Number of children in care rises
The number of children in care has grown at a faster rate over the past year, official statistics reveal.
Department for Education figures show that after small rises of 1% each year between 2014 and 2016, in 2017 the rise was greater at 3%.
At 31 March 2017 there were 72,670 looked after children in England, an [...]
Adoption Leadership Board warns of fall in adoption of children in care
Adoption falls while special guardianship orders have risen, Adoption Leadership Board data suggests
There has been a decline in the number of decisions to pursue plans for adoption for children in care, the Adoption Leadership Board has warned.
There has been a 25% fall in the number of placement orders granted by courts in England between [...]
Greater consistency required in recording practices for missing people incidents
Some police forces are still inappropriately classing all missing children from care only as absent, meaning the child is at “no apparent risk”.
Sixty per cent of incidents involving people going missing involve children, a report by the UK Missing Persons Bureau has found.
The Missing Persons Data Report 2015/2016 states that there were 207,747 incidents [...]
CAFCASS: Care applications hit record high
The number of applications for children to be taken into the care system in England has hit an all-time high.
Figures published today show that in February a total of 1,225 care applications were made – the highest-ever figure recorded by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass).
It represents an increase of 9.4 [...]
New evidence template launched for social workers
An updated tool to enable local authority social workers to submit evidence for a care application has been produced by Cafcass and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services.
The updated Social Work Evidence Template (SWET) has been updated for local authority social workers to use when submitting evidence to support an application for a care [...]
Kinship care needs greater recognition, says former health secretary
The care system neither encourages nor sufficiently supports kinship care as an alternative to care arrangements, a former health secretary has said.
At a Commons backbench debate on children in care, Alan Johnson said while there is helpful guidance on kinship care, but there is no statutory duty that requires local authorities to explore the kinship [...]
