THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSON’S BILL 2008

The Children and Young Person’s Bill 2008 will strengthen the legislative framework underpinning the care system.

It will ensure that children and young people in care are afforded the same opportunities to fulfill their potential and realise ambitions as their peers who are not in care.

The Bill is built on four key principles:

Good parenting from everyone in the system, from the local authority to social workers, to foster carers;
Uncompromisingly high ambitions for children who enter the care system, to achieve the aspirations we have for our own children and reducing the gap in outcomes between children in care and their peers;
Centrality of the voice of the child, ensuring the child is involved in drawing up their care plan and when making decisions involving their care placement; and
Stability in every aspect of the child’s experience, and ensuring more consistency for children in care.

Key points in the Bill include:

A duty will now be placed on the Secretary of State to promote the well-being of children and young people, and the power to promote well-being of care leavers
Clarification on how local authorities should provide accommodation and maintenance for a looked after child, by restating section 23 of the Children Act 1989
A duty will be placed on local authorities to secure sufficient accommodation that is appropriate to the needs of the children looked after by the authority
The Bill will provide for short breaks for parents who are caring for disabled children.

Additional initiatives in the Bill in relation to the Care Matters principles:

In the Bill -

The idea of social work practices
By law, all local authorities to ensure that all schools have a designated teacher for children in care
Bursary of £2,000 to care leavers going to university
Increased support for 21–24 year olds
Local authorities to place children with relatives, near to their home and with siblings—where appropriate
Local authorities to minimise disruption in schooling
More training for carers and social workers around what helps stabilise a placement for a child
Notice to be served on children’s homes not providing good services
Suitable accommodation for care leavers
Strengthen role of the Independent Reviewing Officer
Young people in long term residential/custody to be regularly visited
An Independent Visitor for every child in care
Children in care to be high priority in school admissions
Pilot of virtual head
£500 for extra personalised learning for low achievers, promoting more positive activities.

Outside the Bill -

Young people to have a greater say in how transitions are managed
Development of Children in Care Councils
Improve commissioning of placements
Pilot of Staying Put programme – young people staying with foster carers until age 21
Strengthen links between children and friends and family of carers
Reform of residence orders
Promote welfare of children with regard to placements
Prevention of so many out of authority placements unless they are in the interests of the child
Local authorities required to set out a pledge/promise as to how they will run services for children in care. Children and young people should be involved in setting up the pledge. Local authorities will be accountable against the pledge.
Annual stock take of outcomes for children in care
New qualifications for social workers
Improve career path and supervision for social workers

THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSON’S BILL 2008

The Bill is built on four key principles:

Key points in the Bill include:

Additional initiatives in the Bill in relation to the Care Matters principles:

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