This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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2nd class status for kids in care must end - Minister
31/10/2003
Looked after children are being let
down by services which deny them the same opportunities in
life as their peers, according to Education and Young
People Minister, Peter Peacock.
New statistics published today show
that six out of ten children who leave care have no
qualifications and are not in education, employment or
training.
One in five also experience a period
of homelessness in the year after leaving care.
Commenting on the figures, Mr Peacock,
who chairs the newly established Cabinet Delivery Group on
Children and Young People, said:
"These statistics are a terrible
indictment of a system which still lets down too many
children in care.
Put simply, looked after children are
condemned to a life of difficulty.
"This is a wholly unacceptable
situation.
These children deserve the same chances in
life as any other children and we will not stand by and
watch them miss out.
"Last year we gave councils an extra
£10 million to invest in the resources needed to improve
educational attainment among looked after children.
These statistics again show how right that
decision was. The results will not be seen until the young
people who have benefited reach the age at which they sit
exams but we will continue to publish updated statistics
each and every year and we expect to see improvements.
"We have also placed a new duty on
local authorities to fully assess the needs of young people
leaving care, including their need for housing, training or
employment support.
Councils have a legal duty to act as the
parents of these children and I will be monitoring very
closely the actions they are taking to ensure we secure a
better deal for these young people."
Today's statistics also show an
increase in the number of children's social workers.
Deputy Education and Young People Minister
Euan Robson, who chairs the Social Services Workforce
Group, said:
"This increase shows that our action
plan aimed at recruiting and retaining staff is bearing
fruit.
But the simultaneous increase in vacancies
shows that we must continue to work hard to ensure demand
supply keeps up with demand."
The Executive last year gave local
authorities
£10 million to improve education facilities for looked
after children.
A
new duty on local authorities to assess the needs of
looked after children comes into force next April.
The new duty will also mean local
authorities have to keep in touch with care leavers and
gather information on their living arrangements and their
employment or training.
The Social Services Action Plan is
aimed at boosting recruitment and retaining people in the
profession.
Action includes a national recruitment
campaign, financial incentives and a fast-track scheme for
graduates, additional funding for frontline staff
development and a new honours degree for social work.