---

Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I, too, lend my support most fervently to this amendment. I have beaten the drum on previous occasions for the principle that responsibility for children should never be regarded as a fragmented exercise, but rather as a unified matter. This is an example where the fields of education and social services share a responsibility. In many of the cases that I came across as a judge—and I am sure that the experience of the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, is much superior to mine—and in criminal jurisdiction, I was shocked by the number that involved disabled children who had been gravely abused and taken advantage of in these situations. Therefore, even if there is an element of double banking of care and concern, the amendment is wholly justified.