Last week I rose an important issue in the chamber which often tends to get overlooked, that of foster care placements.
As many of you will know, I have a keen interest in the social work sector, particularly on looked-after children. It is vital that children in foster care receive appropriate placements fit for their needs as opposed to just ticking boxes. I am extremely proud of the work our foster carers do, in what can at times be very challenging situations and believe additional help could go a long way here. This is why I asked the Minister for the Department of Education what additional training will be provided to improve foster placements and decision-making.
We need to ensure that children and adolescents who are already starting at a disadvantage are not further let down by the system and I am pleased that the innovation funding given to local authorities is helping foster carers nationally. The Minister’s response did outline further provisions in place to protect foster carers, such as allegations against them being dealt with differently than social workers, and I do welcome these distinctions.
In addition, the Department for Education held a consultation on the state of foster care in the UK this spring, and I am looking forward to hearing the proposed recommendations when they will be published early next year. The Call for Evidence was primarily held to hear first-hand what challenges the sector is facing and this will help us spread best practice across the UK.