Children in care seek rights boost in revised minimum standards

Children and young people in care have urged the government to prioritise their rights to be kept safe and to have a say in life decisions in the new national minimum standards for children’s social care services.

The standards, first published in 2002, are currently being revised to fit in with the 2007 white paper, Care Matters: time for change.

The views of 433 children and young people, collected for the report, showed the importance of ensuring that siblings are placed together in care placements.

It found that children and young people put respect, privacy and safeguarding on top of their agenda.

The respondents also stated that the new rules should recognise the importance of staff and carers in children’s lives and to keep staff changes to a minimum to build up stability.

The research for the report was carried out for the government by the children’s rights director for England, Dr Roger Morgan.

Dr Morgan said: “The report sets out the main rules that children have proposed in relation to safeguarding, workforce issues, administrative requirements, complaints procedures, privacy, children’s rights, valuing diversity and behaviour management which I hope government officials will find useful when writing the new rules.”

More information

Children’s Rights Director for England

Care Matters: time for change

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