Demos care proposals go against government thinking, says ADCS

The In Loco Parentis report by think-tank Demos and Barnardo's, found that providing looked-after children with a stable, positive experience of care could save councils up to £32,755 per child each year.

To make this possible, the report recommends introducing a statutory duty on councils to offer family group conferencing, as well as mandatory mental health assessments for every child entering care and a "right to return to care" for all care leavers up to the age of 24.

Ann Baxter, chair of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) health, care and additional needs policy committee, said the ADCS supports the "moral imperative" behind the recommendations.

But she claimed the proposals would be tough to deliver in the current climate, because of constraints on funding and a move away from central government directives to local authorities.

"The report feels counterintuitive to the direction of government," Baxter explained.

"The government is not going to be as prescriptive as to say that every council has to be offering family group conferencing."

Baxter added that councils are "very worried" about impending cuts to children's services budgets, which are likely to make it difficult for authorities to take on additional duties.

Enver Solomon, assistant director for policy at Barnardo's, admitted that council budgets are under pressure, but warned that the cost of not implementing the report's recommendations would be high.

"What we are proposing will lead to clear savings in the local authority care system," he said. "There is a financial imperative to ensure that every looked-after child has a stable experience of care."

He added that central government should continue to clearly set guidelines on looked-after children for councils: "The expectation is that local authorities will spend their money with less direction, but there is still plenty of scope to take forward our In Loco Parentis recommendations."