Charities urge DfE to change 'misleading' Covid-19 care leavers guidance
Fiona Simpson
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
A coalition of children’s charities has urged the government to retract official coronavirus advice covering local authorities’ duties to care leavers and care-experienced children, warning that vulnerable young people “need more support, not less” during the national crisis.
Some 45 organisations and professions, led by the charity Just for Kids Law, have signed an open letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson claiming that advice published by the Department for Education on 3 April “gives inaccurate information about the legal protections and help available at this extremely difficult time”.
The guidance states that “there will be times in the current circumstances when [it] is not possible for local authorities to meet statutory duties” relating to looked-after children and care leavers.
The group says the advice is misleading and wrongly suggests “significant” changes have been made to the Children Act 1989.
-
Coronavirus: campaigners warn on capacity of children’s charities
-
Put end to unregulated provision for under-18s, urge campaigners
It also brands government advice to councils to “do their best to meet statutory duties” for care leavers, including providing personal advisers and preparing or reviewing pathway plans, as “unacceptable”.
DfE guidance states local authorities should “assess [care leavers'] needs and prioritise the most vulnerable”, however, the letter says: “All care leavers must continue to receive the full package of support they are entitled to and the same frequency of contact with personal advisers and other professionals they received prior to the crisis (although we recognise this contact may now need to be remote).”
It adds that: “Care-experienced children and young people are themselves struggling with the consequences of Covid-19. Those we work with have told us they are facing financial hardship, lack of food, cramped or unsuitable environments, as well as the harmful impact on their mental health, which is leaving them feeling isolated, anxious and unable to cope. Being out of formal education, as many are, further compounds children and young people’s vulnerability. At this time of crisis, care-experienced children and young people need more support, not less.”
The coalition has also called for clarity on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by social workers.
Government advice states that PPE is not required unless the people being visited are “symptomatic of coronavirus or have a confirmed diagnosis of coronavirus”, despite the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), which has also signed the letter, advising social workers to treat home visits as a “high-risk Covid-19 situation”.
Carolyne Willow, director of children’s rights charity Article 39, said: “It’s completely understandable that services have had to adapt to the extenuating circumstances of this pandemic. But it is also vital that the government puts out accurate information about the law and the rights and entitlements of those who rely on children’s social care services.
“Government guidance cannot be used to remove legal protections when there has been no change to legislation.”
On Sunday, Williamson announced that free laptops and tablets would be made available to disadvantaged children in year 10, those who receive support from a social worker and care leavers.
The government will also provide 4G routers to make sure disadvantaged secondary school pupils and care leavers can access the internet – where those families do not already have mobile or broadband internet in the household.
The announcement comes amid growing concerns that disadvantaged children such as those in care, on the child protection register and care leavers will see their education suffer disproportionately from prolonged school closures.
