02 February 2023 , 00:01
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Grandparents could be given cash to help them look after vulnerable children under changes to be announced by ministers.
The government today unveils a £200million plan to fix children’s social care in the wake of the shocking deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson.
Ministers have drawn up proposals to better involve family members in cases where children are at risk.
A £9million fund will improve support and training available for kinship carers.
The Government will also commit to exploring the possibility of providing a new financial allowance for those who become involved in looking after a child.
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In the case of six-year-old Arthur, his grandmother revealed he begged to stay with her the last time she saw him before he was killed by his evil dad and stepmother in June 2020.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died after suffering months of abuse (PA)
One-year-old Star Hobson was killed by her mum's bouncer girlfriend (PA)One-year-old Star was killed by her mum's bouncer girlfriend after suffering catastrophic abdominal injuries caused by blunt force trauma just three months later.
Social services came under intense scrutiny in the wake of the tragic cases.
During a safeguarding review last year, MPs were told services “ignored” bruises on Arthur’s back, while an "over reliance" on agency social workers in some local authorities meant concerns over Star were missed.
Other commitments in the strategy include foster carers receiving an above-inflation increase in their allowance and a £30million investment in family finding, befriending and mentoring programmes.
Up to 12 local areas will also receive over £45million to support families with challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse or mental health to help children stay with their parents where possible.
But critics say the total £200million pot of funding, which is to be spread over the next two years, “falls far short of the amount needed”.
Minister for Children Claire Coutinho (PA)They pointed out that even prior to inflation, the Care Review recommended additional investment of at least £2.6billion over four years to better meet children’s needs.
Around 400,000 children in England are in the social care system at any one time, according to official figures.
Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry MBE welcomed the Government’s proposals but said they were concerned the “funding pledged is too little to help address the current crisis in children’s social care”.
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Anne Longfield, chair of the Commission on Young Lives and former Children’s Commissioner for England, said she was glad to see the plan’s “recognition of the importance of boosting family support and kinship and foster care”.
But she added: “However, its proposals are not yet ambitious enough to meet the enormous scale of the challenges facing the system, and the funding still falls well short of the long-term investment that is so desperately needed.”
Lib Dem spokeswoman for education Munira Wilson said the Government’s plan “ducks the big decisions and kicks them into the long grass”.
Ms Wilson, who is pushing for a Kinship Care Bill to provide more support, said: “This response shows that Ministers have failed to grasp the scale of the crisis in children’s social care.
“The Conservatives are letting down our most vulnerable children. Better training for kinship carers is welcome, but grandparents, relatives and friends must not be left in the lurch to look after children in crisis without proper financial support.”
Minister for Children Claire Coutinho said: “Children in care deserve the same love and stability as everyone else. Yet we’ve seen from the two tragic murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson that more needs to be done to protect our most vulnerable children.
“Our wide-ranging reforms will put strong relationships at the heart of the care system. From supporting our brilliant foster carers, kinship carers and social workers to getting early help to families and improving children’s homes, we want every child to get the support and protection they need.”
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