The Statutory Medical and Health Needs of Looked after Children Time for a Radical Review?

Abstract

The failure of the health service to meet the needs of looked after children is further emphasised in the following article. Here, Mary Mather, Jane Humphrey and Jenny Robson argue that, despite specific health legislation and the considerable resources which have been allocated for this group over the years, there are a number of elements hindering the system. They identify these by first analysing the medical examinations of looked after children, carried out in one London borough over a two-year period. This analysis is followed by a review of key findings from a survey and series of group discussions with young people, aimed at establishing concerns and priorities from the point of view of themselves as ‘consumers’.