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Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I lent my name to the amendment tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Massey, for the very reasons that my noble friend Lady Butler-Sloss has just given and because of the point highlighted by the noble Lord, Lord Judd. My experience in prison of the number of people who had not had any form of assessment or treatment while they were in care was appalling. By the time they arrived in prison, there had been far too many wasted years in their life along the way. As the brief that we have had from the NSPCC and others says, there is substantial evidence of inequality of health outcomes for looked-after children, as we have all experienced, and the current guidance has not had a persuasive impact on PCTs. Everywhere you look—this includes the whole of the mental health area—the assessment of things like speech and language therapy, which are so important to the development of relationships, are missing because they are not included in PCT plans. We see the outcomes of that when they arrive in care. I hope that in his reply the Minister will remember his own remarks in the last statements that he made at Second Reading, quoting a remark made by the noble Baroness, Lady Howarth: "““we should regard this Bill as a wake-up call for everyone responsible for children in care and that ultimately … depends on implementation””." I agree wholeheartedly. So do we all. There is no area where a wake-up call needs to be sent more clearly than those responsible for the healthcare, assessment and treatment of children in care.