More support for Warwickshire’s children in care
Looked after children in Warwickshire are to be given more support to stay in care until they are 18, thanks to a three-year pilot project which has been introduced by the Government.
Warwickshire is one of 11 local authorities selected nationally to take part in ‘Right2bCared4’, a pilot scheme which will give young people a greater say over when they move out and start living independently.
In Warwickshire, the County Council is working in unique partnership with the children’s charity Barnardo’s on Right2bCared4. The project aims to improve the quality of life of looked after children by providing more stability and the opportunity to raise educational attainment and employment opportunities.
Warwickshire already runs a highly-rated care leavers programme and encourages young people to stay in care until 18. There are currently around 450 young people in care in the county.
The three-year pilot begins this month and Warwickshire will receive around £200,000 per year. Barnardo’s and Warwickshire will also be investing their own resources in the project.
Warwickshire’s resources will be used to provide a range of specialised, individual assistance packages for young people, which will help them to make informed decisions. This will include help to identify and secure high quality accommodation, direct support to address their day-to-day difficulties with their carers or their school, and providing respite accommodation for them should they need a break from their foster home in order to keep things on track.
Kevin Brennan, Minister for Children and Families said: “We want to transform the lives of children in care, improve their educational attainment and give them the same chance in life as other children. As part of this we want to see them given more choice about their placements and to be in charge of when they leave care. Not all children are ready to live independently at the age of 16 - especially if they want to do A-levels and consider going to university."
Warwickshire County Council will share their findings with other local authorities across the country so that they can plan more effectively for young people in care.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “Warwickshire County Council has an excellent relationship with Barnardo’s and this is a good example of children’s services providers working together to provide better outcomes for young people.
“Warwickshire wants to narrow the gap between the outcomes of ‘looked after’ children and those raised by their own families - this scheme will give young people greater powers when it comes to planning the care they need to do well in education and employment.”
Warwickshire County Council is also taking part in the ‘Virtual Head’ pilot for children in care. The idea behind the two-year scheme is to give looked after children their very own ‘virtual’ school head, who acts as their education champion to ensure that they get the support they need to achieve their maximum potential.