News

Sir Ronald Waterhouse completed his inquiry into the abuse of children in north Wales children's homes in early 2000. He recommended every local authority should appoint "an appropriately qualified or experienced children's complaints officer".

The two councils involved in the scandal - Clwyd and Gwynedd - were both found to have "grossly defective" complaints procedures. This contributed to failures by the authorities to stop the horrific abuse of more than 250 children over a 16-year period


We know there are considerable advantages of having an officer who understands the Children Act 1989, but is also able to act quickly if necessary helped by close contact with child protection officers.

Now, nearly four years after Waterhouse's report Lost in Care was published, research suggests that only a quarter of local authorities in England and Wales have appointed an officer dedicated to dealing with complaints from children themselves.

The councils without such a post may have a "designated complaints officer" who deals with all complaints to the council. More than half of these people have no background in social work, or if they do, it might be in adult services only.

These findings are very disturbing for anyone who wants to see vulnerable children given the protection they need. Children need to know there is someone they can contact who will be appropriately trained and empowered to act on their behalf.


Can there be an excuse for failing to respond to the Waterhouse recommendations? The answer is surely "no". We don't know the reasons for the failure. We can guess that lack of resources is one issue, but what can be more crucial than providing a voice for children in danger of abuse?

Or perhaps, as was suggested by one council last year when the Welsh children's commissioner Peter Clarke was critical of local authorities on this issue, the authorities themselves have a better idea? But surely after examining the evidence of hundreds of victims of abuse, Waterhouse knew what he was talking about.