This report from the Social Market Foundation review the care system in the UK, including outcomes for children in care and the "silent crisis" in the care system. The paper finds that "children in care and those leaving care face a variety of lower outcomes compared to their peers" and that children who were in care are "hugely overrepresented in the youth justice system." "Unfortunately," says the report, "the picture of performance in England is bleak, and SMF analysis of the most recent Ofsted inspections suggests that some 63% of Local Authorities are providing services for the children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers, which either require improvement or are simply inadequate." This report provides analysis of the care system in the UK and presents recommendations for improving the lives of looked-after children. This includes the proposal of "a new Charter for Looked-after Children, that commits central government to closer monitoring of the overall system and ensuring that outcomes improve."
