Letters

The welfare and best interests of children must be paramount in any decisions on outsourcing children's services (CYP Now, 13-26 May). Children and young people have a fundamental right to be safe and protected from harm, and we all need to continue to ensure that children's services and protection are of the highest quality possible. The knowledge, skill and experience of those working in children's services in the public sector cannot be underestimated and it would be detrimental and a disservice to everyone concerned to undervalue or risk losing this expertise.

Improving how we care for vulnerable children is something for which we should always strive. Any change must be driven by the imperative of improving the quality of services and the life chances of children. While ensuring value for money is vital, particularly in an environment of public spending constraints, opening a wider range of children's services to commercial providers carries obvious risks. Profit and marketisation should not be prime drivers of change.