😢 Looked After Children (Distance Placements) Bill

• Introduction of the Bill: Jake Richards, the Member for Rother Valley, introduced the Looked After Children (Distance Placements) Bill for its Second Reading. The Bill focuses on addressing the issue of children in care being placed far from their home communities.

• Current Issues with Care Placements: Richards highlighted the increasing trend of children in care being placed more than 50 miles from their homes, citing statistics from a freedom of information request showing almost 10% of looked-after children in England are placed over such distances. This trend extends to cross-border placements which add further complexity.

• Personal Experience and Motivation: Before becoming an MP, Richards worked as a barrister dealing with cases involving children in care, which gave him insight into the challenges and emotional impact of the care placement system. He noted instances where children were forced to stay in local authority offices or sleep on office floors due to the lack of immediate safe placements.

• Objectives of the Bill: The Bill seeks to introduce three main measures:
  1. Data Collection: Local authorities would be required to collect and publish data on placements over 20 miles away from home.
  2. Local Sufficiency Plans: Each local authority must produce an annual plan to meet the duty of securing sufficient accommodation within their area.
  3. National Sufficiency Plan: The Secretary of State for Education would need to publish an annual national strategy to support local efforts.

• Support and Testimonies: Richards was joined by care-experienced young people, Georgia and Kane, who shared their personal experiences of the detrimental effects of distant placements, emphasizing the emotional and practical difficulties faced by children moved far from family and support networks.

• Debate Contributions:
  • Fred Thomas (Plymouth Moor View): Highlighted the acute problem in areas like Plymouth where children are often placed over 50 or 100 miles away.
  • Liam Conlon (Beckenham and Penge): Praised government initiatives supporting kinship carers.
  • James Frith (Bury North): Supported the introduction of a register of children through another bill, emphasizing the need for better tracking and accountability.
  • Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire): Stressed the importance of early intervention to prevent children from entering care and suggested integrating the Bill’s measures into other relevant legislation.

• Criticism and Suggestions for Improvement: Richards acknowledged that while local authorities are under financial strain, the Bill aims to provide them with tools for better planning without adding burdens. He suggested that distance placements should be the exception, not the norm, due to local provision shortages and market issues.

• Opposition Response: Rebecca Paul, the shadow Minister, commended the Bill and stressed the importance of local placements for children’s wellbeing. She highlighted challenges faced by local authorities and suggested focusing on national leadership to address placement shortages.

• Government Response: Janet Daby, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, acknowledged the need for change in the care system but expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the Bill’s proposed data collection and sufficiency plans. She confirmed the government’s commitment to reforming children’s social care, focusing on early support and fixing the care market.

• Debate Adjournment: The debate on the Bill was adjourned and set to resume on Friday 11 July.

The session exhibits minimal disagreement among the speakers. The primary speaker, Jake Richards, introduces the Looked After Children (Distance Placements) Bill and emphasizes the need for better local care provisions for children. Subsequent speakers, including Rebecca Paul and Janet Daby, express support for the Bill and share similar concerns about the welfare of looked-after children. Rebecca Paul, in her role as the shadow Minister, congratulates Jake Richards on presenting the Bill and acknowledges the systemic issues it aims to address. She also references the initiatives of the previous Conservative Government as a foundation for further improvements, indicating a constructive and cooperative stance rather than opposition.

Janet Daby, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, also expresses her support for the Bill’s goals, affirming the government’s commitment to reforming children’s social care. She does mention potential inefficiencies in the Bill’s specific data collection requirements, but this is presented as a refinement rather than a fundamental disagreement with the Bill’s objectives.

The interventions by other members, such as Fred Thomas, Liam Conlon, Mr James Frith, and Ellie Chowns, are supportive in nature, often adding further dimensions to the discussion without opposing the Bill’s premises. They suggest enhancements and additional considerations, which confirm a collaborative rather than confrontational atmosphere.

Overall, the session is characterized by a consensus on the need to address the issues of distance placements for looked-after children, with all speakers expressing a shared goal of improving the care system. The only divergence is on specifics of implementation, not the core intent of the Bill, which is why the session is rated with a low level of disagreement.