Speaking at a Care Summit in London organised by former Olympic athlete, Fatima Whitbread, the chair of the Education Select Committee Helen Hayes said politicians and legislators need to focus more on meeting the needs of care-experienced young people if they are to get to grips with other social problems.
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The MP for Dulwich and West Norwood told delegates: “For care-experienced children, the system functions more like an alien city than a village. Outcomes for care-experienced people are dire and should shame us all.
“If we are serious about tackling problems in homelessness, the criminal justice system and access to further education then we have to focus on care experience.”
Hayes’ committee is in the middle of an inquiry into children’s social care and has held several evidence sessions earlier in the year.
On the back of this, Hayes tabled amendments to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to improve provisions in it for children in care and care leavers. This includes a "national care offer" to end regional differences in the quality of support for those leaving care.
Hayes also called for care leaver only apprenticeships to be made widely available and more help with university accommodation from personal advisors and with transport costs to get to work or education need to be included in this. Ministers are also asked to strengthen the requirement for children in care to receive mental health assessments.
Hayes added: “There is very clearly a postcode lottery of services across the country - it shouldn’t fall to an accident of where you live to determine services you have access to.
“We’ve heard about the financial difficulty care leavers face – difficulties getting a bank account, managing rent, accessing accommodation, finding a home – and the difficulties accessing reliable mental health support, with education and employment, and multiple ways that the systems and processes of government…disadvantage care-experienced young people.
“I welcome the commitments the government is making to improve the care system and outcomes for care-experienced children – there’s quite a lot in the bill that will make a material difference - but there’s further to go as well.
“We made the case in regard to legislation that is making its way through Parliament that there should be a national offer for care leavers so it is really clear the support you are entitled to wherever you live in the country.”
The bill has its second reading in the House of Lords later this week and the committee's inquiry recommendations are due to be published in the summer.
