---

Childcare Bill

I beg to move, That the House agrees with the Lords in the said amendment. This is a Government amendment made on Third Reading in the other place, which will require local authorities to have regard to information about the views of young children when carrying out their duties under clause 3 relating to early childhood services. The issue of listening to children has been raised and debated at each stage of the Bill in both Houses. We all agreed that it was an important subject. The Government have a longstanding commitment to providing more opportunities for children and young people to become involved in the planning and delivery of services that affect them. The core principles of the involvement and participation of children and young people were first set out in ““Learning to Listen””, which we published in November 2001. Our commitment to listening to children and encouraging their participation has been a consistent theme throughout the implementation of the ““Every Child Matters”” programme. As I said in Committee:"““We agree that early childhood services will be effective only if they engage not only parents, but children who use them.””—[Official Report, Standing Committee D, 8 December 2005; c. 83.]" As has been made clear during debates in both Houses, we are committed to ensuring that the voices of even our youngest children, who are the subject of the Bill, are heard, and that their views are taken into account in the planning and delivery of the services dealt with under clause 3. We have listened to the arguments put forward and found many areas of agreement. As Members know, it was always our intention that statutory guidance should carry forward and build on the precedent already set by the current children’s centre practice guidance, which sets out clearly ways to explore what young children really think. Making provision in the Bill ensures that this issue will not be ignored in the future. Fuller explanation and details, as well as examples of good practice, will be included in the statutory guidance that we issue under this clause, and that will have wider application across all childhood services, not just children’s centres. We know how easy it is for adults to make faulty assumptions about the experiences that are important to young children. Throughout the debates, however, there has also been a wide recognition that very young children are much less likely to be able to understand and have views about the implications of strategic planning decisions: for example, how Jobcentre Plus or NHS services can most effectively be integrated into childhood services. Earlier amendments that were debated did not fully take account of the impracticality of compelling local authorities to involve young children in every aspect of the clause 3 duties. We need a proportionate approach that gives local authorities the flexibility that will enable them to perform such a duty in the way that is best suited to local circumstances and the specific issues in view at any particular moment. The amendment will require local authorities to have regard to information about the views of young children when it is relevant to the performance of their duties under clause 3. Those duties encompass all aspects of the design, delivery and development of early-childhood services. As a result, the voices of young children will be heard in the way in which local authorities plan and deliver services for them. It is, however, important that the wording enables local authorities to take account of local conditions and the nature of the specific issue in question at any given time, and, in particular, to take full advantage of the good work done by their partners in the voluntary sector, while avoiding the practical difficulties and inappropriate aspects of participation by very young children in decision-making at a strategic level. I believe that the amendment strikes the right balance. It guarantees young children an appropriate voice, while avoiding the risk that local authorities will be compelled to try to engage young children in matters on which meaningful consultation with them is simply not possible. I am pleased that we arrived at a formulation allowing us to include the duty to listen to young children in the Bill in a way that is appropriate, and gives local authorities flexibility. I hope Members will agree that the amendment reflects the importance that Parliament—and, certainly, the Government—ascribe to this issue. I believe that it confirms our requirements and expectations of local authorities, building on the good work that the voluntary sector is already undertaking.