Looked-after children express lack of control over their care

Almost a fifth of looked-after children say they have no control over what is included in their care plan and eight per cent believe they are in the wrong placement, the third annual children’s care monitor has revealed.

The survey, which questioned 1,172 children in care or living away from home, also found that 22 per cent of the 794 young people that responded to the question, either didn’t know whether they had a care plan or didn’t know what a care plan was.

Children in foster care were more likely than children in children’s homes to report feeling settled in their placement, with 89 per cent of children in foster care saying they were in the right placement, compared with 66 per cent of those in children’s homes.

The study asked children if they understood the reasons behind their last placement move. Out of the 576 children in care who responded to the question, nine per cent said they didn’t know why they had moved last time their placement changed.

Of care leavers responding to the survey, only 34 per cent said they had received support to find employment. In 2008, 44 per cent of care leavers received such support.

Despite this, the percentage of care leavers receiving help to get into higher education has risen to 45 per cent, up from 38 per cent in 2008.

Roger Morgan, children’s rights director for England, said he hoped the findings of the care monitor would lead to improvements in the care of looked-after children.

“This third annual monitoring report of children’s views reveals that compared to previous years, the children surveyed are less anxious about their safety and in general there is a decline in bullying being reported,” he said.

“However, the report highlights that still not enough is being done to ensure children are consulted on what happens to their lives and that their opinions are considered and can make a difference to decisions made.”

“While it is good to see that care leavers are receiving better support to prepare them for higher education, I am concerned that the number of young people receiving help to get a job is falling. More must be done to open opportunities in all areas, whether it is education or work, if we are to help children in care transform their lives.”