1/ Today's three reports from the @ChildrensComm on children in care pull no punches. https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2020/11/11/thousands-of-children-in-care-being-failed-by-the-state-because-of-a-broken-residential-care-home-market/

2/ They describe a care system in which children are being “betrayed by the state” because of a broken residential care home market, implying a “deep-rooted institutional ambivalence” from the Government to the needs of these very vulnerable children.

3/ That providing care for the most vulnerable children in our society has been outsourced to the private market and left open to exploitation by providers who care only about profit is a disgrace, and something that history will not look back upon kindly.

4/ But this is not the first time that these concerns have been raised with the Government.

5/ Not only has @ChildrensComm previously urged the Government to act, but so have the National Audit Office; the Public Accounts Committee; the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee; and various NGOs working in the sector including @Article_39 and others.

6/ Councils have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to ensure sufficiency of high-quality local accommodation for children in care, but we have heard time and again that they are hamstrung by relentless budget cuts.

7/ The Department for Education has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that councils have the resources to discharge their obligations, and that they actually do so.
Today's reports from @ChildrensComm find that the Department has failed in this regard.

8/ The Government promised an independent review into children’s social care in its election manifesto last year, which it has so far failed to deliver.

9/ Whilst an independent review of this broken system would be welcome, the reality is the Government knows all-too-well what the problems are, and in fact what is needed is proper investment in children’s services and a strategy to fix those problems.

10/ I really hope these reports bring about real change, and not more lip service from the Government.

Children in care deserve so much more than this.