Interview with Lord Laming Reflections on the future of children's services in England and Wales
| Date | 01 April 2006 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17466660200600007 |
| Pages | 58-63 |
| Published date | 01 April 2006 |
| Author | Tim Hobbs,Dwan Kaoukji,Michael Little |
| Subject Matter | Education,Health & social care,Sociology |
58
1Dartington Social
Research Unit,
UK
2Dartington Social
Research Unit,
UK and Chapin Hall
Center for Children,
University of
Chicago, USA
Journal of Children’s Services
Volume 1 Issue 1 April 2006
©Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd
Preamble
Like most western developed countries, therehavebeen inquiries in England and Wales from time to time
into the deaths of children who havebeen under the watch of social services or other agencies. These
cases haveled to significant reforms and contributed in part to the Children Act 1989, landmark
legislation that has defined the state’sinvolvement in the lives of children in England and Wales. The case
of Victoria Climbié was particularly distressing. Born in the Ivory Coast, Victoria died just over eight years
later from 128 separate injuries after being bound hand and foot in plastic bags and placed in a cold bath
in an unheated bathroom, where she lay in her own urine and faeces, able to eat only what she could by
pressing her face into a plate put beside her. In the 10 months that Victoria lived in England, she was
known to seven local government departments, three specialist child protection teams and two hospitals.
Herbert Laming chaired the inquiry into her death. His report (Laming, 2003) has underpinned a major
overhaul of children’s services. Building on the 1989 legislation, the government’s vision for children’s
services Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) and the ensuing Children Act 2004 promise a highly integrated,
outcome-focused approach to all children in England and Wales. In this interview, Lord Laming deals with
the problems that led to the death of Victoria Climbié, before covering the contribution of the new
legislation and its implications for practitioners, local and central government, inspectors and researchers.
He ends with some reflections on the development of children’s services during his involvement over 40
years and in the future. What follows is an edited transcript of Lord Laming’s comments.
Prior weaknesses in children’s
services
There is much strength in children’s services. But
the death of Victoria was in part the product of
significant weaknesses. My report sets out the case
in full but the following points stand out the most
for me. First, the focus of agencies was on adult
needs such as housing and money. Second, there
was no adequate assessment of Victoria’s needs;
two days after arriving in England, Victoria was
referred under the Children Act 1989 but no
Interview with Lord Laming
Reflections on the future
of children’s services in
England and Wales
Lord Laming was interviewed at the House of Lords, London, UK,
on 28 November 2005 by:
Tim Hobbs1,Dwan Kaoukji2and Michael Little2
This is the first in a series of interviews with senior policy makers and managers about the reforms to children’s
services in England and Wales. Subsequent series will examine reform efforts in other countries, starting with Ireland.
To continue reading
Request your trial