Children and Young Persons Bill [Lords]

I tried. The final amendment I shall speak to is new clause 28—I am sure Members will be relieved to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Many Members expressed concern about the age at which young people leave foster care. Our staying put pilots are designed to identify all the practical and financial barriers that inhibit care leavers from remaining with former foster carers, so that as far as possible care leavers have the opportunity to remain with their foster family. If, as we hope and expect, the pilots demonstrate improved outcomes for care leavers, we hope to take action in the next comprehensive spending review period, so that any care leavers who chooses may have a reasonable expectation that they can remain in a family placement. We keep comprehensive data on all looked-after children up to age 18. We also have an established data set that is focused on the accommodation of care leavers at age 19 who had been looked-after at age 16. Those data sets are established statistical collections; local authorities already have systems in place to collect the information. We do not currently collect any information on the accommodation of care leavers at age 20. If the amendment were accepted, it would be necessary for every local authority to establish a completely new process to collect that information, which would represent a new, uncosted burden on every local authority at a time when my Department is reviewing the number of data collections. I understand why there is a wish to collect data on the number of young people who remain with former foster carers, and it would be possible to analyse existing data sets to establish an indication of the number of 19-year-olds benefiting from that accommodation option. I can also confirm that we will give serious consideration to amending the categories in our existing statistics collection from 2010 to highlight placement with former foster carers as a separate accommodation option for care leavers at age 19, as it would undoubtedly be useful for each local authority to have information on the accommodation provided to all their care leavers, including information on the number remaining with former foster carers. I hope that hon. Members accept the difficulties that would be caused by introducing an uncosted new burden on local authorities by requiring them to contribute to an additional national data collection. I have covered a great deal of ground. I hope that the hon. Members who tabled the amendments feel that I have responded to their concerns and that my arguments have persuaded them not to press them to a vote. Question put and agreed to. Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.