Missing children, the Welsh care system, and police and crime commissioners

A rise in the number of children going missing in London, a call to change attitudes to care in Wales, and a campaign to change the law on police and crime commissioner elections, all in the news today.

At least 18,000 children went missing in London last year, an increase of more than a third in just three years. The Evening Standard reports that the Metropolitan police were notified of 17,882 children going missing in 2011, compared to 13,361 in 2008. The charity the Railway Children, which compiled the figures, said the true numbers are likely to be much higher. Pressure on families as a result of the economic downturn is thought to be a possible cause.

The number of children in care in Wales is rising five times faster than in England. The Western Mail reports that research by Mark Drakeford, who chairs the Welsh Assembly’s health and social care committee, found there was a 34.4 per cent increase in the number of children looked after by local authorities in Wales between 2003 and 2011. This compares to an increase of 7.3 per cent over the same period in England. Drakeford said attitudes needed to change and that more emphasis should be placed on keeping families together.

A campaign to change the law in relation to police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections has been launched by the former head of strategy at the Youth Justice Board. Bob Ashford was standing for election as PCC for Avon and Somerset when he was forced to withdraw due to a criminal offence when he was a minor. Ashford has launched a campaign to change the law called Wipe the Slate Cleanalongside Falklands war hero, Simon Weston, who stood down as a PCC candidate in South Wales because of a minor juvenile offence. PCC elections took place across England and Wales yesterday, with results due to emerge today.

A charity has hit out at rumours that a campaign group is planning to drag out its legal challenge against planned changes to children’s heart surgery in order to further delay reforms. Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children’s Heart Federation, said parents have contacted the charity over suggestions that the Save Our Surgery campaign group has instructed their lawyers to delay their judicial review challenge. The review relates to a decision to remove children’s heart surgery from University Hospitals of Leicester Trust, the Royal Brompton Hospital in London and Leeds General Infirmary.

A new initiative aimed at raising the standard of early years training has been launched. The National Early Years Trainers’ and Consultants’ Organisation will organise networking opportunities and conferences, and share resources, good practice and ideas. Meanwhile, as many as 2,000 specialist leaders of education will be introduced to the schools system by the end of this year. Maggie Farrar, interim chief executive of the National College for School Leadership, said the new role will support other middle and senior leaders and deliver improvements across schools.

The third stage of a campaign to help vulnerable and homeless women and their children has got underway with a call for people working in the field to share best practice. The St Mungo’s Rebuilding Shattered Livescampaign is an 18-month campaign to raise awareness, showcase best practice and drive innovation on the issues faced by women. Clare Tickell, chief executive of Action for Children, who is working on the campaign, said: “Our Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign will raise the profile of this neglected issue and become a crucible for new ideas which energise policy and practice. I hope we can encourage everyone interested in women and homelessness to get involved.”

Government urged to help children stay in care post 18

As ministers launch a charter for care leavers, the Fostering Network says it is ‘disappointed’ no action has been taken to implement a programme that would help young people stay in care until 21

The government has been urged to provide more concrete backing for the Staying Put programme, which offers extended support for young people in care.

The call from the Fostering Network comes as children’s minister Edward Timpson demands local authorities do more to help young people leaving their care.

In a speech to the annual Care Leavers Conference today (Tuesday), Timpson will advocate more use of Staying Put, which enables young people to return to their foster families when they need to, until they turn 21.

However, funding for the programme has not been ring-fenced since the £4.5m pilot scheme ended in March 2011. The pilots ran from 2008 to 2011 in 11 local authorities, including Merton, North Tyneside, and York.

An evaluation of the programme, published in February, found it gave young people greater control over the timing of their transition from care to independence, and offered them the opportunity to experience transitions similar to those of their peers in the general population.

Across England, only 240 young people were covered by Staying Put in 2011-12, up 10 from the previous year.

“We are disappointed that no action has yet been taken to implement the findings as set out in the final report of the Staying Put pilot scheme,” said Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network.

“We would welcome the implementation of Staying Put, or a similar scheme, across the UK to help young people have the futures that they deserve.”

“The scheme showed that letting young people stay in care post-18 gave them a solid grounding towards the independence that they are often not yet ready to take on. Why should a vulnerable 18-year-old be thrust out into the world to stand alone when their peers have the support and stability of a family behind them?

Earlier this month the Welsh Government launched a consultationabout a proposed scheme, called When I am Ready, which would help young people in Wales to stay with their foster carers beyond the age of 18.

Timpson was speaking after a new Charter for Care Leavers was launched by the government and the Care Leavers’ Foundation, to mark National Care Leavers’ Week (24-30 0ctober). The seven-point charter outlines what the government and local authorities should do to be good corporate parents, including listening to and supporting care leavers, and finding them a home.