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Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I do not think that I will go down that road. When I met the noble Lord, I undertook to put on record the response that I gave him, which I think gave him some encouragement. I am glad to do that now. The Bill includes provisions that build on and strengthen the existing framework under which local authorities are notified of, monitor and supervise all children placed away from home, regardless of the reason for the placement, whether the child is disabled or not, and whether the placement is an educational one or made by a health body. The role of local authority children’s services is to work with and support parents to care for their children in long-term residential placements, especially when we know that without this support parental contact with the child is likely to diminish over time. The Bill, through Clauses 15 and 16, sets out to improve the performance of the current notification arrangements for placing authorities to notify the local authority concerned of the placement of a child in long-term residential accommodation. More significantly, those clauses introduce the requirement for the local authority in which the child is ordinarily resident to visit and to maintain contact with the child for as long as the placement lasts. This will mean that the child will be subject to regular visits by a representative of the local authority and it will ensure that a child’s needs are met not just at the point of placement but also in the event of any change of circumstance during the placement. The noble Lord raised concerns that a minimum six-monthly visiting frequency may not be sufficient, particularly at the beginning of a placement. We would expect that when any assessment of the child’s needs is undertaken and decisions about the appropriate support and status of the child are being made, the frequency of visits should be part of that consideration. We further expect that the frequency of visits will vary depending on the circumstances of each individual case. For example, local authorities may need to visit a child more frequently during the initial stages of a new placement. If, as the child settles, a high level of parental involvement is evident, the local authority visits may become less frequent. It is essential that attention is paid to the needs of the individual child in making those decisions. We certainly do not believe that the six-monthly minimum visiting frequency should be the maximum. We believe that in many cases, particularly in the early stages of placements, there will be a need for more frequent visits. We are committed to exploring and establishing best practice in this area and capturing it in statutory guidance, including how local authorities can best support continued parental involvement with a child in a long-term placement. We will take full account of the views expressed in the Committee as we draw up that guidance. I hope that that gives the noble Lord the reassurance that he was seeking.