CHILDREN ON THE EDGE OF CARE

That this House believes that for some children and young people who are at risk of entering the care system early identification and tailored responsive support can prevent the need to enter the care system; welcomes the inclusion of a preventative strand for children on the edge of care in the Care Matters Green Paper; notes with interest the pioneering, innovative work being done by NCH, the children's charity, in partnership with a number of local authorities to provide crisis intervention services for families with children at risk of entering the care system; notes that such an intervention has on average an 80 per cent. success rate of preventing referrals entering the care system by providing a period of challenging intensive family support building on the family's strengths, available 24 hours a day seven days a week and tailored to meet the family's specific needs; further notes that such a service can also be used to support children leaving care and returning home to live with their families; and calls on the Government to build on the proposals in Care Matters and work with local authorities to ensure that sufficient prevention and crisis intervention services are in place and available to families who would benefit from such intervention, preventing, where appropriate, admission to care.