A group of children's organisations led by Kids Company have launched a campaign to call for reform in the care of vulnerable children.
The See the Child. Change the System campaign, which aims to rally public and political support for vulnerable children, will ask government to review its policies for working with children.
The campaigners have set up an independent Children's Task Force to develop detailed proposals for change.
The task force will be chaired by Sir Keir Starmer QC, the former director of public prosecutions. It will also include Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, and Lisa Harker, director of strategy, policy and evidence for the NSPCC.
The campaign is supported by organisations including the NSPCC, Barnardo’s, the Royal Society of Public Health and the British Association of Social Workers.
It was launched yesterday to coincide with an independent report from think tank the Centre for Social Justice, which also calls for more charity involvement in caring for vulnerable children.
The Enough is Enough report on child protection and statutory mental health, published on Monday, suggests that the system is in crisis, that social workers are not listening to the expertise of charities, and that charities are often left picking up the pieces after state intervention fails.
It calls for a Royal Commission to oversee a “radical overhaul” of the system by the end of 2017.
Enough is Enough was compiled by the Centre for Social Justice after two years of research, which consisted of 70 interviews and the analysis of 20 cases of vulnerable children who are supported by Kids Company.
The report revealed that social care consistently failed to “adequately investigate or give sufficient weight” to information provided by voluntary sector organisations.
It also revealed that the potential for voluntary sector organisations to work in partnership and collaborate with social care and statutory mental health services is being “seriously under-utilised”.
'A lack of professional respect'
It said charities received a lack of professional respect, and social care teams lacked knowledge and understanding of the work that charities do.
The report said: “The disgraceful reality, at present, is that Kids Company and other VSOs can find themselves left holding some children and young people who are highly vulnerable, traumatised, and with serious and complex needs – who are not receiving timely or appropriate care, protection and/or support from statutory services.”
Kids Company founder and chief executive Camila Batmanghelidjh said: “It is unforgivable for one of the leading nations of the world not to have prioritised the protection and treatment of its most vulnerable children.
"Surely vulnerable children deserve to have their courage matched by society’s courage to dream the best reparation for them.”
Batmanghelidijah told Civil Society News: “In a potential new model of service delivery to children and young people, charities would be an important and integral part of a team of organisations facilitating resilience for children and families.”
For more information on the See the Child. Change the System campaign and Task Force click here.
