Councils fail to hit placement targets
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Local authorities have not made any progress during the past six years in cutting the number of children with three or more care placements a year, according to a Research in Practice report.
The research organisation's Performance Pointers report said that, under the government's national indicator, good performance equates to no more than 16 per cent of looked-after children having three or more placements in a year. The report said around 91 per cent of councils are meeting this target, with an average in England of 12 per cent, but warned that this has not changed for six years.
The report said placements could be more likely to break down if they were rushed, crisis-driven or involved children with difficult behaviour. Ways to cut short-term placements include recruitment and retention of more foster carers, having a person in the local authority to oversee all placement requests for children in care, and supporting children in care with mental health problems.
