The purpose of this review is to demonstrate what good care for children and young people who are looked after by local authorities looks like, to identify good practice and to recommend in what ways care can be further improved. It is intended for everyone who is concerned with looked after children and their families; elected members, local authority staff, staff in voluntary organisations, private providers, foster carers, health professionals and those involved in developing and improving children’s services.
The review has six key messages: 1) Looked after children can overcome adversity in childhood and lead successful adult lives; 2) Too many adults have low expectations of what looked after children can achieve; 3) Relationships with skilled adults can help looked after children and young people develop successfully; 4) Children and young people looked after away from home need stability and the chance to put down roots; 5) Tackling the disadvantage and discrimination requires planning at every level in a local authority and between them and their partners in delivering children's services; 6) Developing an understanding of what children and young people think about services intended to help them supports effective engagement and long-term service planning.