Children’s care homes rely on committed people | Letter
Without the unflinching commitment of managers, social workers and those who work in them, they won’t be proper homes, writes John BurtonI congratulate the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Without the unflinching commitment of managers, social workers and those who work in them, they won’t be proper homes, writes John Burton I congratulate the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism for exposing the disgraceful state of residential childcare and the use of illegal children’s homes ( Councils pay more than £125m a year placing vulnerable children in illegal care homes in England, 8 September ). However, this is a symptom not a cause. While there are good private children’s homes (I’ve worked with some), they are defined by personal and family commitment, not profit. The same relationships are required whoever runs a children’s home, whether a charitable organisation or local authority. Without the personal, unflinching commitment of councillors, managers, social workers and, crucially, the grownups who work in the home, it can’t be a loving home. Continue reading...