Letters to the Editor: Children's home reforms too narrow

The Education Secretary's proposed reforms to children's homes are dangerously narrow. All children should have safe, effective care whether in fostering, kinship care or children's homes.

The DfE decided against developing a care strategy, instead choosing to implement piecemeal reforms - such as to the adoption system - that do not impact upon the majority of looked-after children.

We urge the Education Secretary to rethink this decision and take a strategic approach to reforming the wider care system in order to best meet the needs of vulnerable children, rather than making piecemeal changes.

Mike Davey, director, Witherslack, on behalf of Children's Services Development Group

Siblings in care should not be separated

Michael Gove faces a herculean task to sort out the scandal of children in care. I would suggest he starts with limited objectives. For example, we know that 81 per cent of looked-after children with brothers or sisters in care had been separated from them (Ofsted 2011). Maybe a policy undertaking to reunite and keep families of siblings intact when in care could be a strong measure to protect children's family identities.

Removing children from their siblings and home environment not only causes real trauma for young lives but also negates against strong family bonds in adulthood.

I believe Mr Gove knows the need to have loving family support when birth families cannot provide this, I hope he will be also guided by this source of motivation to cure what he is able to in the policy and provision for our nation's most vulnerable children.

Peter McParlin, consultant child psychologist