To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take any action to reduce the number of children in the care of local authorities in London being placed in foster homes in Kent; and if so, what.
Answered on
13 December 2017
The government is clear that the needs of the child are paramount when making decisions about the right care placement. Local councils have a statutory duty to consider the right placement for each child and take into account a number of factors, one of which is placement area. Sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a local council to identify a placement outside of the child’s local area, for example when a child is at risk from child sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence or when they need very specialist care.
Out of area placements require approval from the Director of Children’s Services, and Ofsted will challenge local councils where they believe poor out of area placements are being made.
The National Fostering Stocktake is underway. It is a comprehensive review of fostering in England. It will help us better understand the current provision and challenges in the system. It is looking at a wide range of issues including commissioning of placements and the recruitment, retention and matching of foster carers. The reviewers will report to ministers with recommendations at the end of the year.