Children running away from care need a safety net

Children in care are three times more likely to run away than those living at home; many are being failed by the systems that are supposed to protect them, by Enver Solomon
The plight of society’s most vulnerable children tends to go unnoticed until a tragic case of professionals failing in their duties hits the headlines, prompting public debate and political action. Baby Peter is the obvious example. Now we have the Rochdale case of older children living in care homes who were preyed upon by abusers that subject them to horrific sexual exploitation. Rightly, questions are being asked about how this could happen to children in the care of the state.

There are many examples of good practice and the care system does often make a real difference to children who have been neglected by their parents. But particularly for older children who have very complex needs we need to provide good quality care as these young people are already vulnerable and at greater risk of running away.

This is reflected in the fact that children in care are three times more likely to run away than children living at home. And it is very much a problem for older children living in care homes. Running away or going missing is a key indicator that a child might be in great danger putting themselves at very serious risk of physical abuse, sexual exploitation and crime.

Conscious that the issue of missing from care was not on the political agenda until the Rochdale case and keen to give it greater prominence, two influential parliamentary groups, chaired by Ann Coffey MP, and supported by peers and MPs from across the political spectrum, have already been working to investigate the issue by conducting their own parliamentary inquiry. Supported by the charities Missing People, the Who Cares Trust and the Children’s Society, over the last few months they have taking evidence from children themselves who have run away, ministers, national agencies such as the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency and Ofsted, the voluntary sector, police forces and local authorities, which have all spoken about the need for change.

What has come through loud and clear is that many of the vulnerable children who go missing from care are being failed by the very people and systems that are supposed to protect them. Trafficked children from abroad are particularly being let down. Despite the child protection frameworks that are in place, witnesses revealed how these children’s needs are being ignored because the authorities see child trafficking as an immigration control issue. Hundreds of them disappear from care every year and the majority are never found again.

The lack of good quality data has been raised again and again as a critical issue. The children’s minister, Tim Loughton MP, admitted that it was impossible to know the true extent of the problem as the data collected by police, care services and Ofsted was “raw and erratic” – and often not comparable.

The poor quality of some children’s home and other care placements has also been highlighted. One witness said that she had concerns that children were being placed “where there was a bed free, not where would be most suitable”.

Tim Loughton acknowledged this and spoke about the need to improve the quality of children’s homes and other placements. He recognised that children’s homes were too often seen as the last resort for the most challenging and vulnerable children rather than a first resort of therapeutic support. If necessary, he said, the government would undertake a review of children’s homes and might also introduce tougher rules and regulations to improve standards.

Several witnesses also highlighted the conflict the police face in supporting children who run away. The children and young people who gave evidence said they are seen as criminals or a nuisance, not as ‘at risk’ before or during the time they were missing. This means signs of abuse or exploitation can go undetected – leaving them unsupported and abusers unpunished.

It is clear that at present there are serious failings which need to be urgently addressed. The inquiry’s findings will demonstrate how the system is far from fit for purpose and set out a number of practical recommendations so that in the future every time a child runs away from care they are provided with a genuine safety net.

Enver Solomon is director of policy for the Children’s Society