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Safeguarding Children

I always look exceptionally carefully at any recommendations from the Select Committee. I have done so on other matters; a recent example is national testing. Lord Laming's work will examine patterns throughout the country. We look forward to the Select Committee's work on the international comparisons and the lessons from Denmark, although we must be careful to compare like with like, given our different legal systems. My hon. Friend is right to say that, as yesterday's Ofsted report on children's homes makes clear, the outcomes for looked-after children have not been good enough. That is why we have legislated, with cross-party support, through the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 to strengthen those arrangements substantially. However, as in the case of safeguarding, putting legislation in place is one thing, but the key thing to do next is ensure that it is comprehensively implemented in the best way in every part of the country. That is our challenge in the case of looked-after children, which we must tackle together.