More than 50% of local authorities do not have family reunification policy or strategy, research finds
More children in care in England could return to their families with a greater focus and investment towards reunification support, according to research by the NSPCC and Action for Children.
Data obtained from a survey of 75 councils revealed that 78% of local authorities said they would like to provide more support for families to help them reunite, than is currently offered.
Of those that said they wanted to provide more support before reunification, funding constraints were identified as a barrier by 69%.
The research revealed that more than half (56%) of councils don’t have a reunification policy or strategy, while only 19% have a standalone reunification team to coordinate reunifications.
Councils highlighted a number of ways they would like to improve support “if the barriers were removed”, including working with a larger number of families, or working with families at an earlier stage over a longer period, researchers revealed.
The NSPCC said it is working with Action for Children to call on the government to develop national guidance and invest in support services for returning children to their families.
The charities made the following key recommendations to Government and Local Authorities:
- Develop national guidance on reunification: National guidance on reunification is needed to sit alongside other related guidance, including Working together to safeguard children. This should include recommendations for evidence-based approaches to assessment, planning, support and monitoring of reunification.
- Invest in reunification practice evaluations: The effectiveness of existing approaches and interventions in England needs to be urgently evaluated.
- Share learning from existing research: An evidence summary should be shared with local authorities, highlighting learnings across key aspects of reunification practice.
The Department for Education has been approached for comment.
Lottie Winson
