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Children and Young Persons Bill [Lords]

I welcome my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) to her new post as Under-Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. She is joining a team that has proved to be extremely effective in working on behalf of young people. I am sure that she will not only enjoy her position but make an effective contribution to meeting the support needs of young people. Government new clause 19 is incredibly welcome on two counts: first, because of how it has been developed, and secondly, because of what it sets out to do. It is extremely important that the people who use services are key in deciding how they are given support. We have seen exemplary practice in the development of the Government's relationship with disabled young people and their families and carers in drawing up the new clause and in the direction of the Bill as a whole. I strongly recommend the methodology employed, which has brought disabled young people and their carers directly into the decision-making process. I recognise how important the measures introduced by the new clause will be to improving the quality of life of young people and their families. I shall refer to new clauses 24 and 28 in my comments on amendment No. 18, as the amendment would enable many of the measures in the new clauses to take effect by requiring a local authority to offer the services of an IRO to any relevant child for whom it is responsible. The reason why the amendment is structurally so important in the delivery of the Bill's provisions is that it would make fundamentally clear the right of a looked-after child to remain a looked-after child until an agreement is made that it is in their best interests to move on from looked-after status. It would also ensure that when they make that move, the transition is properly supported by a person who is qualified and experienced and has statutory powers.