Children In Care Back Boarding School Proposal

Over two-thirds of young people in care believe they should have the option of going to boarding school rather than staying in a care home or foster family, according to findings published yesterday.

A government consultation on plans to overhaul the UK’s troubled care system revealed almost the same proportion of care professionals also think a boarding place should be available as an alternative for children unable to live with their families.

The idea was floated by the government last October in its Care Matters green paper, which said boarding school could provide “an excellent means of stability and support”. Children and professionals involved in the consultation backed the idea of expanding that option, providing any decision was based on the best interests and needs of the child.

With boarding fees running at between £12,000 and £24,000 a year, the scheme could also be a more cost-effective alternative to placing children in care, which can cost up to £3,000 a week, or over £150,000 annually.

Ten local authorities and over 50 independent and state boarding schools have already signed up for a pathfinder project examining whether a boarding education can help vulnerable children before they formally enter the care system.

The education secretary, Alan Johnson, publishing the consultation responses yesterday, said the government would publish a white paper on reforming the care system later this year.

The plans will aim to improve a range of aspects of care services, including intervening earlier before crises develop in families and improving the way care placements are made.

Boosting the education of children and young people in care will be central to the reforms, since qualification levels are far lower and truancy and exclusion much higher among children in care than the rest of the school population.

The National Association of Head Teachers warned the government of a “culture of non-attendance [at school] in children’s homes”, and one group of young people said local authorities should be prosecuted just as parents can be if children in their care truant from school.

There was also backing for the idea of providing an extra £500 a year to be spent by social workers to boost the education of children in care, and for local authorities to issue a series of guarantees to those in their care.

There was broad support for the government’s desire to reduce the number of young people in care, but concerns were raised that the change could lead to children not going into care when it was in their best interests.