21st November 2024

The UK government has announced sweeping reforms aimed at transforming children’s social care in England, marking what Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has described as “the biggest overhaul in a generation.” These changes target profiteering by private companies, unsafe care placements, and years of systemic neglect, with a focus on supporting families early to prevent children from entering care unnecessarily.

The plight of children in care has long been a focus of The Stealing of Emily series, shining a light on systemic failures, exploitation, and the urgent need for reform. A recent announcement from the UK government promises sweeping changes to address years of neglect and profiteering in England’s children’s social care system.

In an article published by The Guardian, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced “the biggest overhaul in a generation” of children’s social care. Key measures include cracking down on excessive profiteering by private companies, introducing financial transparency requirements for care providers, and empowering Ofsted to fine and regulate substandard care homes more effectively. These reforms aim to provide earlier family intervention, reduce reliance on care placements, and ensure every family has a voice in decisions regarding their children.

The article highlights staggering statistics: local government spending on children in care has more than doubled since 2009, with some private companies making average profits of 23%. Meanwhile, vulnerable children have been placed in unsafe accommodations, including caravans and Airbnbs, under Deprivation of Liberty orders. These failures underline the need for urgent reform.

While the announcement has been welcomed as a step in the right direction, experts warn that progress will falter without increased funding and investment in not-for-profit care provisions. The children’s commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, emphasizes the need for immediate action, stating: “There must be no limits on our ambition for these children.”

At The Stealing of Emily, we continue to advocate for greater transparency and justice in the children’s care system. The series examines hidden injustices, including the controversial use of secret court procedures, and challenges the systems that perpetuate harm.

Read the full article here.

Join us in demanding systemic change and a brighter future for vulnerable children. Together, we can push for accountability, fairness, and compassion in children’s social care.

Key Reforms in Children’s Social Care

The government’s plan includes a range of measures designed to address the crisis in the current system:

Crackdown on Profiteering

Private care Providers will be required to open their financial records to government scrutiny to ensure transparency. A “backstop” law will be introduced if providers fail to voluntarily limit excessive profits, capping the amount they can earn. Ofsted will gain powers to issue civil fines against providers who operate illegal or substandard homes, which the government hopes will be more effective than current criminal penalties.

Evidence: Local Government Association (LGA) analysis shows that the largest 15 private providers earn an average profit of 23%. The cost of care placements has skyrocketed, with some councils paying over £1 million annually for a single child’s placement.

Ensuring Safer Placements

Ofsted will investigate cases where a single company runs multiple homes, ensuring they meet safety and care standards.New regulations will address unregistered and unsafe accommodations, such as caravans and Airbnbs, often used for vulnerable children under Deprivation of Liberty orders.

Evidence: The children’s commissioner for England has reported a surge in children being placed in unsuitable, illegal accommodations, leading to instability and safety risks.

Early Family Intervention

Expanded early family support services will aim to reduce the number of children entering care by addressing problems before they escalate.Families will be granted legal rights to be involved in decisions regarding children in the care system, strengthening the principle of family participation.

Evidence: Studies consistently show that timely interventions in family support reduce the likelihood of children entering the care system and improve long-term outcomes for families.

Unique ID for Children

The government will introduce a unique identification number for each child, linking records across services. This will improve coordination and ensure children do not fall through the cracks in the system.

Evidence: Lack of coordination between agencies has been repeatedly highlighted in reviews of child safeguarding failures, including high-profile cases like Baby P and Victoria Climbié.

Homeschooling Safeguards

Parents will require local authority consent to home school a child subject to a child protection inquiry or on a child protection plan. This measure aims to prevent children from being removed from scrutiny in unsafe conditions.

Evidence: Investigations by Ofsted and the LGA have raised concerns about homeschooling being used to evade child protection oversight.

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Teams

Every council will be required to establish teams composed of professionals from education, health, and social services to improve child safeguarding and case management.

Evidence: Research has shown that multi-agency collaboration is critical to identifying and addressing risks to children promptly.

Why These Reforms Are Critical

Local government spending on looked-after children has soared from £3.1 billion in 2009 -10 to £7 billion in 2022-23, a reflection of both rising demand and escalating costs. Despite this increase, outcomes for children in care remain poor, with many placed in unsafe or unsuitable accommodations.

Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, has highlighted the urgent need for reform, stating:

“Children in the social care system today are living week to week in limbo. They need action without delay, not plans or strategies. There must be no limits on our ambition for these children.”

The reforms aim to reverse years of “drift and neglect,” in Phillipson’s words, by prioritizing stability, safety, and opportunity for every child in care.

The Role of The Stealing of Emily

The Stealing of Emily series has long advocated for greater accountability in children’s social care, exposing systemic failures and hidden injustices. These reforms echo the themes explored in our books, particularly the urgent need for transparency and the devastating consequences of neglect and profiteering.

We welcome these changes but remain vigilant, knowing that genuine reform requires sustained investment, rigorous oversight, and a commitment to putting children first.

Read more about the government’s plans in this article by The Guardian: Overhaul of children’s social care in England will crack down on firms’ profiteering.

Together, we can push for a care system that prioritizes compassion, fairness, and opportunity for all children.

Conclusion: Reforms Are Only the Beginning

While the government’s proposed changes mark a significant step forward in addressing the glaring issues within children’s social care, they do not go nearly far enough. The reforms tackle profiteering, unsafe placements, and systemic neglect, but they fail to address a critical component: accountability within the judiciary.

Historically, there were figures tasked with ensuring the judiciary operated transparently and in alignment with the principles of justice and child welfare. This oversight has eroded over time, leaving the courts to act with little external scrutiny. Decisions made in family courts often determine the trajectory of children’s lives, yet these rulings are shielded from meaningful review. Without a figure or body to keep the judiciary in check, families and children remain vulnerable to unjust practices and opaque decision-making.

True reform requires not only changes to care systems but also a reintroduction of accountability mechanisms for the judiciary. Until this is addressed, the cycle of neglect, exploitation, and injustice in children’s social care will continue, leaving too many young lives hanging in the balance.

It is time to demand more. Justice for children is not just about care providers or government funding; it is about ensuring every aspect of the system – including the courts – is held to the highest standards of integrity and fairness. Only then can we build a system that truly protects and uplifts every child.

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Everyone is asking on twitter: “Can I sue a Judge?”

Yes, you can in very slim circumstances If a judge creates a court order based on that fraudulent affidavit, the judge has also committed a felony. Anyone attempting to enforce an illegal court order is, in effect, committing an act of violence against you.

What is an affidavit: a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court.

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