Laming calls on social services to be more ambitious for children

 
The journey from the death of Victoria Climbié to the full realisation of the Every Child Matters agenda is a “formidable challenge” for children’s services, Lord Laming said last night at a lecture marking the seventh anniversary of her death.

Laming, who chaired the public inquiry into Victoria¹s death, said that the changes needed to be underpinned by a commitment to seeking a good outcome and being more ambitious for each child.

“Our task is to make sure that every child is helped to feel that they really do matter. For that to happen we need to be altogether more ambitious for every child,” he said.

Victoria died on 25 February 2000 aged eight. Had she been saved she would have celebrating her 15th birthday this year. Her great aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her boyfriend Carl Manning were convicted of her murder and child cruelty and sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2001.

The lecture was organised by the Victoria Climbie Foundation (UK), and The Monitoring Group.

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