Coram Voice response to new Children’s Commissioner reports

11 Nov 20

The Children’s Commissioner has today (11 November 2020) released three reports (The children who no-one knows what to do with, Private provision in children’s social care and The 2020 Stability Index), which highlight that thousands of children in care are being ‘failed by the state’ because of a broken residential care home market.

Following their publication, Coram Voice is calling on decision makers to improve residential care through the voices of care experienced children and young people.

Linda Briheim-Crookall Head of Policy and Practice Development at Coram Voice said: “We should have a care system that helps children in care to flourish, by designing services and providing support focused on what well-being is to them.

“Coram Voice supports the Children’s Commissioners call to urgently launch the independent Care Review promised and urge the Government to place children and young people’s views at the heart of the review. It is worrying that the Children’s Commissioners report into residential care show so many children have such poor experiences in residential care.

“Through our Bright Spots programme we have gathered the views of over 10,000 children in care and care leavers. What they have told us about what makes their lives good must be central to making the care system better. Residential care is no exception to this.

“We should measure the quality of placements based on whether they make children feel safe, settled and supported by the adults who care for them.

“Children and young people must also be given the knowledge and power to challenge poor care when they experience it, advocacy services are core to this and we are committed to ensuring that all children in care who need it have access to advocacy through our national advice line and safety net Always Heard.”