CHILD PROTECTION & SEXUAL HEALTH

Looked After Children & young People

Definition of ‘LOOKED AFTER’

Looked after children

The term "looked after" was introduced by the Children Act 1989 (DOH 1991) and covers all children in the care of the local authority. This includes children in residential units, those placed with foster carers and children living with their parents who are subjects of a care order who will be in receipt of services from the Local Authority. Also those who are provided with accommodation on a voluntary basis for more than 24 hours, that is children who receive respite care, are included in this definition.

All children (11 million)

vulnerable children (3-4 million)

Looked after children

Children in need (3-400,000)on child protection register (27,000)

Taken from Promoting the Health of Looked After Children(DOH, 2002b)

Populations of children

Current status - Wales

All children looked after on 31 March 2005- 4,380

Number in foster carer placements- 3,194 Number in residential placements- 234 Number in other placements- 952 Number with 3 or more placements during

year-620

Legal and policy framework

United Nations Convention on the rights of the child

The Children Act, 1989 The Children Act, 2004 The Children (Leaving Care) Act, 2000 The Adoption and Children Act, 2002 National Service Framework, 2005

Inquiries & Reports

‘People Like Us’, 1997 The Waterhouse Report, 2000 Working Together to Safeguard Children,

2000 ‘Too Serious a Thing’, 2002 The Victoria Climbé Inquiry, 2003

health needs of care leavers

more than 75% of the client group have no academic qualifications

more than 50% leaving care after 16 are unemployed

17% of young women are pregnant or already mothers

38% of young prisoners have been in care

30% of young, single, homeless people have been in care

this client group are four times more likely to have a psychiatric disorder

Identifying abuse

“It is important to recognise that a sexual relationship involving a young person under 16 does not per se imply abuse and exploitation. A young person under 16 who discloses a sexual relationship to a social worker will therefore not necessarily trigger child protection procedures.”Brook 1996

Fraser guidelines

A doctor or other professional can advise or treat without the parents knowledge or consent if:- the girl/boy will understand the advice

- she/he can’t be persuaded to inform her parents

- she is likely to have sex anyway

- her physical or mental health would suffer without the advice or treatment

- her best interests require it

Sex between teenagers

Adolescents commit one third of all sex offences The government cannot assume that sexual relationships

between young people will be fully consensual just because they are a similar age.

It is not our intention to punish children unnecessarily. We would not expect the Crown Prosecution Service to bring charges against a child unless it was in the public interest.

Lord Falconer

COMMON SYMPTOMS – DISORDERS OF COMMON SYMPTOMS – DISORDERS OF ATTACHMENTATTACHMENT

Superficially engaging and charming

Lack of eye contact Lack of joy, humour Indiscriminately

affectionate with strangers Lack of ability to give and

receive affection Intense negative affect –

rage, terror, despair Extreme control problems Lack of Empathy

Hurts self and others – emotionally and physically

Cruelty to animals Chronic lying No impulse controls

(stealing etc) Learning lags and disorders Lack of cause and effect

thinking Lack of conscience Abnormal eating habits Poor response to discipline

or frustration

Alison OwenSpecialist Nurse

Looked After Children& Care Leavers

“ it takes a community to save a child”

David Pelzer, 2001