The latest reports confirming that almost half of Britain's looked-after children suffer from some kind of mental illness have prompted renewed calls for social workers and foster carers to receive an appropriate level of training.
Last week, the Office for National Stat-istics revealed that 45 per cent of children in residential or foster care in Scotland, and 49 per cent in Wales, had been assessed as having a mental illness. Similar figures released last year for England showed that 45 per cent of children in care were in the same position.
Lee Miller, consultancy and training manager at mental health charity Young Minds, believes that foster carers and social workers need to raise their game. "These figures highlight the need for people working in the care system to have an understanding of mental health issues," he explains.
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