Council London Borough of Hackney
Performance
The percentage of children with three or more placements during the year to 31 March
2004 Hackney 15.9% England average 13.7%
2005 Hackney 14% England average 13.6%
2006 Hackney 11.7% England average 13.1%
2007 Hackney 13.4% England average 12.2%
2008 Hackney 7.3% England average 11.4%
The London Borough of Hackney has taken concerted steps to improve stability for its looked-after children.
In 2004, nearly 16 per cent of children in care were experiencing more than three placement moves in a year. But this number has steadily decreased, dropping to a low of 7.3 per cent by March 2008.
Alan Wood, the council's director of children's services, puts the improvement down to a new approach taken by the department. Under Hackney's Reclaim Social Work programme, the council has introduced a new structure, which includes more therapeutic support and greater attention to multi-disciplinary working. Wood says: "Our assessments of both children and placements are now far more systematic. We have a far more clinical insight into children's needs and are able to match prospective carers much more closely."
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