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Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

My Lords, I echo other noble Lords and thank the noble Baroness, Lady Grey- Thompson, for her very powerful and moving speech. Sadly, like other noble Lords, I know families who have been touched in similar ways. Both personally and professionally, I hope that the Government listen to the noble Baroness’s advice.

My Amendments 99 and 101 have support from more than 20 children’s charities and the Children’s Commissioner, and I am very grateful to the co-signatories to my amendment. In Committee the response from the Minister focused on early help and family support that the Government will require local areas to deliver as a way of meeting the needs of these women. But as the noble Lord, Lord Meston, said, although the funding is obviously very warmly welcomed, it does not address the issues for families who have children removed into care, because once a child is removed from a parent’s care, services and support follow the child.

There is no requirement or expectation that the support needs formally identified for the woman during the care proceedings process will be provided after the removal of a child. Without support to change their circumstances, parents are vulnerable to repeat the same traumatic cycle that led to their first, second or—as the noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, said—eighth child being removed. I think the late Nick Crichton removed a 14th child from the same woman, which led to the work that has been referred to today. We know that almost half of newborns in care proceedings are born to families who have been through proceedings at least once.

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My Amendment 99 would provide for stopping this cycle of recurrent removals through the provision of specialist support for parents. This would be right from a human point of view, as we have heard very powerfully today, but also from a financial point of view. There is clear evidence, including from the research commissioned by the Department for Education, that

investment in these services leads to significant returns, as the noble Lord, Lord Meston, referred to—£4.50 for every £1 invested over four years—and greater gains over the longer term.

My Amendment 101 is also important because most local authorities do not know how many families are affected or the costs involved. If we can collect and publish that information, it will allow for better planning, accountability and targeted support.

In his letter to Peers on 17 December, the Minister for Children and Families touched on the issues of post-removal support and wrote that the Government are offering to publish a post-separation good practice resource, are talking to pathfinder areas and will update statutory guidance and share good practice examples. That is all very helpful but very far from enough.

I will of course listen to the Minister’s response, but if I do not hear a much more positive response to my amendments than in Committee, I am inclined to test the opinion of the House.