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Social mobility talk not matched by reality

    Opinion
  • Wednesday, July 26, 2017
  • | CYP Now
There is no doubt that the divide between the rich and the rest has become significantly greater over the past few years, with two seminal events along the way - the financial crash of 2007/08 and the election of the coalition government in 2010.

Opinion: Who carries the can when things go wrong in childsafeguarding?

    Opinion
  • Monday, May 12, 2014
  • | CYP Now
What did you think last month when you heard that the Prime Minister of South Korea had offered his resignation in the wake of the ferry disaster? I don't suppose anybody thought that the PM had been at the helm of the ship that sunk, or that he could personally be held to blame for any lapses in the training of supervision of the ferry. But the culture in South Korea expects that those in highest authority carry responsibility for anything that goes wrong.

Blame games make the job of a DCS untenable

    Opinion
  • Tuesday, October 15, 2013
  • | CYP Now
Last Friday, the Reading Post published a story about how children's services in the town received only one application for each of the three senior social worker jobs it advertised. On the same day, the Coventry Telegraph reported that 30 demonstrators had gathered outside the city's town hall calling for more action to be taken against the agencies involved in the Daniel Pelka case.

Lobbying bill must remove gag on children's charities

    Opinion
  • Monday, September 2, 2013
  • | CYP Now
When he was leader of the opposition, David Cameron famously proclaimed that lobbying was "the next big scandal waiting to happen". Cue several undercover sting operations where journalists passed themselves off as lobbyists representing commercial interests to expose politicians accepting cash in return for using their political influence. Cameron waited. It happened.

Resilience prevails amid Osborne's bleak choices

    Opinion
  • Tuesday, December 11, 2012
  • | CYP Now
Like a piercing, bitter English winter, Chancellor George Osbourne's "autumn statement" was eye-wateringly harsh. It is, without doubt, children and young people growing up in the most deprived households who are being asked to bear the brunt.

Lightweight guidance puts children's interests at risk

    Opinion
  • Tuesday, April 3, 2012
  • | CYP Now
This government's appetite for reducing regulation, prescription and bureaucracy in services for children is well known. Its desire is, to some degree, understandable. Labour in government did over-prescribe, it did over-regulate and it did micro-manage.

Unborn babies deserve protection from harm

    Opinion
  • Monday, March 19, 2012
  • | CYP Now
Does the behaviour of women during pregnancy have a long-term effect on children? This critical question seems difficult to answer because many factors will impact on children's health outcomes such as poverty, housing, childhood diseases and schooling.

Vetting agency must foster responsibility

    Opinion
  • Monday, March 19, 2012
  • | CYP Now
Keeping children safe from abuse is always a highly charged topic. It is naturally the first priority of most parents. It is vital for children's services departments, since a high-profile child abuse case causes untold damage not just to the child but to the whole service.

Remove adoption barriers but keep the safeguards

    Opinion
  • Monday, March 5, 2012
  • | CYP Now
Michael Gove has been sending out system-wide messages about his views on adoption. He wantsto increase the numbers of adoptions, while decreasing the time for adoptions to take place, with fewer artificial barriers. Since he himself was adopted at the age of four months, his views carry some weight.

Army of childminders can help bridge the gap

    Opinion
  • Monday, February 20, 2012
  • | CYP Now
Social mobility is thankfully all the rage these days, and the free childcare entitlement is a crucial policy to help all children get the best start in life regardless of background.

A very tall order with a short deadline

    Opinion
  • Monday, February 20, 2012
  • | CYP Now
Across the country, newly formed local teams are embarking on a colossal exercise. In every area, local authorities have until next month to quantify how many troubled families live in each area and set out how they are going to help them turn their lives around.

Prolonged court delays scar children for life

    Opinion
  • Monday, January 23, 2012
  • | CYP Now
The biggest intrusion by the state into family life is the removal of a child from its birth parents. So it is absolutely right that the courts should make the final decision, whether it is for a temporary or a permanent arrangement. However, it is paramount that there are proper checks because there are judgments to be made that are not always obvious.