Barnardo’s
is convinced that three key steps will help prevent the neglect, abuse
and possible deaths of vulnerable children:
•
Much higher priority must be given to the recruitment and retention
of specialist children’s social workers with specific training
in child protection issues.
•
Everyone must be encouraged to ‘think the unthinkable’;
to recognise that children are most at risk when in their own homes
and from those supposed to be caring for them. All of us must take
much greater collective and individual responsibility for the safety
of vulnerable children within our own communities.
•
A Children’s Commissioner for England should be appointed as
a matter of urgency (to complement the office already established
in Wales and proposed for Scotland and N. Ireland). This should be
a dedicated, independent role mandated to pursue improved protection
for all children and young people.
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‘It is still possible for social workers to qualify and apply
for posts in children’s services without undertaking any detailed
training on work with vulnerable children,’ said Dr Chris Hanvey,
Barnardo’s UK Director of Operations. ‘We must recognise
that child protection work is skilled, highly stressful and requires
years of experience – and allocate the priority, resources and
support necessary to reduce the constant tide of child deaths. The
current situation of staff shortages and many departments operating
with high numbers of overworked, inexperienced and locum staff can
only lead to further tragedies.’
Barnardo’s
would like to see the establishment of national minimum standards
for child protection qualifications and practice to cover all professionals
who are regularly in contact with children. Establishing existing
Area Child Protection Committees on a statutory basis, with significant
ring-fenced funding, could be a cheaper and more effective option
than introducing all the infrastructure required for a new child protection
agency, according to the charity.
‘However,’
said Chris Hanvey, ‘in the rush to allocate blame in the wake
of a tragedy like the death of Victoria Climbie, it would be easy
to forget that it is not social workers, or other professionals, who
abuse and kill children. Most often it is their parents or others
in a position of trust and responsibility for their care and protection.’
Barnardo’s
advocates a significant public awareness campaign to encourage everyone
to recognise tell-tale signs of neglect and abuse of children –
and to explain clearly where people can go to ensure their concerns
are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and acted on where necessary.
‘The
establishment of a Children’s Commissioner for England –
ideally with devolved powers to regional offices or local ombudsmen
– could play a vital role in providing an independent voice
for children, not biased or influenced by issues of resource allocation
or political difference,’ said Chris Hanvey. ‘Child protection
would be a key element of this brief, not least in monitoring implementation
of recommendations from inquiries such as that of Lord Laming.’
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Barnardo’s favours a number of other measures to enhance the
importance given to child protection. For instance, the new Police
National Plan 2003-2006 has child protection listed under ‘other
policing responsibilities’; unless it is given much greater
priority it will never be allocated the resources required to make
the police an effective arm of child protection authorities. This
is particularly true in relation to the increasingly complex field
of internet abuse.
‘We
can never absolutely ensure the protection of all children –
particularly from those who have a direct responsibility for their
care and yet cause them harm,’ said Chris Hanvey. ‘But
there is no doubt that assigning much higher priority to child protection
services, spreading the net of awareness and responsibility much wider
and adding an independent voice for children would see many spared
traumatic and sometimes life-threatening abuse and neglect.’
