NSPCC seminar addresses challenges of safeguarding children in care
Revealing that around 1 in 25 looked after children across the UK have contacted ChildLine, NSPCC Northern Ireland has said that the need for agencies to work together to address challenges and gaps in policy and practice has never been greater.
Speaking after a seminar for professionals, held in conjunction with VOYPIC (Voice of Young People in Care), RQIA, Queen’s University Belfast, the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and Fostering Network, the children’s charity highlighted the vulnerability of children in care.
Neil Anderson, Head of Service for NSPCC Northern Ireland, said:
“We are living through the greatest recession the world has seen since the 1930s - families are under pressure. In Northern Ireland we have approximately 11,000 children living in families where alcohol is a problem; approximately six children are involved each and every day in Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference processes; some 56% of sexual offences detected in Northern Ireland are committed against children and young people under the age of 18.
“When we look across our portfolio of national and local services we find children who are in care or have been in care feature very prominently. We recognise the vital role care plays in the lives of many children, but with more than 2,500 children in care in Northern Ireland we can’t afford to be complacent. We are committed to collaborating with professionals to share learning, discuss current issues and make recommendations to ensure children in care are better protected from harm and have improved access to therapeutic support.”
Margaret Kelly, director of the Fostering Network Northern Ireland, welcomed the focus on looked-after children, saying: “Foster carers have a unique position in society, they open up the door to their home and take on the huge responsibility of looking after our most vulnerable children. If we are committed to giving children in care a typical family life, then we must rise to the challenge and ensure that foster carers are given the skills and support they need to help transform children’s lives.”
Vivian McConvey, Chief Executive of VOYPIC, welcomed this important conference and the opportunity to work in cooperation with NSPCC and the other sponsors in the interests of children and young people. She said: “VOYPIC’S priority is the safety and wellbeing of children and young people cared for away from home. This conference is an ideal chance for us all to share best practice and work together to keep children safe.”
The Looked After Children seminar in Belfast was the latest in a series of UK-wide discussions bringing together the NSPCC with social care professionals.
The NSPCC is calling for more support for social workers, better emotional and mental health provision for children, and reforms to the ways decisions are made to bring children in and out of care so that they are protected from harm.
