Title

The level of profits made by private equity companies from the care of vulnerable children 'turns my stomach', the president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has said. Rachel Dickinson told delegates at the National Children and Adult Services conference in Bournemouth today that placements for children in care are 'changing in terms of quality, cost and availability' - with private equity 'driving some of these rapid changes'. The level of profits made by private equity companies from the care of vulnerable children 'turns my stomach', the president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has said. Rachel Dickinson told delegates at the National Children and Adult Services conference in Bournemouth today that placements for children in care are 'changing in terms of quality, cost and availability' - with private equity 'driving some of these rapid changes'. She added: 'The entry of private equity is a recent development and a source of considerable worry. The level of profit being obtained from vulnerable children turns my stomach. 'The level of profit being generated by some companies from the care of vulnerable children…is difficult to reconcile as austerity continues to bite in local government. However, the level of risk now apparent in the system is my overriding concern.' Ms Dickinson also said the use of unregulated and of unregistered placement settings is rising because of the lack of placement capacity in registered and regulated provision. She pointed to a 'clear lack of appetite amongst successive governments to lead a joined-up response to help local authorities collectively to provide and commission flexible responses that can meet the most complex adolescent need. While she said many councils are investing in the recruitment and retention of in-house foster carers, she added that government could come to the aid of councils: 'This is a big task that government could help with – but, as the age profile of our children in care population changes, we will need different kinds of placements.' ? On care leavers, she said over 100 councils in England already exempt their care leavers from paying council tax until age 25, and she urged councils that had not yet made the decision 'as good corporate parents to give it some serious thought as you set your budgets locally. 'If every council in England was to do this, then care leavers who live out of borough, or even out of region, would not be disadvantaged by their postcode.' Ms Dickinson said that tomorrow ADCS will launch a position paper on children's health and wellbeing that would 'describe children's health as being poorly served, there are some shocking failures to deliver timely health care, linked to both demand - poverty and the stresses of modern life - and service failure…the health service is simply not doing well enough for children.' On the Children Acts 1989 and 2004, she said that the 'potent combination of austerity; rising demand; fewer resources and a government whose attention for almost four years has been largely focused elsewhere, endangers the ambitious intentions of the Acts.' There is 'still much to do if we are to become a country that works for all children', she added. On funding, she said the sector is 'still waiting for a long-term funding settlement, adding: 'I don't just mean a three or even a five-year comprehensive spending review. I'm talking about the need to invest substantially and bravely in children's services – investment that transcends parliamentary cycles and general election rhetoric. 'We must move away from the current piecemeal approach to funding. Small, ad hoc, short-term pots of funding from central government in response to single issues, made available for some but not all local areas, are particularly unhelpful.'

Title

CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Level of private equity profits 'turns my stomach' says children's chief

By Ann McGauran | 20 November 2019

Popular articles by Ann McGauran

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING

Popular articles by Ann McGauran