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Social worker representatives have criticised the government for failing to learn lessons from past child protection inquiries about the importance of listening to children.

Draft guidance on safeguarding elements of the Children Act 2004 fails to clearly outline the need to take children's views into account, the British Association of Social Workers has said.

Responding to a consultation that closed last week, Nushra Mapstone, BASW professional officer for England, said: "The government has said so much as about being child-centred but there's not a strong enough sense of that [in the guidance]. We have been told many times in inquiries that we have become so caught up in the process that we are not listening to the children. This is falling into the same trap".

Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a duty to safeguard children on agencies, including the police and prisons. It will come into force in October.

• More at www.basw.co.uk