Mathew Little examines three schemes that have successfully managed to cut placement moves for children.
As government targets go, National Indicator 62: "Stability of placements of looked-after children: number of moves" is not one that will be setting alarm bells ringing in Whitehall. In the year to March 2007, 94 per cent of English local authorities met the target of no more than 16 per cent of their looked-after children experiencing three or more placements.
But closer inspection reveals a less rosy picture. Council performance on the indicator has remained pretty static for six years. And a related government target - for 80 per cent of under-16s who have been in care for two-and-a-half years to have lived in the same placement for at least two years or have been placed for adoption - seems likely to be missed.
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