Looked after children

Resource

Healthcare standards for children and young people in secure settings

There are about 1,000 children and young people placed in secure settings at any one time on justice or welfare grounds. This cohort of children often have complex needs that span mental health, neurodevelopmental need, substance misuse, and physical health, which can be hard to reach through tradit...

Looked after children

Service design

News

Updated standards published to enhance the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children in secure settings

24 April 2023

The newly refreshed standards place a greater emphasis on building trusting relationships with children, the continuity of care, listening to their thoughts and wishes and including them in decisions about their care.

News

RCPCH responds to Social Care Review Implementation Strategy

3 February 2023

The government has published a long-term strategy to ‘fix’ children’s social care.

News

RCPCH responds to EHRC report ‘Children’s rights in Great Britain’

25 January 2023

Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report to the United Nations raises a number of concerns on the health, wellbeing and living standards of children in England and Wales.

News

RCPCH statement on early medical abortion by telemedicine

22 March 2022

As the provision of early medical abortions by telemedicine across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland varies, RCPCH has put together a statement with our approach in principle to the policy.

News

How can we support children in care during the pandemic?

21 December 2020

Local authorities and partner agencies have a duty to be corporate parents to children in care, but research tells us that children in care have, on average, poorer health outcomes, increased mental health problems, poorer educational attainment, increased risk-taking behaviour, and an increased ris...

News

RCPCH responds to new Ofsted reports regarding the impact of COVID-19 on children

10 November 2020

The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) has published the latest in a series of reports on the impact of the pandemic on children. The reports are based on their observations made during inspections of schools, early years settings and children's services durin...

News

We can improve outcomes for children in care by taking practical actions now

8 March 2020

There are many reasons why a child or young person might need to be looked after by the state, including abuse and neglect, family dysfunction, and a family in acute stress—all social disadvantages that arise more often in economically challenging times.

Resource

Transforming children and young people's mental health provision: green paper - consultation response

In February 2018 the RCPCH responded to this green paper by the Department for Health and the Department for Education. While we support the paper's ambition, we do not believe it is sufficiently ambitious to achieve the goals we outlined in our State of Child Health report. The green paper also mis...

Mental health

Health policy

Health inequalities

Wellbeing for children and young people

Looked after children

Resource

Safeguarding children and young people - roles and competencies

To protect children and young people from harm, and help improve their wellbeing, all healthcare staff must have the competencies to recognise child maltreatment, opportunities to improve childhood wellbeing and to take effective action as appropriate to their role.

Looked after children