With one of the largest Children Law teams in the Liverpool City Region, careful consideration was always going to be given as to what The King’s Speech was going state. I was particularly interested in the information around offering help to the thousands of children involved in care proceedings and the many more who are subject to a child in need plan, or who have a child protection plan.
We know from our experience that preventative work often helps families stay together and out of the ‘care system’. Helping families will normally produce better outcomes for the children we meet than a court arena, now very much focussed on speed and processes.
The King’s Speech announced a Children’s Wellbeing Bill. This will require for there to be breakfast clubs in all primary schools in England. Hopefully this will mean every child in our region will have a meal to get them ready for the day ahead.
Additionally, schools will need to keep a register of children not educated full time in school. This hopefully will ensure that every child receives the education they need whether or not they are in an educational setting and support to home educating parents.
The bill also promises to strengthen multi-agency child protection and safeguarding arrangements. We will need to keep a close eye on what that means in practice but as ever having clear legal advice on any issue of child protection will be essential. Make sure you are advised on what your legal rights are by accredited children law specialists.