The Centre for Social Justice - Looked After Children

Looked-after children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. In many cases they have suffered sexual and physical abuse before they are removed from home, and going into care means more upheaval and potential trauma. All too often, the state falls short in its role as the “corporate parent”, providing inadequate funding and failing to accept the full responsibility that it has for these children in its care.

The result is that care-leavers are far more likely to end up in jail, on drugs, on the streets, or to be teenage parents than their peers:

Number

There were 60,300 looked-after children as of 31 March 2006. 70% were in foster-care.[i]

Educational Crisis

Only 8% of looked-after children achieve 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE compared to 45.8% in England (including Maths and English).
Only 11% of looked-after children left school with 5 good GCSEs compared with 56% of all children.^{^[ii]}

Prison Link

27% of the prison population, and half of all prisoners under 25, were in care.[iii]

Out of work

22% of care leavers will be unemployed by the September after they leave school – this is over three times higher than that for all school leavers.

On the streets

80% of all Big Issue sellers were in care.
Half of all prostitutes have been in care.

The looked-after children policy group is adamant that the experiences and outcomes for looked-after children can be transformed. In loco parentis we must fight for them and champion their achievements. The work will examine better prevention (how we can prevent children from needing to go into care), adoption, increasing stability, the clearer assignment of responsibility for looked-after children, extending the carer’s involvement, civic pride, better training of those who assist these children, and mentoring schemes.

[i]DFES, ‘Children looked after in England (including adoptions and care leavers), 2005-06’, SFR 14/2006, p. 1.

[ii]Centre For Social Justice, 2007, Breakthrough Britain, p. 49

[iii]Social Exclusion Unit, 2002, Reducing Reoffending by ex-prisoners.

Topics

CHAIRMAN

Ryan Robson is a Partner of Sovereign Capital, an investment fund which supports the growth of education and social care groups. He has served as a Non-Executive Director of education and training organisations including Alpha Plus, a group of 20 independent schools and colleges and the SENAD Group which educates children with special educational needs and supports them into adulthood. Ryan is a Governor of the Alton School in Wandsworth and was a Councillor for Wandsworth from 2002-2006 and Chairman of its Education and Performance and Standards Committee.

Couldn't Care Less Report.
Couldn't Care Less Executive Summary