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CONFERENCE
Future for looked-after children
questioned
The future of British fostering services was in the
spotlight today as experts and practioners gathered to discuss how best
to commission services for children with complex needs.
Since the publication of Every Child Matters, pressure
on local authorities to provide a range of excellent, flexible services
for looked after children has increased considerably.
On Monday 23 August, a major conference explored the
heightened challenges authorities and fostering providers face, and
asked how a refreshed approach to commissioning could help in sourcing
bespoke settings and delivering better outcomes for all children,
however specialist their needs.
Almost 200 social care managers, policy makers and
councillors attended the conference, co-hosted by CareandHealth and the
British Association of Adoption and Fostering, to navigate the best way
forward for specialist fostering services.
The debate was ignited by Felicity Collier, Chief
Executive of BAAF, who urged that,
“Intelligent commissioning of fostering placements for
children with complex needs is one of biggest issues to get to grips
with.”
Unorthodox guidance
Unusual advice followed from Judy Stone, Strategic Development Manager
of Social Care and Health at Durham, who presented a “Hitchhikers Guide
to Commissioning”.
Stone’s tongue in cheek speech cited five golden rules
of commissioning services for children, framing the notoriously thorny
issue within an uncommonly accessible and engaging narrative.
Stone appealed for the language surrounding
looked-after children to be clarified and for an end to sector clashes
about appropriate use of terminology, which she argued has detracted
from the real issues of finding lasting solutions.
Extraordinary solutions
Leading childcare specialist Kate Cairns contended that these
“solutions” should take two forms: “recovery”, which she saw as growing
up without developmental impairments, and “adaptation”, which she
defined as “being able to live effective lives.”
Kevin Williams, Chief Executive of the Adolescent and
Children’s Trust, set out his views on how to achieve these solutions,
outlining not just a best value approach, but also an “added value”
approach.
Ambitious Williams called for “Young people’s
participation, clothing, holiday allowances, work experience and driving
lessons”, along with extensions to more traditional services such as
therapy, advocacy and after care.
A threat to residential care?
With 68% of England’s looked-after children now in foster
placements, questions were raised about the consequences for the future
of residential care, should fostering services become even more
sophisticated in the years to come.
CareandHealth asked care-leaver Matt Huggins whether
he felt fostering was now the most fitting solution for children with
complex needs:
“I can’t speak for all care leavers, but in my view,
looked-after children should be offered foster care placements wherever
possible. Many people believe that residential care is the only answer
for hard-to-place children, but I disagree.”
He added, “If we don’t strive to provide children with
a family environment, however complex their needs are, we are failing
them.”
Pluralist provision
Mr Huggins was also outspoken on the issue of the mixed economy in
foster care suppliers.
He argued, “When it comes to commissioning foster
services, the debate seems fixated on types of provider, rather than the
type of service provided. In my view, looked-after children don’t care
whether their services are being run for profit or not. All they care
about is having a loving and secure environment to come home to.”
Other speakers at the conference included Paul Fallon,
Chair of the ADSS Children and Families Committee, Doug Lawson, Family
and Youth Manager at Cheshire County Council, Paul D’Inverno, National
Fostering Coordinator, CSCI, and David Oldham, Commissioning Director of
FCA.
The debate will continue on 22 February as
CareandHealth discuss Achieving Stability in Placements and Education
for Looked After Children with Estelle Morris and Paul Ennals.
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