MELDING: Needs of looked-after children must be given greater priority

With half of all children in custody having been in care at some point, Welsh Conservatives have called on the new Welsh Government to ensure the needs of looked-after children are given greater priority, with bespoke support plans pivotal to this.

The executive summary of a new report, by the Prison Reform Trust, highlighted the extent of those that have found themselves in custodial settings, despite fewer than 2% of all children in Wales being in care. The review is to be published in its entirety next week.

The Prison Reform Trust review has called for a “coherent programme of reform”, 

Among its recommendations, the review called for the Welsh Government to demonstrate “national leadership in protecting looked after children and young people from unnecessary criminalisation by ensuring there is good joint working, proper regulation and policy development”.

Welsh Conservatives support the implementation of appropriate support plans for looked-after children and adopted children in schools and colleges, and have urged Wales’ new administration to ensure this is treated as a priority.

The UK Government has announced plans to transform the outcomes of children in care, in the shape of a Children and Social Care Bill – but, as a devolved issue, this legislation – which will implement a Care Leavers Covenant – will only apply to England.

David Melding AM, who has chaired the Cross-Party Group on Looked after Children since its formation, said:

“This report further highlights the need for the new Welsh Government to ensure the needs of looked-after children are a priority.

“In England, the recent announcement of a Care Leavers Covenant demonstrates the UK Government’s ambitions in this area, and it is vital we at least match such ambition in Wales. 

“There has been a persistent gap in educational achievement which stands as an indicator of the quality of services for looked-after children. We know little over one fifth of looked-after children achieve 5 GCSEs graded A*-C, compared to 67% of all children, only 2.4% of looked-after children school leavers enter Higher Education, whilst 29% of young people leaving care have no qualifications at all.

“Successful, bespoke support plans for looked-after and adopted children could prove central in addressing these issues and preventing unnecessary criminalisation. The new Welsh Government must seek to close these deeply worrying attainment gaps and boost the future prospects for our nation’s looked-after children. Let’s make the Fifth Assembly a champion for looked-after children.”