Smith: Package of measures will tackle rising number of looked after children

The latest Looked After Children statistics have been published, showing that there were 15,892 children looked after by local authorities on July 31st 2010, an increase of 4% since March 31st 2009.

The number of children looked after has increased every year since 2001, and is at its highest since 1982.

Liz Smith MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning, said:

"The number of children and young people who come under the 'looked after' bracket has been increasing year on year and is now at its highest level for almost three decades.

"We believe the most important issue to tackle longer term are the problems with parenting, which is one of the most acute social difficulties facing our society. In too many cases we are now witnessing the third generation of parents who lack basic parenting skills. These are parents who no longer know how to pass on these skills because they themselves were the children of parents who did not possess basic parenting skills.

"That is why Scottish Conservatives are committed to direct £20m from the health budget towards providing more and better support for new parents, through a massive increase in home health visiting services. We believe that health visitors should be attached to a GP and we will target additional resources into areas of inequality.

"Secondly, we want to extend the flexibility of the current entitlement of nursery care, on a targeted basis, for vulnerable two year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"Everyone deserves a decent start in life and this trend of more and more looked-after children must be addressed. Scottish Conservatives are determined to do just that."

Please see link for more information

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/02/23091516

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