Letter to Guardian Argues Children's Care Homes Depend on Committed Staff, Not Ownership Model

A letter published by The Guardian's opinion section on September 17 addresses the newspaper's recent investigative reporting on residential childcare in England. The letter, written by John Burton, responds to a September 8 report produced jointly by The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which found that councils in England pay more than £125m a year to place vulnerable children in illegal care homes.

In his letter, Burton states he is congratulating The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism for what he describes as exposing the state of residential childcare and the use of illegal children's homes. He argues, however, that the issues raised by the investigation are symptoms rather than causes of deeper problems in the sector.

According to the letter, there are examples of well-run private children's homes, which Burton says he has worked with personally. He writes that such homes are defined by personal and family commitment rather than by profit motive.

The letter states that the same standard of relationships is required in a children's home regardless of who operates it, whether a charitable organization or a local authority. Burton writes that without the personal, unflinching commitment of councillors, managers, social workers, and the staff who work directly in a home, the facility cannot function as a loving home for children.

The letter was published as part of The Guardian's ongoing coverage of residential childcare provision in England, following the earlier joint investigation into council spending on illegal children's homes.