1. Permanence for children in care ‘means security, stability, love and a strong sense of identity and belonging’ (The Care Inquiry 2013: 2). With reference to academic literature and research, discuss these ideas and the potential for different kinds of placement to meet the needs of children who have been removed from their parents’ care.
You can discuss the needs of children in care and how they can be met. It would be relevant to consider children’s/young people’s experience of being in care in relation to aspects such as stigma, identity, belonging, and the experience of moving placements, etc – and their views on what would help.
You can also weigh up and compare the benefits and drawbacks of different placement options. You can also discuss chronic child neglect, child protection linking in previous cases such as; Victoria Climbie, Baby P etc. These include: placement within extended family; special guardianship orders; long term foster care; and adoption. How far should priority be given to keeping children within their extended family?
You can include developments over the past few years, including the impact of case law, which have resulted in a decrease in placing children for adoption and increase in use of special guardianship orders to extended family members.
