Clause 2 - General function
Children Bill [Lords]
3:15 pm
Mr Hilton Dawson (Lancaster and Wyre, Labour)
The amendments raise some serious issues, which we should explore. My amendment would strengthen the Bill. It is designed to ensure that the Children's Commissioner is completely committed to encouraging people to take account of children's views and interests, to advising the Secretary of State on those views and interests, and to reviewing and
reporting on the effectiveness of advice and advocacy services, complaints procedures and whistleblowing. I think that that is fair enough.
I am extremely concerned by the Government amendments that would replace ''review and report'' with ''consider or research'' and would delete the references to advice and advocacy and whistleblowing. For a start, ''review and report'' is plainly much stronger than ''consider or research'', and I do not see the point of changing it. Furthermore, if we are expecting the Children's Commissioner even just to consider or research complaints procedures, why should he not also consider and research advice and advocacy services? The two seem to go hand in hand, and considering the way in which local authorities and organisations have structured their services, I do not see how one could easily separate complaints procedures from advice and advocacy services in many parts of the country.
I am particularly concerned by the idea of excluding the provision that the Children's Commissioner should review and report on whistleblowing. It is crucial to allow those working with children to raise concerns and issues, speak publicly and tell authorities to ensure that others know when services are going wrong or children are being abused or neglected or are suffering at the hands of the state, local authority or organisation charged with their care. It is essential for a Government who are committed to dealing with the atrocious abuses that we have seen in so many parts of the care system over so many years to ensure that the independent watchdog for children—the children's champion—should be able to take a close interest in and report on the efficacy of whistleblowing activities.
I do not see the point of some of the Government amendments and indeed believe that some would be extremely harmful. I am seeking to strengthen this part of the Bill, and I certainly do not think that it should be weakened by replacing the important functions of reviewing and reporting with considering or researching.