There is much to celebrate in the Children and Social Work Bill as it approaches the end of its legislative journey.
By introducing a much needed focus on improving mental health support for looked after children, the Government has shown that it is listening to the sector. Nearly two-thirds of children enter care due to abuse and neglect, and the impact of traumatic experiences means that these children are four to five times more likely to struggle with mental health difficulties.
And yet much of this progress could go unnoticed amongst the noise around exemption clauses. This has been one of the few instances where some charities and local authorities have been divided, despite both having built their case with the best interests of children at the centre of their thinking.
On most things, we agree. We agree we need to do better for vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people. We agree this is difficult in the current environment, where need is rising and budgets are stretched. And we agree that in the current context all those delivering support to children must work differently and innovatively.
These clauses would have allowed local authorities to trial exemptions from children’s social care law, with the aim of finding new ways of working. We support innovation but our view is that such extensive powers are not necessary for this to occur and that this was not an appropriate mechanism to address the challenges in children’s social care. Such wide-ranging powers could have had the unintended consequence of making multi-agency, cross-border co-operation more complex for all partners. Complicating children’s safeguarding is unlikely to improve outcomes.
The Government’s recent move to remove clauses 32 to 39 is a sign that they have heard these concerns. But their removal does not mean we should stop pursuing innovation, or stop trying to do better for disadvantaged children across the UK. The Innovation Programme, which Action for Children supports, has demonstrated significant successes within the existing legislative framework.
The National Audit Office’s 2016 report on children’s social care found that there is no shortage of innovative good practice, but that ways of sharing this are lacking. Now, along with others, we hope that the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care will help address this gap: by sharing evidence-based practice and learning on what works.
Kate Mulley is director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children
