DfE expands ‘gamechanging’ programme building support networks for children in care

Twenty-three English councils are to receive funding from the Department for Education to enable around 1,000 children in care to build support networks.

Children often have personal relationships broken as they move into or within the care system. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests sent last year by Become to all local authorities in England, as well as the Department for Education, found that on average, children in care in England are placed more than 18 miles from their home – equivalent to the distance between Birmingham and Coventry – with some children moved more than 500 miles.

Children who experienced multiple care placements were more likely to be placed more than 20 miles from home. While children who have just had one placement are placed on average 15.8 miles away from home, children who have had three or more placements are placed on average 22.4 miles away from home.

The Lifelong Links programme, hailed as “one of the most successful innovations” in children’s services in recent years by the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, offers a chance to mend and build those links, whether with brothers, sisters, relatives, schoolfriends, teachers or others.

Family Rights Group, which developed the programme, said that the investment is a recognition of Lifelong Links but warns that too many young people in care will still not have the opportunity to benefit unless it is rolled out country wide.

“The 2022 Independent Review of children’s social care said that by 2024 at the latest, all local authorities should have implemented “skilled family finding support equivalent to, or exceeding, the work of Lifelong Links”, so no young person should leave care without at least two loving relationships,” said Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive of Family Rights Group, adding: “Today’s announcement is an important step in the right direction, taking the total number of English local authorities offering Lifelong Links to 36. But it still leaves young people in the care system in three quarters of English councils denied the opportunity to benefit. Our Build Not Break campaign is calling on the new Government to ensure it is available to all children and young people in the care system and care leavers – both in England and across the UK.”

Lifelong Links is delivered by trained and independent coordinators, who work with a child in care to find out who is important to them and who they would like to meet or be back in touch with. Using a combination of research tools and detective work, and with the young person’s agreement and direction, they safely bring together this network of support at a Lifelong Links family group conference to make a plan to ensure these relationships continue to grow.

A recent evaluation of the programme has shown that Hertfordshire County Council avoided more than £800,000 in costs having supported 44 young people through the programme. Another independent evaluation of the programme showed increased stability with 74% remaining in their foster care or children’s home after Lifelong Links compared with 41% of a comparator group. It is also estimated that taking part in the programme reduces the possibility of a young person becoming homeless by 10%, according to the Policy Institute at King’s College London.

Matt Clayton, Strategic Lead – Children in Care, Children with Disabilities and Care Leavers at Coventry City Council, who use Lifelong Links and are one of the councils for whom the programme is being extended, said that too often the care system damages or breaks relationships instead of repairing or maintaining them.

“Lifelong Links allows for something really different where children and young people in care are supported to build a loving network of support which will remain with them throughout adulthood. We all know that relationships matter and Lifelong Links allows the most important relationships for children and young people to be nurtured and supported. Lifelong Links is one of the most transformative developments to have taken place within the care system and really allows those young people leaving care to do so in a much more supportive way.”