Care matters : time for change

There is a significant gap between the quality of life of children who live in care and those who do not.

In 2006 only 12 per cent of children in care achieved five A-C grades at GCSE, 45 per cent were assessed as having mental health problems, and 30 per cent of care leavers aged 19 were not in education, employment or training.This white paper, "Care Matters: Time for Change (Cm. 7137)", sets out the steps to be taken to improve the outcomes for these children.

It builds on the responses to the Green Paper "Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care (Cm 6932)" (ISBN 0101693222, available below) and the conclusions of four working groups established to investigate best practice.This title is divided into eight sections: corporate parenting; family and parenting support; care placements; education; health; the transition to adulthood; the role of the practitioner; and next steps.