That there needs to be a care review in England is undeniable – outcomes for looked-after children and care leavers still lag well behind peers. The key question is how comprehensive should such a review be? This depends on the scale of the government’s ambitions. When deciding this, new children’s minister Vicky Ford should look to Scotland’s recently published Independent Care Review for pointers (See Analysis).
The independent chair of the Scottish review Fiona Duncan has deep knowledge of disadvantaged children and public services, but no strong affiliation to a particular sector or lobby. Ford and officials at the Department for Education would do well to consider these attributes a prerequisite when searching for an independent chair for the English review. Another key strength of the Scottish approach has been its collegiate nature. Experts from across the sector sat on the review’s advisory groups, ensuring no single world view could dominate.
Meanwhile, children, young people and adults with care experience were central to every aspect of the consultation and debate. Adopting a similar approach in England would ensure those with experience of the care system shape and own reforms.
The Scotland review’s 80 recommendations have been widely welcomed. Many are aspirational end points with few specifics on how to achieve these. The DfE and ministers will need to decide if they want something similar or a set of proposals targeted at changing how specific aspects of the system work.
It is important to take the time to get the English review right – however, it took more than three years from launch to completion of the Scottish review, which is also accompanied by a 10-year implementation plan. This is too long. Vulnerable children in England cannot afford for it to take a decade to put right the faults in the care system. Two years should be sufficient to produce a robust review that maintains momentum and results in a set of reforms to be delivered over a three-year period.
Such a timescale would fit the current parliamentary term, ensuring political ownership. It should also mean that by 2025, the foundations are in place for a much improved care system, one that gives equal opportunities to all looked-after children.
