Sir, The Narey Report on Adoption (July 5) is wrong to be so dismissive of children being raised by their wider family. For centuries, grandparents, siblings and other relatives have brought up children whose parents are unable to do this. New Government guidance quotes research that finds that these children “feel secure, happy and integrated into the family, with most studies reporting that this is more common than for children placed with stranger carers”.
Sadly, children are entering or being raised in public care, or being placed for adoption, who instead could be living safely with family and friends carers. Martin Narey’s description of local authorities wasting time searching for relatives is misleading. The evidence is that it is relatives who come forward. Moreover, there are ways that local authorities can speedily seek out potential family carers.
Many family and friends carers struggle for lack of financial and practical support. However, they continue, sometimes in conditions of severe poverty, and sometimes alone dealing with children’s very challenging behaviour and needs, because of their love and commitment to the child. It is often these family members who originally alerted children’s services that the child was being abused and it is these family members who are the only constant in the child’s life. Mr Narey is wrong to regard such carers as “a different branch of an essentially dysfunctional family” or indicate that they are likely to place the children at risk, when the evidence tells us a very different story.
Children who cannot live with their parents need a champion who can give them permanence, love and security. For some this will be adoption, for some foster care, but for many more it will be wider family members. The present framework all too often fails to get that right for each child.
Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive, Family Rights Group
Lynn Chesterman, Chief Executive, The Grandparents’ Association
Denise Murphy, Interim Chief Executive, Grandparents Plus
Robert Tapsfield, Chief Executive, The Fostering Network