The Government's recent green paper on children in care, Care Matters,was criticised for failing to properly address access to therapeuticservices for traumatised children. The NSPCC was among those to bedisappointed, saying that the Government had missed an "unmatchedopportunity" to give guidance to commissioners and providers.
Some providers of residential therapeutic services are also concernedthat, because the care they offer tends to be more expensive, councilsoften place children only as a last resort.
Janet Rich, director of development at one provider of therapeutic care,the Bryn Melyn Group, believes that too often a placement followsmultiple-placement breakdowns. She says: "The cost to the economy ofchildren who have experienced trauma, and who possibly end up in prison,runs into hundreds of millions of pounds. If we can help these childrenearly on then the social and economic benefits can be enormous."
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