Children in care: Disappointment over response to report

Rosie, a care-experienced young person, says she is disappointed by the Welsh government's response

Young people in care have said they are "disappointed" by the Welsh government's response to a report on how to radically reform the care system.

One said government failed to recognise the urgent need for change.

The report by the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) committee, is due to be debated in the Senedd later.

The Welsh government said it was taking forward the report's recommendations.

Rosie, 16, was raised by her grandparents because her parents had additional learning needs.

She said it was "the best thing that could have happened" but was disappointed there was no support when things started to break down.

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She gave evidence during the CYPE committee inquiry, sharing her experience of being in kinship care.

"I'd see my grandparents stressed all the time and it wasn't fair," she said.

"They brought us up, we were always happy, but when they were struggling, nothing was done."

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"It was a stressful environment, they did everything they could but it was too difficult," she said, explaining how she had to move in with her aunt and uncle when she was 12.

Rosie said giving evidence to the committee had been "empowering".

The committee's report was published in May and looked at radical reform of services for children before they enter care, during their time in care and when they leave care.

It made 27 recommendations and 12 "radical reforms", including placing a duty on councils to calculate a maximum safe caseload for social workers in children's services.

Of the 27 recommendations, only five have been accepted. Seven have been rejected and 15 have been accepted in part.

Young people in care say reducing caseloads for social workers was an important recommendation that has been rejected

"We put so much work into it and to see how many recommendations weren't accepted, it was a let-down," Rosie said.

"We were so hopeful, so eager and we felt heard and respected. Upon seeing the government's response, a lot of us were quite disappointed."

Rosie said she felt particularly let down by the rejection of the recommendation on maximum caseloads for social workers.

"It's such a big issue for so many young people, it feels like the government has acknowledged the problem but it doesn't seem to be an urgent need for them," she said.

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The deputy minister for social services, Julie Morgan, said in response, the Welsh government would work with Social Care Wales and other stakeholders to consider how to best support caseload allocation and management.

"We will work with local authorities and other employers of social workers to better understand how they currently manage caseloads, including organisations in Wales and other areas where caseload policies are already in place and draw from evidence of what works," she said.

Voices from Care Cymru, which represents care-experienced young people, said it was "concerned" the Welsh government had decided to reject or accept only in part so many of the recommendations.

"We know that young people will expect to see real progress in the radical reform agenda, and soon," it said in a statement.

"It cannot wait. It is clear that radical reform will not be delivered by doing more of what we have been doing and doing it a bit better."

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Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams was a member of the committee during the inquiry.

She accused the Welsh government of "letting young people down" by rejecting so many recommendations.

"These are some of the most vulnerable young people in our society, they are not able to turn to parents for help like many of us, they have experienced a number of very difficult experiences at a very young age, it is our duty to look after them," she said.

"The government has a duty to be a corporate parent - it's supposed to do that - obviously it's not working, they've acknowledged that when they say they're looking for reform, but unfortunately they don't think that the ambitious ideas we have put forward are ones they can implement."

Actively engaged

The chairwoman of the CYPE committee, Labour MS Jayne Bryant, said it was "always disappointing" when committees do not have all of their recommendations accepted.

"We want to see change and the Welsh government have accepted some of our recommendations and there will be some movement in that," she said.

"This is a real marker to show how that radical reform could actually happen."

The Welsh government said it was already "actively engaged in a radical reform of services and have signed a declaration, together with care experienced young people, that sets out our vision for the future."

"We have accepted, or accepted in part, 20 recommendations," a spokesperson said.

"Work in support of the remaining recommendations is already being taken forward and does not require legislation in the way that the Report recommends."