Extensive coverage on this morning's Today programme of the state of child protection in the UK, including an interview with the mother of Victoria Climbie, reviewing the impact of government action in response to the Laming Inquiry (into Victoria's death eight years ago).
Mme Climbie is - rightly - concerned that children are no safer now than they were before the Every Child Matters agenda was implemented. Placing the blame on local authorities, some of whom seem to be incapable of fulfilling basic child protection procedures, Mme Climbie - mistakenly although understandably - praises the Government for Every Child Matters.
What the Today programme neglected to consider, however, was the possibility that Every Child Matters has actually put more children at risk. By creating a responsibility to safeguard every child - rather than focusing on the most vulnerable - the government has diverted scarce resources, confused front line staff and - characteristically - generated more mindless bureaucracy.
This was dismayingly predictable and a subject on which I have writtten in the press and for the Centre for Policy Studies. I am not alone in taking this view, which is shared by many child health professionals, and on which many of them are now actively lobbying. There is a huge challenge here for the Conservatives, who will naturally be fearful of recommending yet more re-organisation of child protection but risk inheriting a deeply flawed system.
