Comment on Children’s Commissioner’s speech on the...

ADCS Vice President Charlotte Ramsden said:

“The importance of being ambitious for all children in care cannot be overstated. We endorse the emphasis on the need for government to invest in a system that is resourced to both prevent the need for care and nurture and support those children and young people who benefit from it. We recognise the scale of the challenge to build a system that will work for all children. There are barriers to overcome to ensure we can meet the needs of those in our care, particularly adolescents. The much-anticipated care review represents an opportunity for the government to be bold and ambitious and to learn from the expertise of those who are care experienced of all ages. National investment in early help, national standards for our care system together with the capacity to deliver them, will mean fewer children need to be in care but that those who do can flourish. Care fails too many children but for some it is transformative and the review must learn from what works as well as what does not. Learning has not stood still but there is so much more to come. The offer to care leavers has been strengthened in recent years but there’s more to be done to help children and families sooner, to prevent the need for the state to intervene in family life and to improve the life chances of children and families. Care can be a positive and the forthcoming review must deliver on a plan to support the best possible outcomes for life. Children in our care deserve nothing less.”

ENDS

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