§ Dame Jill KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue instructions to local authority social services departments that their race-matching policy for 825W children needing foster parents shall not be retrospective and that children happily placed with foster parents over a long period shall not be removed solely for racial reasons.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyLocal authorities have a statutory duty to give first consideration to the need to promote and safeguard the welfare of each child in care. A child's racial origin, cultural background and religion are important factors to be taken into account. But any decision made about a child on the basis of generalised and rigidly applied rules would not accord with the authority's duty to the child. It follows that a child should not be removed from a foster placement which is otherwise satisfactory solely because of the foster parents' race. We are considering what further guidance is needed to make this clear.