Punning for children - the experience in england and northern ireland

Abstract

I am delighted to speak at today's conference for two reasons. Firstly, I am convinced that effective planning for looked after children is essential if we are to achieve good outcomes for children when they are cared for away from home and secondly because this conference represents a joint approach by social workers and the legal profession to work together for the benefit of children. I have based today's presentation around findings from the recent Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) inspection of fostering services in Northern Ireland. I should, however, refer to the 1995 SSI publication ‘Caring for Children’, the National Children's Bureau study of ‘Planning for Children in Care in Northern Ireland’ and the SSI ‘Children Matter’ report, all of which provide a context for the wider care planning arrangements for looked after children. In many respects the findings from the fostering inspection mirror the findings of these earlier studies and also the outcome of inspections in England -which Fran Gosling-Thomas will be expanding upon later in this presentation.