Providing Care for Looked after Children
Providing Care for Looked after Children
Arrangements made for good quality care
At the end of March 2011, there were 65,520 looked-after children and young people in England and therefore many professionals are needed to keep up a good quality of care for every single child who is to be looked after. The health and wellbeing of looked-after children and young people (their physical health, social, educational and emotional wellbeing), comes from their quality of life and/or care. Some looked-after children and young people have positive experiences in the care system and gain good emotional and physical health, do well in their education and go on to have good jobs and careers but the start to this is from the arrangements made in order to receive good quality care.
It is the government or council’s responsibility to decide who looks after the child, where they will live and also how they are educated. It is important when choosing a carer for a child that they will perhaps have things in common or are at least not the complete opposites to each other as that may lead to bad quality care and a low emotional well-being. If given the responsibility of looking after a child it is officially that carer’s job to provide a home for the child and protect and maintain the child. They are also responsible for disciplining the child, choosing and providing for the child’s education, agreeing to the child’s medical treatment, naming the child and agreeing to any change of name looking after the child’s property. Parents have to make sure that the child is supported financially.
At the start of care proceedings, the council asks the family court to make a temporary court order, called an ‘interim care order’. If the court agrees, the council can take the child into care on a temporary basis. This can sometimes be for up to 8 weeks at first. After that, it can be renewed every 28 days. It can take up to a year for a court to decide what should happen to the child.
Arrangements made for good quality care
At the end of March 2011, there were 65,520 looked-after children and young people in England and therefore many professionals are needed to keep up a good quality of care for every single child who is to be looked after. The health and wellbeing of looked-after children and young people (their physical health, social, educational and emotional wellbeing), comes from their quality of life and/or care. Some looked-after children and young people have positive experiences in the care system and gain good emotional and physical health, do well in their education and go on to have good jobs and careers but the start to this is from the arrangements made in order to receive good quality care.
It is the government or council’s responsibility to decide who looks after the child, where they will live and also how they are educated. It is important when choosing a carer for a child that they will perhaps have things in common or are at least not the complete opposites to each other as that may lead to bad quality care and a low emotional well-being. If given the responsibility of looking after a child it is officially that carer’s job to provide a home for the child and protect and maintain the child. They are also responsible for disciplining the child, choosing and providing for the child’s education, agreeing to the child’s medical treatment, naming the child and agreeing to any change of name looking after the child’s property. Parents have to make sure that the child is supported financially.
At the start of care proceedings, the council asks the family court to make a temporary court order, called an ‘interim care order’. If the court agrees, the council can take the child into care on a temporary basis. This can sometimes be for up to 8 weeks at first. After that, it can be renewed every 28 days. It can take up to a year for a court to decide what should happen to the child.