§ 61. Dr. Winstanleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hostel places are available for the housing of children reaching school leaving age who have previously been in care and are unable to return to their own homes.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganIt is the local authority's duty to retain such a child in care until the age of eighteen if his welfare requires it. In England and Wales the available facilities include about 1,100 places in local authority hostels and about 350 in voluntary establishments: this accommodation has other uses and is only one of the ways in which authorities meet the needs of school leavers in care.