Conservative Conference 2010: Care system must change to reduce offending
Neil Puffett
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Changes to the care system should be made to reduce numbers of children ending up in the criminal justice system, a leading campaigner has said.
Kevin Williams, chief executive of The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (Tact), children should be allowed to stay in the care system for longer so support can be provided if or when necessary.
He added that children often turn up in youth court without their social worker, a situation that can put them at a disadvantage.
"We are doing some work on when children offend and why they offend, and one in four have spent time in the care system," he said. "I would enable them to stay in the care system for longer."
Williams said children moving out of the care system and not receiving adequate support can be a recipe for "alcohol, drugs and then crime".
Tory MP Graham Stuart, chair of the education select committee, said ministers should be looking into a wide range of services that could push back the age at which children in care receive support to 24 or 25.
"Having a decent set of services that keep going until they are more robust and better able to deal with life is something we must do," he said.
