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1. It is often said that "residential care should not be a" last resort". I can agree with that inasmuch as it should be the case that ALL stare care settings should be a last resort in my view, after other options are robustly considered>
2. The '89 Act required that family alternatives should be considered before children are taken into care. Is that really happening? Is kinship care truly considered, with offers of support commensurate with that a child might receive on a care setting? I wonder. >
3.Yet look at the advantages of kinship care. Children stay within their own kinship network, within the community, with their heritage & identity intact. As family, it seems to me they are more likely to be & feel loved & wanted, certainly thinking of grandparents.>
4. We know the care experience can last a lifetime & need not end at 16, 18, 21 or 25. Yet "care" is governed by statute, by regulations & gov't diktats & support can stop abruptly, leaving kids struggling. How does that work for children with ongoing needs? >
5. We know because care experienced people tell us, that there is not enough love in the care system. We know educational support is age limited, & access to mental health support & records is badly affected by constant change of placement & personnel. Kinship care is constant.>
6. Currently, the care system is badly broken. Kids are placed far from home without safeguarding reasons, kids moved around if they present challenge, & absconding to flee home is not uncommon. Staff changes in children's homes are commonplace - constant change & instability >
7. We know that each year the costs to the public purse of care continue to rise & we are told of vast profits being made by companies investing in the care industry. Yet we can't invest in keeping children with their own families? >
8. Just a thought as I hear of gov't secretly meeting charities, providers & care sector lobbyists to discuss what a care review should look like. Is it time to view "care" differently? Should we not be truly investing in kinship care & real long term community alternatives? >
9. The care experience lasts into adulthood long after 18. So could kinship care. Educational support needs to extend beyond 25. So can kinship care. Consistency, stability, love? Perhaps it is time to look "inside" the box now & truly support families to take care of their own?
