CYP Now - Editorial: Prioritise children in care for everyone's sake

So the cajoling, campaigning and confrontations that characterise a general election are over, and the real business of government begins once more. But for many, the question is: where should the Labour Government devote time and effort when it comes to the UK's children?

Rifling through the pages of this week's Children Now suggests that looked-after children would be a good place to start. There is a range of issues that must be addressed. For instance, the Analysis on page 11 investigates what needs to be done to close the gap between the educational performance of children in care and their peers. And one of our features profiles local authorities and independent providers that have developed innovative approaches to increasing their supply of local foster carers, to coincide with Foster Care Fortnight (p20).

However, the news story on page eight reveals worrying evidence of how some social workers are trying to help the children in their care. Results from a Fostering Network survey has discovered that some carers feel "blackmailed" by social workers into taking children they don't have the skills or experience to care for.

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