Herefordshire's looked after children take national lead

Herefordshire's looked after children, also known as children in care, get better education results that any other looked after children in the country.

In a report to be presented to Cabinet this week, members of Herefordshire Council will discuss the findings of a recently published inspection report from the national Commission for Social Care which says Herefordshire Council provides some of the best results nationwide for its 175 looked after children.

Looked after children do not do as well as other children nationally and are over-represented in a range of vulnerable groups, including those not in education, employment or training, teenage parents, young offenders, drug users and prisoners.  Improving the life chances of these children is currently the subject of a government green paper Care Matters: transforming the lives of children and young people in care.

In England last year, only 53 per cent of young people aged 16 or more leaving care managed to obtain a qualification, whereas in Herefordshire the figure was 92 per cent, putting the county at the top nationally.

Statistics also indicate that Herefordshire's children participate more in reviews, are absent less from school, have less criminal convictions, are healthier and are more likely to be placed with a family than in a care home.

In addition the county offers greater stability for looked after children: the number with three or more placements is six per cent as opposed to eleven per cent in England, putting Herefordshire in second place nationally.

Other successes highlighted in the report include being ranked 6th nationally for the education, employment and training for care leavers and 21st nationally for children in foster placements or placed for adoption.

Councillor Don Rule, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "We take our role as corporate parents very seriously and work hard to make sure our children are given the best possible start in life.  To see how well we have done in this report is heartening, particularly when compared with national performance figures.

"However, there is great concern nationally about the underperformance of looked after children, and the Council has consulted extensively with those who work with children to formulate a response to the government's green paper. 

"Although we are delighted that our children do well, there is no room for complacency and  we will continue to work hard to make sure they have the same life opportunities as other children across the county.”