It has been the responsibility of local authorities to inform their colleagues but it hasn’t been implemented. It was providers who have been championing this protection and information-sharing. Providers are very happy to make this information known and will look forward to an efficient reception from local authorities.

Most children in a home go missing on fewer occasions than before they arrived in care. Some come to a children’s home because they went missing so often. They find responsive adults and alter their behaviour.

We know that distance is sometimes needed for a child to get a feeling of safety. They need a new “home from home” where psychological and emotional well-being are more important than distance.

Nor do we know if there is a difference between local authority services and private and voluntary ones. Of course, children going missing is not only a concern for children’s homes but affects many young people from birth families and fostering too. We need to appreciate the learning in the report by Ofsted’s children’s rights director for England that shows the reasons why young people go missing.

The big omission is the need for a collective and comprehensive strategy for residential child care. What do we want our homes to do and how do we want them to do it? What is the right cost? This requires a new sufficiency and diversity duty for local authorities that will deliver audits of need and will plan local, regional and national placements.

The media portray government reforms as some sort of crackdown, but abuse has to be eliminated. We also need to lift standards in all homes and in inspections. This last year we have seen poor care, yet we have world class residential care for young people in this country. Good providers have nothing to fear and the system needs reforming to maximise outcomes for children. We have wanted this for years and providers will play a positive part in making sure we have a care system that is fit for purpose.