Press release: Joint letters to Nadhim Zahawi and Keir Starmer
A collective of 21 charities and groups who work with and represent the interests of care-experienced children, young people and adults across England have sent a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, calling on the government to firmly commit to implementing much-needed reform to the care system following the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
This includes:
- Committing to a timetable for reform that is transparent, ambitious, and underscores the urgency needed to improve children’s social care.
- Securing significant resources from the Treasury to prime-pump reforms that improve children’s social care. To effectively improve children’s lives and transform the care system, we need the resources to deliver real change quickly.
- Ensuring the voices of care-experienced children and adults remain at the centre of reform. Those with care experience should have ways to hold the Government to account and their voices should be listened to by decision-makers about how reform should be implemented.
A joint letter was also sent to Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition, to encourage the Labour Party to give support in the coming months to hold the government to account and ensure that the reform of children’s social care is the very best it can be.
The group of charities, that all work with and represent the interests of care-experienced children, young people and adults across England also offered to meet with both the Secretary of State and the Labour Party soon after the Review’s recommendations are published to discuss their intended approach to the Review and subsequent reform of children’s social care.
Katharine Sacks-Jones, Chief Executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, says:
“There are a record 80,850 children in care in England and too many are currently being let down by a system that is not fit for purpose. The Review presents an opportunity but it needs real government investment and commitment to change.
We want to ensure that the best parts of the Review are strengthened, any negative impacts are minimised, and that reform is long-term, sustainable, and in the best interests of children and young people.”
The joint letter aims to continue the dialogue with the government to make sure this happens.
The collective is formed and the letter is signed by:
Katharine Sacks-Jones, Chief Executive of Become
Alison Woodhead, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Adoption UK
Lynn Perry, MBE, CEO, Barnardo’s
Hannah McCowen, National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum Manager, Catch22
Kathy Evans, Chief Executive, Children England
Louise King, Director, Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE)
Dr Carol Homden CBE, Chief Executive, Coram Group (Coram, CoramVoice, CoramBAAF)
Anton Babey, CEO of Drive Forward Foundation
Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive, Family Rights Group
Louisa McGeehan, CEO, Just for Kids Law
Dr Lucy Peake, Chief Executive, Kinship
Claire Russell, Communications and Policy Manager, Leap Confronting Conflict
Anna Feuchtwang, CEO, National Children’s Bureau
Felicity Dunworth and Arron Pile, Co-Chairs, and Patricia Ambrose, Director, National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL)
Anna Edmundson, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, NSPCC
Rita Waters, Group Chief Executive, NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service)
Rachael Henry, Head of Advocacy and Influencing, The Children’s Society
Kevin Williams, Chief Executive, The Fostering Network
Mark Lee, Chief Executive, Together Trust
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For more information, please contact Amy Grant, Communications Manager at Become: [email protected] / 07951 155367
About Become
Become is the national charity for children in care and young care leavers. Formerly known as The Who Cares? Trust, Become has been supporting and campaigning for children in care and young care leavers since 1992. Become’s mission is to improve the everyday lives and future life chances of children in care and young care leavers.