Care Matters: Delivering for Children in Care Helen Jones York October 09

Ten things looked after children told us that they wanted Stability of placement To do well in education Their health to be looked after To be listened to and taken seriously To be treated like other children Having friends and mates Not to be bullied Having an active “parent” Being appropriately placed (preferably 1st time around) Confidentiality.

Ambition for Children in Care Care Matters White Paper: “The aspiration the State has for children in care should be no less than each parent would have for their own child” Also reflected in Secretary of State’s letter to Directors of Children’s Services on 30 April: “Children in care should be a litmus test of how we are delivering the ambitions set out in the Children’s Plan …it is crucial that we work together to improve the outcomes of children in care further and faster … services seen as a continuum of effective family support services”

Care Matters - 4 Key Aims Ensuring good parenting from every person involved in a child’s life; Making sure young people are heard, giving them a real voice, a real say in the decisions that affect their future; Ensuring children and young people have stability in their lives; and Raising the aspirations of children in care, expecting no less from children in care as a good parent would expect of their own children.

Components of Care Matters Strategy Underpinned by very strong partnership with the sector - need to build on that to generate sector-led improvement across the board. And strengthening the voice of children and young people throughout…

Progress So Far Since Care Matters: Continued gradual progress on outcomes: steadily improving attainment since 2000, with rates of exclusions dropping and attendance improving More care leavers in suitable accommodation and Employment, Education or Training Children and Young Persons Act – November 2008 Piloting social pedagogy, MTFC, Staying Put 18+, VSHs Children in Care Councils & Pledges being implemented across the country Some fantastic local practice developed

What’s Next? Children and Young Persons Act being implemented in 3 waves Revised Children Act Regulations and Guidance (linked to Act implementation) New inspection regime for vulnerable children and safeguarding starting From Care 2 Work roll out: employment support programme for care leavers Social Work Task Force: final report in autumn Roll-out of Virtual School Heads Revised adoption (statutory and practice) Guidance 2010 First ministerial stocktake: November 2009

Watch out for consultations on…. September: National minimum standards: fostering, adoption, children’s homes October: Inspection fee changes October to January: Care Planning, Placements and Review regs and guidance. Includes guidance on duty to provide sufficient and diverse accommodation. Will include regional events. IRO guidance [over the same period] with own regional events. December: Care leavers; family and friends care: visits to children in custody; and disabled children in residential placements 2010: strengthened powers of enforcement in children’s homes; fostering service  

Regulations and Guidance:Care Planning, Placement and Review regulations Takes the approach of the child’s journey with the child at the centre Rationalises current regulations Improve care planning and reviewing Greater focus on placement plans Ensure appropriate delegations Promote contact, especially between siblings Ensure more placements closer to home

Placement Stability “I’ve been in 18 different foster placements, a secure unit for drugs, in court and had so many different social workers. No-one sat me down and asked what was going on.” Child-focused approach to care planning Understanding of the local market and the use of commissioning arrangements to avoid emergency placements High quality assessments which include the views of children Regular reviews to check placements are working well (inc Adoption) Learning from local research on why placements break down Providing carers with practical and evidence based support and training

Interventions to Support Foster Care Development of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) programmes across the age range Piloting of KEEP Project to make elements of MTFC programmes more widely available to foster carers Roll out of Fostering Changes Programme to support positive parenting by foster carers

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care as an attachment based intervention Children who have received poor or inadequate care or who have been exposed to high levels of prenatal and early life stress do not respond typically to the efforts of caregivers to nurture and support them Current behaviors of these children often reflect adaptation to the early environment Without support it is difficult for foster parents to override interactional processes (old patterns of rejection, betrayal etc.) that lead to relationship failure (Dozier) Conversely, with appropriate support, the therapeutic potential of relationships can be activated

Wider lessons of MTFC More than 5 stressful behaviours per day is a strong predictor of placement breakdown Successful programme in US for regular foster care provides weekly foster carer meeting and weekly Parent Daily Report Extended hours support to foster carers

KEEP: Keeping Foster Carers Safe and Supported Builds on development of MTFC Pilots 16 week parenting group for foster and kinship carers of children aged 7-11 Weekly behaviour report by foster carers Goals:- Improve child functioning Decrease child placement disruption risk Improve parenting experience for adults and children

Fostering Changes A behaviourally based programme that ensures foster carers gain real skills in behaviour identification and management Commitment in care matters to national roll out Contract awarded to develop facilitators guide Courses set up across England to run Sept 2009 Mar 2011

View of Foster Carers about Fostering Changes ‘If I had this training many many years ago, some of the placements I had, I would have kept them’ ‘I have gained a lot around praise; I am doing that a lot. It’s a brilliant course and I think all foster carers should do it’ ‘I am seeing changes already’

What we have learnt works “You just want to be treated the same and feel the same as everyone else.” Leadership fully committed to improving outcomes in every agency – children’s services, schools, health and care providers. High aspirations are set for children in care within the overall strategy and are viewed as a barometer of success for the whole local authority. Respecting children, listening to them and acting on their views. Children’s participation is an integral part of arrangements, particularly an effective Children in Care Council Stable care that genuinely supports education, health and enjoying and achieving. Comprehensive planning at individual and strategic levels Strong planning and support for care leavers

You can make a difference, You can change lives! “I feel very safe and secure where I am now.” “I’m the lucky one I have the BEST foster parents possible.” “ I had my PEP at school. My teacher, social worker and foster carer was there.” “Best things about being in care - I am much healthier now” “I was running away a lot, but recently my carers help me get out of the habit.” “The mover to my new placement was in my best interests because the new carers are everything I wanted and needed.” “I think my leaving care workers are doing a brilliant job. Keep up the good work.” “Don’t want to leave (being in care) in case its not as good”