Those responsible for delivering services for children and young people need to make sure that the needs of Wales’ looked after children are met so that they can achieve their potential. That is the appeal made by Sally Holland, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, as she publishes her first annual report.
Sally Holland says that there are too many examples where looked after young people in care face additional barriers on their journey towards independence. According to Welsh Government figures, some 45 per cent of 19 year old care leavers are not in Education, Employment or Training.
The Commissioner believes that local authorities should concentrate on providing the kind of care that any parent would, through stable and nurturing care and provide for them so that they can have secure and successful adult lives. A vital part of this should be to give young people a proactive offer of education or training whilst also providing the appropriate living environment for success. Sally Holland has also called for sufficient funding to be made available to local authorities to deliver improved outcomes.
The independent champion for children and young people has spoken extensively to young people leaving care and has heard how they often struggle in poor quality or insecure housing on very low incomes.
The Commissioner said: “We must take seriously our collective responsibility towards looked after children and young people. We must care for them and give them as much of a chance in life as we’d want to give our own. It is their right and our duty.
“It makes no sense to invest in supporting young people throughout the care system, meeting often quite complex needs, only for them to be let down at the very last – at the point where they may need our support most in order to achieve their goals.”
Within the Annual Report, the Commissioner calls for young people who are in residential care homes to remain in their accommodation, should they wish, beyond the age of 18. The Welsh Government has already made this commitment to young people in foster care. The Commissioner calls for adequate funding to be made available to local authorities to support care leavers whether they are leaving foster or residentialcare. This is important if these changes are to be implemented effectively.
Sally Holland believes that her calls are achievable and there are currently good examples where effective support has been put in place by local authorities and where it has led to positive outcomes. For example, some young people are offered bespoke local authority traineeships and are then able to move on to good quality jobs.
The Commissioner added: “We all know that services are facing difficult times in the face of budget cuts, however this is about making choices and prioritising. Seven hundred young people left care this year, so we are not talking huge numbers. This support is an investment in our future and we simply cannot afford to throw this potential away.”
* Read the Annual Report 2019-20 here
* Children's Commissioner for Wales https://www.childcomwales.org.uk/
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