June 2017
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In light of the passing of the Children and Social Work Act - including changes to the adoption process and provisions to improve support for care leavers - this seminar brought together key stakeholders from across the education and health sectors, as well as local government, to consider the implementation and impact of government reforms to the care of looked after children.
This seminar presented an opportunity for delegates to consider steps to improve children’s residential care, following the government response to Sir Martin Narey’s Review of Children’s Residential Care, which included a commitment to establishing a Residential Care Leadership Board and a specific funding scheme to support innovation in children’s residential care. Attendees also discussed the implementation of Ofsted’s social care common inspection framework from April 2017 and what more can be done to improve the mental health and wellbeing of looked after children, following the conclusion of the Education Select Committee’s inquiry into the Mental Health and wellbeing of looked after children.
Those in attendance also assessed the implications of the regionalisation of England’s adoption system, outlined in Adoption: A Vision for Change, and introduced measures to promote adoption by recognising the rights of prospective adopters in court proceedings. There was also discussion on the findings of the Education Select Committee’s inquiry into the future of fostering.
Further sessions considered the implementation of changes to support for care leavers, including a requirement for local authorities to publish a ‘local offer’ for care leavers and provide a personal adviser for care leavers until the age of 25, alongside the previous Government’s announcement that it would pilot the ‘Staying Close’ scheme for children leaving residential care.
