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Press release: 'Away alone' - children have their say

For the first time, children living away from home or getting help from social care services can report regularly on key issues that are important to their lives, as part of a new report published today by the Children’s Rights Director for England, Dr Roger Morgan.

The report ‘Children’s Care Monitor 2008: Children’s views on how care is doing’, records the experiences of children in six specific areas as part of an annual monitoring process. From keeping safe, education, and bullying to care planning - consultation with children on these topics will be charted every year to show trends and highlight improvements or concerns.

One child summed up his own experiences in care: “I know all the legislations are changing for people or children in care now… but when I was forced to leave care, I didn’t get the best of plans.”

This year’s monitor shows that there are some variations in children’s experiences. For example, children with a disability were more likely to feel unsafe and be bullied compared to everyone else in the survey. Similarly, older children (over 14 years) were more likely to be asked their opinion on things that matter to them and have more of a say in what went on in their care plans.

Dr Roger Morgan, Children’s Rights Director for England, said:

“We know what government and local authorities are doing to develop plans and policies for children living away from home or who are in care. Now it’s time for children to give their verdict and convey how well they think these services are doing for them by monitoring their own care”.

Feedback from the monitor shows that four in ten children (40%) worried either a little or a lot about their safety while the same percentage didn’t worry much at all. Those who worried most about their safety lived at home with their own families while children in foster care worried the least.

However, children with a disability were more likely to be bullied with 20% saying they are bullied often or always, compared with 9% for all children. Much bullying takes place in residential special schools, where over half the children report being bullied often or always. Just over one in five (21%) said they are bullied because they are in care.

Children listed drugs, strangers, kidnappers and alcohol as the biggest dangers to people their age. If they didn’t feel safe, the majority of children said they would go to a friend, parent or foster carer for help. Children were less likely to turn to staff or the person in charge where they live.

The monitor shows that children value being asked for an opinion about things that matter to them and are interested to what extent their opinion counts when decisions are made. This year, over half of children (55%) said their opinions were usually or always asked on things that were of significance.

However, findings show that where children live, made a lot of difference to how much they were asked for their views. Children in foster care, children’s homes, and care leavers are the most likely to be asked for their opinions although what they said didn’t quite so often make a difference to decisions about their lives.

Around half (49%) of children and young people said their opinions usually or always made a difference to decisions about their lives. The group whose opinion made the least difference was those living in children’s homes.

Although children in boarding schools, further education colleges or living at home with council support were not asked as often for their opinion, when they did give an opinion, it was more likely to make a difference to decisions about their lives.

The monitor shows that it is quite hard for a child to get a decision changed once it has been made by someone else. This year, only a quarter (24%) said they could do this very easily. With major life changes, three quarters (73%) of children said they are usually or always told what is going to happen to them.

It’s also important for children to be able to make a complaint or suggestion about their care. This year, three-quarters were able to do so whilst a quarter didn’t know how to or were not sure how they would go about it. Care leavers were more likely to know how to complain whilst children living at home were the least likely.

Overall, 88% scored their care as good or very good, 81% scored their education as good or very good, and 58% said that the last time they had to change schools because they moved placement, this was in their best educational interests.

Dr Roger Morgan adds:

“Politicians and people working in the care field are keen to focus on the actual outcomes of what they do for children. The monitor is children’s own say, in great detail, on the outcomes they get.”

Related Links

• Read the report

Notes For Editors

1. The report, Children’s Care Monitor 2008 is published on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk and the Office of the Children’s Rights Director website www.rights4me.org

2. Children will report on six things in the monitor: keeping safe; bullying; having a say in what happens to them, making complaints and suggestions; education and care planning for people being looked after in care.

3. 921 children took part in the survey, from 102 different children’s services, homes, schools and colleges of which 56% were boys and 44% were girls

4. The youngest participant was five and the eldest was a care leaver of 22. The average age for those who took part in the survey was 14.

5. 54% of participants lived in a foster home; 18% in a children’s home; 12% in a boarding school; 6% in a residential special school; 5% were care leavers; 3% were in a further education college and 2% were at home with support.

6. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) has the responsibility for the inspection of adult learning and training, the regulation and inspection of children's social care, the inspection of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Ofsted inspects or regulates the following services - childminders, full and sessional day-care providers, out of school care, crèches, adoption and fostering agencies, residential schools, family centres and homes for children, all state maintained schools, some independent schools, Pupil Referral Units the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service, the overall level of services for children in local authority areas (known as Joint Area Reviews), further education Initial Teacher Training, and publicly funded adult skills and employment based training.

7. The Children’s Rights Director for England has a personal statutory duty to ascertain the views of children living away from home or receiving social care services and where he considers it appropriate, of parents. He is based in Ofsted.

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