One in 10 local authorities still to set up children in care councils

Thirteen out of the 141 local authorities in England who responded to the study said they did not have a children in care council in place despite the expectation to have them set up this year. Children in care councils allow looked-after children to have a greater say about the care they receive.

Care Matters, which was published in June 2007, placed a number of requirements on local authorities to improve the care looked-after young people receive.

The study also found that at least 15 local authorities had not provided all the looked-after young people from their area who had gone on to higher education this academic year with their required bursaries. Just over half of the local authorities who responded to the study struggled to say how many looked-after young people in their area had received higher education grants.

Last year's updated Children Act 1989 (Higher Education Bursary) Regulations 2009 made it a legal requirement for local authorities to provide bursaries of at least £2,000 for young people in care who go to university.

Natasha Finlayson, chief executive of The Who Cares? Trust, said she was disappointed by the findings. "I find it shocking that every local authority doesn't have a children in care council in place. It's hard to see how local authorities can consult with looked-after children in a meaningful way if they don't have one."

Janet Rich, trustee of the Care Leavers' Foundation, said it continued to receive a high number of applications for grants from looked-after young people who are going on to higher education.

"Local authorities have been receiving a government grant to pay for the higher education bursaries so we have to ask where has that money gone? It's clear from the applications we receive that it is not being spent where intended," she said.

Bromley Council was among the 13 local authorities that do not have a children in care council in place. A spokesman for the council said: "Our children in care council target date is the end of July, which is within the 2010 deadline.

Local authorities still to set up children in care councils

• Bradford
• Gloucestershire
• Middlesbrough
• Poole
• Salford
• Southampton
• Bromley
• City of London
• Croydon
• Ealing
• Haringey
  
• Harrow
• Kingston

The original list published included Southwark. Its name has been removed after it confirmed the details provided under the Freedom of Information request were not up to date.