Councils concede that leaving care services aren't up to scratch

By Alison Bennett Thursday, 06 November 2008

Local authorities have backed a study commissioned by CYP Now that found care leavers need better support, despite government policies such as Care Matters.

Ann Watt, credit: Phil Adams

CYP Now hosted the Life After Care event last week to launch the research, jointly commissioned with the Bryn Melyn Group Foundation and conducted by QA Research.

Trevor Akerman, leaving care manager at Richmond Council, said the research highlighted some "very familiar" messages. "There's a huge amount of inconsistency," he said. "Legislation is clear about local authorities' statutory requirements but it's not being adhered to."

Akerman added that Care Matters would help in making local authorities consider their responsibilities but said it was still "not quite good enough".

Jayne Speat, a social worker specialising in drug treatment in the children's directorate at Stockport Council, agreed that nationally care leaving services were not up to scratch. "Some just don't have adequate provision," she said.

She added that out-of-area placements and a high turnover of social workers meant that young people were missing out on vital support.

"The work should be needs led but I think it's currently resources led," she said.

Meanwhile, Ann Watt, deputy director of the Cabinet Office's Social Exclusion Taskforce, revealed it would work with local authorities with the best and worse outcomes for care leavers. The taskforce will visit these councils to look at the provision they have in place, to create an analysis to share best practice.

Watt denied that the process would amount to "naming and shaming" poorly performing local authorities, because the work would not be made public. "It's something to identify performers and help them see what they're doing isn't meeting the standards and show how they can change," she said.

The Life After Care report was based on interviews with 41 care leavers.