Declares that child protection in Regulated Activities is dependent upon a reporting procedure external to the institution(s) in which the concern arises; further that Regulated Activity is defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (SVG) Act 2006 as amended as any paid or unpaid work with children; further that child protection is placed in jeopardy by the absence of any direct statutory legal obligation to report the concern to the local authority or police; and further that online petitions on this matter were signed by 202,731 individuals.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to introduce legislation which requires persons in a position of trust who work with children in Regulated Activities and who know, suspect, or have reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting child abuse, to inform the Local Authority Designated Officer or in appropriate circumstances Children's Services and make failure to inform a criminal offence.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mrs Cheryl Gillan, Official Report, 2 December 2015; Vol. 603, c. 500.]
[P001652]
Observations from The Minister for Children and Families (Edward Timpson):
In England, we have a voluntary system of reporting concerns about abuse and neglect. We are clear that we need the right children being referred at the right time, and that when they are referred, they have access to services and support which meet their individual needs and protect them from harm. Every child deserves to be protected from abuse and neglect. We are clear that having a strong and robust system in place to safeguard children and promote their welfare is a key priority.
Our “Working together to safeguard children” statutory guidance focuses on the core legal requirements which all professionals, including teachers, health visitors, and the police must follow to keep children safe. The guidance clearly states that an immediate referral to local authority children’s social care should be made if practitioners have concerns about a child’s welfare.
Nevertheless, we are always looking at how to strengthen the system of child protection so that it better protects vulnerable children. We have given the matter of mandatory reporting careful consideration. Mandatory reporting is a very complex issue and it is right that we consider the full range of evidence available before coming to a conclusion. That is why the previous administration committed to launching a full, 12 week public consultation on this issue. We are committed to fulfilling this commitment and expect to launch the consultation exercise shortly and petitioners are invited to respond.
The Government will lay a report on the outcome of this consultation before Parliament by the end of September 2016. Ministers will consider all responses received to the consultation exercise carefully before reaching a decision on next steps.