Children raise concerns about being unprepared to enter the care system

Before Care, a survey of 50 children from 24 local authorities who had recently entered the care system, raises concerns about how unprepared some children are when coming into care.

One child said: "Someone could have talked to me and told me what was happening." While another said: "Someone I knew could have been allowed to come rather than escorts picking me up in the night, driving me out of London to someone’s house I knew nothing about."

But the report also reveals that once the children were placed in care, 38 said their life was generally better. One child said: "My life has been a fair amount happier and quite a lot more settled since."

Twenty-six of the children surveyed said they received help from social workers before being placed into care, 15 did not get any help.

Morgan said: "Coming into care is a major life change in any child’s life. However, it is made worse when children are not told what is happening to them and are unaware of where they are going to live. The fear and confusion that children experience when entering care could be lessened if they know at each stage what is happening to them. More must be done to inform and prepare children before they enter care.

"However, it is reassuring to hear from children that once they are in care their life is generally better. Some children expressed that they felt safer, happier and more settled."