Foster children have no say over placements, says report

Most foster children have no choice over where they are placed,
a Commission for Social Care Inspection report reveals today,
writes Mithran Samuel.

It says two-thirds have no say over their placements, while more
than a quarter are not asked about what their care plan should
say.

The report also reveals a third of children feel they are not told
enough about their foster carers before they are placed, with the
same proportion of carers feel the same about the children they
have fostered.

Carers say the worst things about their role are a lack of money
and insufficient support from social services, though more than 80
per cent say they have been given enough training to meet the needs
of their foster children.

The report by Dr Roger Morgan, CSCI’s children’s rights
director, contains the views of more than 300 carers and 410 foster
children, plus 20 birth parents.

The report is available from www.csci.org.uk