"What kind of a country are we, in which the most vulnerable children cannot rely on ministers and councils to treat them well?" asks this editorial piece from the Guardian. The Guardian notes "the use of unregulated placements, the disruption caused by frequent moves and the damage done to those forced to relocate many miles from their homes, schools and families," all of which have been "featured in court judgments and parliamentary and National Audit Office reports as well as in journalism by the Guardian and others."
According to the editorial, children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield will present her proposals at an online event later this month and the Guardian urges that "a timetable for phasing out unregulated accommodation, including for 16-18s, should be announced now. Councils in the south of England, where there are not enough children’s homes, should be told to start building (with funding announced in the upcoming spending review)." The editorial continues: "at the moment, not only is national and local government failing to provide the care to which all children are entitled: in some cases the service offered more closely resembles abuse."