Terms of reference
A summary of the group's purpose and how it will work.
- To improve outcomes for children by supporting families to stay together, where it is in the best interests of the child, and reducing the need for children to be looked after by focussing on prevention and early intervention action across all service provision for children, including statutory and independent providers.
- To enable relevant agencies and professionals to manage risk confidently and provide support at the ‘edge of care’, making sure that needs are accurately assessed and met, so that only the right children are accommodated at the right time.
- To shape a national approach to looked after children.
- To ensure that local authorities provide and commission a flexible and affordable mix of high quality placements that meets the diverse range of children’s needs.
- To give children and young people clearly planned journeys through care which remain focused on care plans, prevent drift, enable them to be reunited with family and friends where possible, have stable placements and move into independent adulthood positively.
- To promote the strengthening of children’s voices by emphasising the importance of operational and strategic advocacy services
- To maximise support and secure the best outcomes for care leavers.
- To take account of the particular needs of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, and looked after children with a disability, including Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) children.
- To build a picture of why children become looked after and individual care experiences by promoting the systematic capture and consideration of data and evidence available.
- To commission task and finish sub-groups to take forward and complete particular pieces of work.