Looked after children in Bolton – those who are in the care of the authority – are provided with a stable environment to develop and grow, a government report has found.
The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a study – The 2018 Stability Index – which is an annual measure of the stability that looked after children experience. It’s a measure of how often a looked after child sees changes at home, at school, with their social worker, or with their placement.
The figures show that of looked after children in Bolton:
- 8% had two or more placement changes in 2016/17 compared to 10% nationally;
- 1% had two or more placement changes in both 2015/16 and 2016/17 - 3% nationally;
- 15% had two or more placement changes over two years (2015/16 - 2016/17) - 22% nationally;
- 24% had two or more placement changes over three years (2014/15 - 2016/17) - 30% nationally;
- 4% had a mid-year school move in 2016/17 - 10% nationally; and
- 2% had at least one school move in both 2015/16 and 2016/17 - 4% nationally.
“A stable environment is important for any child when growing up, but even more so for the children in our care,” said Councillor Ann Cunliffe, Executive Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.
“They have already seen changes in their lives by becoming a ‘looked after child’. Having a stable environment means that they are more likely to build lasting relationships, succeed at school, and feel they are secure.
“Although I am pleased with the figures for Bolton, and while we work hard to make sure the children do have stability in their lives, it’s also important that we look beyond the figures as to why any changes in their lives take place, and that we are doing our best to mitigate the effects of those changes on the young people involved.”