The children's homes that were unfairly vilified in Rochdale have now been vindicated by the report from the Rochdale Safeguarding Children's Board.
The report is the first public acceptance of proactive safeguarding work by Rochdale children's homes.
An apology would be welcome but, more importantly, now knowing the realities of Rochdale, we should take the report as a spur to redouble our nation's efforts to help homes do positive work for looked after children and the country.
Children's homes providers see the report as supporting comprehensive reform and are urging the new Children's Minister Edward Timpson to embrace the whole system perspective that is needed in the two groups examining how to reform residential care. These have been meeting over the summer at the Education Department.
It is right that attention has been drawn to things that need fixing in children's homes. There is no complacency in the sector. However, it is quite another thing to say we should have concerns about all children's homes everywhere, or even about their existence at all.
We get positive children's homes in a positive children's services system. A well-connected community has a shared understanding, values and practices. We should appreciate that the position of children's homes is a correlation of factors, many outside of their own control, rather than attribute problems solely to children's homes providers. We must take small steps to a big change.
The previous Children's Minister Tim Loughton was sceptical about children's homes achieving year on year Ofsted inspection improvements and called for inspections with 'bite.' Though they have plans and practice to successfully reduce extreme behaviours, including running away, many homes are reporting to the Independent Children's Homes Association (ICHA) that this current round of inspection outcome is different from all previous ones. They believe that the Ofsted inspection system is now penalising homes for providing care for young people with the very needs that take them there in the first place.
Children's homes nationwide are also being affected by the decision of some local authorities not to place children in some areas. The ICHA thinks that the Rochdale report is the first opportunity to scrutinise the ring-fencing that some local authorities apply to children's homes in general, and to some in particular. It is not only in Rochdale that high quality children's homes which provide specialist and effective services are reporting to ICHA that referrals are being restricted on the basis of inaccurate media reports.
We need all our homes to be used positively, not as a place of 'last resort', but society should value them as places of extraordinary engagement, commitment and involvement and whose skills and experiences could also be used by fostering, schools and youth clubs.
Children's homes are calling for a national strategy for higher level needs and residential child care. This requires local authorities to audit the needs of their young people and ensure they can respond effectively through a diversity of provision.
Some young people need to be placed at a distance, for safety or specialism. Children's homes providers stand ready to devise and share the conceptual framework that will assist this local, regional and national work. Looked after children deserve the best.