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One in ten local authorities don't have children in care councils, finds study
4 June 2010
A new study, by Children and Young People Now has found that at least fourteen out of the 141 local authorities in England have still not set up children in care councils.
This requirement was established as one of the key Care Matters reforms, published in June 2007. Children in care councils allow looked-after-children to have a bigger say about the care they receive.
Natasha Finlayson, chief executive of The Who Cares? Trust said "I find it shocking that every local authority doesn't have a children in care council in place. It's hard to see how local authorities can consult with looked-after children in a meaningful way if they don't have one."
The study also found that at least 15 local authorities had failed to provide bursaries to all the looked-after young people from their area who had gone on to higher education.
Last year's updated Children Act 1989 (Higher Education Bursary) Regulations 2009 made it a legal requirement for local authorities to provide bursaries of at least £2,000 for young people in care who go to university.
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