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Public care - a last resort?
- Author:
- BAZALGETTE Louise
- Journal article citation:
- Every Child Journal, 2(1), 2011, pp.52-56.
- Publisher:
- Imaginative Minds
- Place of publication:
- Birmingham
One of the primary roles of the care system is to help children and young people develop the resilience they need to negotiate the challenges of adult life. Studies have shown that delays in taking children into care are associated with more serious emotional and behavioural difficulties, and a reduced chance of experiencing a stable experience while in care. This article examines the current thinking that placing children into care should be used as an option of last resort. It suggests that it is this very practice for young people who are difficult to place that is driving the poor outcomes associated with residential care, which is used for only 13% of looked after children. In order to improve the chances of vulnerable young people having stability in care, and being provided the services they need, the article encourages the re-examination of the role that residential care can play, and start using the system for its merits as a viable care option.