Talking with Parliamentarians

It’s been a thankfully quiet month since the last update for the webmag. We have held two meetings of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children:
• Question and Answer session with Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Education and Skills on the Children Bill, covering: Children’s Commissioner, information sharing, and reasonable chastisement
• Joint meeting with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence asking whether children affected by domestic violence fall between the provisions of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill and the Children Bill

Children Bill
The Question and Answer session with the Minister was very helpful, as the Minister set out several of the concessions that the Government would make at the Report Stage of the Bill, particularly around the issues of the Children’s Commissioner and information sharing.

The following issues were raised during the meeting:

• Accountability and independence of the Children’s Commissioner : The Minister said that although the Government would like to keep the power for the Secretary of State to direct the Commissioner to undertake inquiries, the Commissioner will also be able to undertake inquiries on his own initiative provided that he does not duplicate other work, and that the inquiry has wider relevance for other children.
• Those over 18 : The Minister committed herself to extending the remit of the Commissioner to care leavers over the age of 18, but had not worked out the detail of this yet. (Other Children’s Commissioners in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have a remit to cover care leavers up to the age of 21.)
• Devolution issues : The Government are looking at these, and will take them forward in the House of Commons.
• Resources for the Commissioner : Comparisons are being made with the other nations of the UK.
• Consultation with parents : Under consideration.

Information sharing
• Cause for concern and ‘flagging’ of information
• The Minister said that the databases would allow the pulling together of records which could then be checked to ensure that all children are receiving universal services. There would also be a telephone directory of professionals to contact if other professionals had any concerns about aspects of a child’s life.
• The Minister gave the commitment that more information about the content of the basic record e.g. name, address, date of birth, educational provision, doctor etc. would be on the face of the Bill and that all regulations would be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.
• No case information will be held on databases, and as children are already on a variety of databases, the Government doesn’t see this as being any different.

Reasonable Chastisement
• Removal of the defence of reasonable chastisement was debated, with many MPs, Peers and other attendees speaking out against its use. The Minister responded that the Government will not support any moves that criminalise smacking within a loving home; but did note that cases where children have actual bodily injuries should not meet the reasonable chastisement defence and that the existing law must be used properly. She also commented that the cost of an education campaign on alternatives to smacking would divert money away from other areas where the Government wants to achieve change for children and young people

The Bill is currently at report stage in the House of Lords and Opposition amendments as well as Government amendments have been made. A new version of the Bill will be printed at the end of report stage (early July) and will be available at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills.htm

Children and domestic violence
This joint meeting with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence heard a presentation from Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, and also from Chris Atkinson of NSPCC and Hilary Saunders from Women’s Aid.

The Minister spoke about provisions in the Children Bill and in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill. Chris Atkinson gave a moving account of one boy’s feelings about a court which ordered contact with his father, which he did not want. Hilary Saunders spoke about a Women’s Aid campaign ‘Listening to Children’ which asked children in refuges to write on a postcard what they want the Government to do to help them. The discussion in the meeting mainly focused on provisions in the Domestic Violence Bill particularly around non-molestation orders, and also on contact arrangements for children where there is domestic violence.

Future meetings
There will be one further meeting of the Group before the summer recess, and this will include the AGM and election of Parliamentary Officers of the Group. Parliament returns for two weeks in the middle of September, and then is back following recess on 11 October. The APPG for Children will hold meetings in both September and October; these are likely to focus on aspects of the Children Bill – structures, children’s workforce, and disabled children and child protection.

Please contact Alison Linsey, Clerk to the Group (email: alinsey@ncb.org.uk):
• To be added to the email mailing list to receive minutes and notices of meetings
• For copies of minutes from any of the meetings
• For a free copy of the Group’s report ‘Commitment to Children’
• For any further information about the Group.