The Education Secretary Michael Gove has ordered an inquiry into Rotherham Council's decision to remove three Eastern European foster children from the care of a couple because they belong to the UK Independence Party (Ukip).
Chief executive of the Fostering Network, Robert Tapsfield, warned that the politically-charged situation risks shifting focus away from the important issues that the case raises.
“We are concerned that this story is being used to suggest consideration of a child’s ethnicity is not important,” he said. “Social workers are required to take into account a range of factors when making decisions about a child in care.
“They will want to know that a new fostering placement will meet the child’s health and educational needs, enable the child to keep in contact with important family members and help the child develop their sense of identity, of which race and ethnicity are a part.
“It is right and proper that all of these factors are taken into account, the law is clear that no one factor is more important than another. It is the child’s overall needs that must be considered and it would be entirely wrong to suggest that ethnicity is not important.”
Media reporting of the case has meanwhile been criticised by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS).
Debbie Jones, ADCS president, said the organisation would not be commenting on the specifics of the case, but warned that the coverage had been “unhelpful” for the wider debate around fostering.
“It blurs what makes good practice with politics, which has absolutely nothing to do with it,” she said. “It is for the investigations taking place to flush out whether it was the right decision to take or not.”
In a statement, Roger Stone, leader of Rotherham council, described the case as “very complex”, relating to “particular features” of the children's background and an external fostering agency.
“Membership of Ukip should not bar someone from fostering,” he said. “The council places the highest priority on safeguarding children, and our overriding concern in all decisions about the children in our care, is for their best interests.”
Stone added that the authority would work closely with the Department for Education to help assist the inquiry.
“The investigation will focus on the information, advice and evidence gathered before making this decision, the nature of the decision itself and how it was communicated,” he said.
