After the Research – Battling with a Care-Less Process
Following on from the research we commissioned Manchester Metropolitan University to write, Senior Lecturer Becky Clarke, who conducted the research, tried to interest the wider community in the research. She has written a very good blog on the subject entitled “Adult Care Leavers” Battling with a Care-Less Process which we link to here. It starts off:-
“Being removed from your family as a child and taken into the care of the state is inconceivable for many of us. Often the context is traumatic and, in 99% of cases, this intervention has nothing to do with the child’s behaviour. Yet the evidence reveals that down the line, when that child becomes an adult and seeks information about their family background and time in care, they experience a battle with a care-less process. Later this month the Access to Care Records Campaign Group (ACRCG) will hold an event in the House of Lords, with the aim of re-igniting action to address the legislative, policy and practice issues”…Read more
We are, of course, holding an event in the House of Lords for which see here
You can read another blog generated by Darren Coyne of the Care Leavers Association here
- Published in General
Access to Care Records Seminar in House of Lords
- Published in General
ACRG secures new Records Regulations under Children Act 1989
Summary
The government has revised the guidance about how local authorities should respond when a person who has grown up in care asks to see their care file. The Guidance is statutory guidance: local authorities are required to follow this unless there is a good reason not to. This guidance is in Volume 3 of government guidance called Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers.
To download a pdf file of the entire regulations click the button
It states that care leavers have a fundamental right to access information held on their care records. [Para 4.28]
It makes it very clear that the principles and standards for good practice apply to all care leavers regardless of their age. [Para 4.27]
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Speech of Baroness Young in House of Lords
The following is an extract of submissions and oratory by Baroness Lola Young on behalf of the Access to Care Records Group as taken from Hansard on 14th October 2013
The following is the text of the proposed amendment to Legislation
To read this page in the form of a pdf file click here
- Published in General, Press Releases
Access to Care Records Group is formed
Briefing
Join us so together we achieve a fair deal for adult care leavers and their rights and needs to access information about their family history and time in care
What are we doing?
The Access to Care Records Campaign Group (ACRCG) is working with adult care leavers to change the law. It must be more straightforward for adult care leavers to find out from their care records about their time in care and decisions made about them.
Adult care leavers have the fundamental right to know about their personal and family history. Unlike people growing up in their birth family, their care record holds the narrative of their childhood and adolescence and family connections.
We believe, based on the experiences of adult care leavers requesting to see their care records, that the Data Protection Act 1998 is not a suitable framework and process.
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