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Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

The amendment makes an important point and I look forward to hearing what my noble friend the Minister has to say in response. During the years when I was privileged to be director of Oxfam, one thing that I learnt, among many others, about assistance to those who are vulnerable and in need is that one of most important contributions that can be made is advocacy. It is essential to be able to see things from the standpoint of the person who is being helped. Again—I do not apologise for repeating the point—no one questions the good will and commitment of so many of those who are trying to help and who give their lives to such work, but it is essential to ensure that central to considerations is what the children themselves believe. Some of the most vulnerable and disturbed children have difficulty in putting forward their own position. In recent work that I have done on immigration and asylum, I have sometimes blanched at the predicament that the youngster faced with the array of complicated administration and law. The amendment raises an important point and I hope that my noble friend will be able to say something reassuring.