---

Children: Laming Report

My Lords, I thank both noble Baronesses for their questions. I remind the House that a key part of the analysis in the noble Lord’s report is that, having spoken to many people, having taken evidence from over 100 submissions and 200 letters from around the country and having spoken to voluntary agencies and a wide range of professionals, he is clear that the platform that we are working from—that is, Every Child Matters, the legislative framework—far from being the wrong one, as the noble Baroness, Lady Verma, suggests, is supported by a consensus among all those in the professions working with children that it is the right underpinning policy framework. We are talking about making a step change towards speedier delivery, which will make a significant change to the work that takes place on the front line. As the House knows, following the Haringey review, my right honourable friend the Children’s Secretary set up the Social Work Task Force with the Health Secretary to undertake a root-and-branch review of how the social work profession should be developed. As I said, we are asking the task force to accelerate its work—for example, looking at the day-to-day work of social workers and at the amount of time that they spend on the computer or out working with families, and looking in detail at their use of the ICS and at how the procurement for that system can be improved and made more effective. We have asked for that work to be accelerated so that we can take action and ensure that social workers have the tools that they need to do their job to the best of their professional ability. That means that we have to ensure that the IT facilities are there for them to make those all-important records of their engagement with families and children. Record-keeping is key. We have to ensure, as both noble Baronesses suggested, that the IT system can step up to the plate. We know that some local authorities have made a success of the ICS, but others have found it less easy. There have been concerns about flexibility, as the noble Baroness was right to point out. To pick up on the questions asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, about the practicality of the initiatives that we are proposing for social workers, if you are having an intensive induction year then of course you need to have protected time off for that induction, which will mean a lower case load. With regard to advanced social work professionals, we are learning from the success of the work that we have done in teaching. When we talk about creating a masters-level profession, that is something we have to do with great care and in consultation with the professionals, the GSCC and the Children’s Workforce Development Council. When we talk about graduate recruitment and getting returners back into the profession, it is vital that we do that properly and get results. We are convinced and concerned about the need to work hard. I resent the idea that, in accepting the recommendation of the noble Lord, Lord Laming, that we enhance national leadership of child protection and create a national child safety unit, we are in some way creating another quango. We are talking about making sure that there is cross-government leadership to deliver, that the recommendations of the serious case reviews, about which Members opposite are so concerned, are taken up and that the unit makes sure that those recommendations are acted on. Yes, there will be a report to Parliament, which will greatly enhance the transparency and the opportunity for those fresh eyes that noble Lords are concerned to see. The Health Secretary has today announced that there will be a new health visitor programme which will look at the role of health visitors to ensure that it is properly defined. It will also look at numbers, career opportunities and how the Department of Health should be supporting health visitors in their vital work. The Chief Nursing Officer will lead the programme of action on health visiting. That is a very important announcement. The noble Lord, Lord Laming, was very clear about the confidentiality of the comprehensive serious case review document. To ensure that the comprehensive serious case review is fully able to take account of the experience of all the professionals involved and that all the sensitive information is collected, it is important that the document remains confidential. However, the noble Lord also recommended that the executive summary should be a comprehensive and clear reflection of the serious case review. Sir Roger Singleton, in his new role, will be able to ensure that that is happening. We have made it clear that we are accepting, in full, the noble Lord’s recommendations. We have had the right platform to go forward with Every Child Matters, but there is no complacency about the amount of work that yet needs to be done. That is very much focused on making sure that those at the front line have the support, training, backing and numbers to get the work done. We are right behind the development of the social work profession to make that happen.