Longfield calls on councils to improve stability for children in care

Children in care are being moved around too much, with the proportion who have experienced a change in school, home or social worker within a year all rising, the children’s commissioner for England has warned. Anne Longfield’s annual Stability Index 2018 found that 53,000 looked-after children (74 per cent of the total children in care population) had experienced a change in their placement, school or social worker during 2016/17. This is an increase on results from the previous year’s index, the first time the figures were compiled, which found that 50,011 looked-after children (71 per cent of the total children in care population) had experienced instability across at least one of these three areas of their life in 2015/16. The index has been created by Longfield to encourage councils to improve stability for children in care. The latest findings show that 2,400 children (six per cent of all children in care who attend school) experienced a placement and school move as well as a change of social worker in 2016/17 and a further 9,000 children experienced two of these changes. Read more.