20 April 2007
A white paper on children in care could be published earlier than anticipated as the government steps up the pace of change in this area, experts believe.
A white paper had been expected ahead of the Queen's Speech in the autumn. However, Caroline Abrahams, programme director for children and young people at the Local Government Association, told Public Finance that the 'mood music' among policy makers was to expect progress sooner rather than later.
She said: 'We know there's likely to be a Bill in the autumn. We'd assumed that a white paper wouldn't be [published] till later in the year, but I think it will be a bit earlier.'
Abrahams added that the acceleration in progress was good news.
'It's important to keep the momentum going and councils are very up for wanting to do more and do better in this area, but they absolutely need resources to action that,' she said.
Care matters, a green paper setting out proposed reforms to the way children in local authority care are looked after, was published in October.
This week the government confirmed that a white paper would be forthcoming later in the year, and that a summary of responses to the consultation would also be published.
Education Secretary Alan Johnson said: 'For too long, children in care have not had the support and opportunities they need to turn their lives around.
'We will be publishing a white paper later this year to take forward our plans to overhaul the care system in accordance with the radical ideas that have emerged from this consultation.'
Among the ideas floated in the green paper was the creation of social care practices – small groups of social workers undertaking work commissioned by, but independent of, local authorities. This proposal has caused controversy in the social care field.
Abrahams said the LGA was not happy with the proposal. 'What we didn't like about it was that it threatened and undermined the accountability that runs through local authorities, both officers and members, in terms of promoting best outcomes for looked-after children,' she told PF.
The former Association of Directors of Social Services shared the LGA's concern about accountability. It told ministers that independent practices could lead to duplication of effort and complex and damaging role conflict, as well as inhibiting the recruitment and retention of local authority-employed social workers.
Professor Julian le Grand of the London School of Economics is chairing a working group examining the feasibility of piloting social care practices.
The work is ongoing, but the Department for Education and Skills would provide no indication as to when it is likely to report.
PFapr2007
