Bill to make child protection committees statutory to be introduced

A bill proposing that area child protection committees be put on
a statutory footing was due to be introduced to the House of
Commons this week.

Adrian Bailey, MP for West Bromwich West, who is introducing the
bill, has been working with the NSPCC.

“There is an urgent need to strengthen the laws to stop child
abuse in this country. The Victoria Climbie inquiry has
demonstrated this, and with this ’10 minute bill’ we have a real
chance of achieving positive change,” he said.

Phillip Noyes, director of public policy at the NSPCC, said that
placing ACPCs on a statutory footing is one of the NSPCC’s
key recommendations to the Victoria Climbie inquiry, and that they
have an important role in ensuring professionals are working
together effectively at a local level.

A bill aimed at improving the protection of children in the care
of childminders and nannies was also due to be proposed this week.
Geraint Davies, MP for Croydon Central is proposing a Regulation of
Child Care Providers Bill. This proposes that those who care for
children under the age of 15 must apply for registration to ensure
all nannies are registered, and to allow employers to access a
register of complaints of childminders.

More than 345 MPs have signed up to a recent ‘early day motion’
(EDM) calling for the government to make a commitment to end child
abuse deaths within a generation with a specific target of reducing
such deaths by half in 10 years. The EDM, tabled by Debra Shipley,
has the second highest number of signatories out of nearly 1,300
EDMs put forward since the last general election.

 

 

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