groups in care nationally? i think that s what keeps me awake at night. in terms of what happens when the money runs out. how are you feeling? local authorities are close to the bone nationally. you ve been a social worker for 25 years. to see this very important industry fall into poverty, what would that mean for you? i d be heartbroken. it would be devastating, i think, for the next generation and for this country. it is horrible, isn t it? it is horrible. when it comes to the rights of siblings, scotland is leading the way.
in england, foster carer numbers are at their highest but the increase is not keeping up with the amount of children in care. debbie has been supporting a new recruit. hi. ijust let myself in, the door was open. reilly and her girlfriend have recently been approved as a foster family. a lot of people say the process is quite invasive, which it is, you have to give them very specific details about absolutely everything. it s almost like i found it like a long, year long therapy session. it takes a year? it can take up to a year. sometimes it takes longer. mum took two years i think. sometimes it takes two years. it depends if they ve got resources and social workers to do the work. you have a young person now, tell me about that. yes, i do, i have a teenager, and she is absolutely brilliant. that is crazy. sorry to cut you off because you re
that is why you become a foster carer, to be able to facilitate these things. i am proud, so proud. not only to see her as a foster mum but to see what a wonderful foster mum she is. she s got a big heart. while foster carers are crucial in keeping siblings connected, it s local council that make decisions for the children. with the number of looked after children at an all time high, the system is struggling to keep up. hi, is it ashley? hello, amy, lovely to meet you. welcome to my children s centre. here we are. oh, wow. i ve come to derby to find out how a local authority is trying to prevent more children going into care by pioneering a new rapid response team. amy is one of their children practitioners. tell me about this team and the work you re doing.
the intervention from amy was worth it and that sibling group has been saved. over the past 15 months, amy says their team has supported 60 families to stay together. 50 of those are part of a sibling group. while preventative work can help ease the strain on the system, local councils are still facing severe challenges. amy s boss is the head of early health and children s social care for derby city council. we know the government provided money at the height of the pandemic for councils to be able to support vulnerable families. but more children are going into care, costs are increasing. do you have the resources to be able to support children in care? no, we don t. we are very, very stretched as a local authority. there has been year on year cuts to services that we are delivering and yet
money at the height of the pandemic for councils to be able to support vulnerable families. but more children are going into care, costs are increasing. do you have the resources to be able to support children in care? no, we don t. we are very, very stretched as a local authority. there has been year on year cuts to services that we are delivering and yet demand is rising. we won t compromise in terms of safeguarding standards but it will mean that other parts of the council and further local authorities will have to make some very, very tough decisions. what could it mean for looked after children and sibling groups in care, nationally? i think that s what keeps me awake at night, in terms of what happens when the money runs out. how are you feeling? i m feeling quite. because we are. local authorities are close to the bone. ashley.