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LAMING REPORT MUST BE ‘A WATERSHED’, SAYS CPHVA
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The Laming report into the death of Victoria Climbie must be ‘the watershed that heralds a revolution in child protection’, the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association said today (Tuesday, 28 January).
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The CPHVA director, Mark Jones said: ‘The Laming Report is a searing indictment of the manner that Victoria Climbie met her death, but it also opens the way for fundamental reforms in the area of child protection.’
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We who work in the health and social services must take on the lessons very quickly. The public won’t forgive another case such as Victoria’s.
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The CPHVA has welcomed the potential for new children’s trusts, bringing together social workers, police and other childcare professionals under one roof.
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Mark Jones said: ‘When Health Secretary, Alan Milburn proposed the formation of children’s trusts in the autumn we said it was worthy of exploration. The Laming Report gives this concept extra impetus. Dramatic improvements in inter-agency communication are imperative.’
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However, Mark Jones expressed concern about the shortage of social workers; with London said to be almost 50% below strength. Health visitor vacancies in the capital are running at around 7%.
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‘We need properly resourced, highly trained professionals to give the child protection services the clout they need to do the job. Making do with threadbare resources must end.’
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The CPHVA also welcomed other key Laming proposals – national standards to end variations in child welfare, and closer monitoring of children coming from abroad and living with unvetted private foster parents.
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The CPHVA said that the role of the school nurse needs to be urgently reviewed to take into account their contribution to the welfare of school age children outside the immediate school environment.
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