‘Make sure every child matters and every child is heard’, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told us this week as she announced Labour’s plans for tackling child abuse, and that is exactly what needs to happen. Protection for all children should be at the centre of our thinking and our policies. Better awareness, earlier prevention and stronger laws are desperately needed. We need to send a powerful message and I believe that is what a Labour government will do.
Since I was elected as member of parliament for Rotherham in November 2012, improving child protection in this country has been a driving force for me. In 2014 I undertook a six-month parliamentary inquiry with children’s charity Barnardos to investigate if the law protects children from being sexually exploited. This led to the law change I introduced, meaning groomers can be convicted of an offence after just one attempt at contacting a child for sex, rather than two. I am proud of this achievement as I know it will help make the most vulnerable in society safer but it is just one amendment. There are plenty of others that still need to be made.
The government needs to do more to ensure that every child in this country can feel safe. This week I have been trying to make amendments to the serious crime bill, including putting child abduction warning notices on a statutory footing. This simple recommendation came after extensive research with Barnardos, but was rejected by the government. I am proud that a Labour government will adopt it as soon as possible after the election.
On Thursday 26 February I have secured an adjournment debate, exactly six months after the release of Alexis Jay’s report, which found at least 1,400 victims of child sexual exploitation in my constituency of Rotherham. If this had been a natural disaster which had a major impact on at least 1,400 people’s lives, then I am certain the government would have acted, as it stands, we have had no government intervention for the victims and survivors. These people deserve support and ultimately justice, and while I have received warm words from David Cameron and Theresa May, it is now time to see some action.
Labour will also introduce a new child protection delivery unit working across government. This is exactly what this country needs to help tackle the problem of child abuse. At the moment local police forces and authorities are struggling to cope with the scale and scope of the reports they are receiving. A unit in the heart of government will mean that standards are improved, more abusers are caught and charged and victims feel safe and confident to come forward and get justice. It will also create a more streamline approach to tackle the issue, with the sharing of information encouraged. At the moment the approach is often too disjointed – we all need to be working together to ensure that we can achieve the best results.
The current gap between the problem and a response is far too big when it comes to child protection. Unfortunately I know this first hand. However this is not just an issue confined to Rotherham, it is nationwide. We need to be doing all we can to protect our most vulnerable – these Labour reforms will do that. Let’s make sure every child matters and every child is heard.
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Sarah Champion is member of parliament for Rotherham. She tweets @SarahChampionMP
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The problem which certainly isn’t Sarah’s fault, is the Every Child Matters was launched in 2003.
The other issue is that there are significant things in place which would have prevent numerous vulnerable young people from becoming unnecessary victims if they had been used and not ignored, especially by those associated to Rotherham.
Sarah should also now that Barnardos found commitment and good practice in Rotherham: http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/news/article/16/child_exploitation_review_finds_commitment_and_good_practice something the council was keen to praise itself for, long before failures deemed some had to go, so she may want to look at who she is working with to come up with ideas for yet another body to deal with the issue, if it is just to act as an overseer.
did’nt she work in rotherham before she became an mp? it’s not just Rotherham though is it?
Northern Towns from Manchester across to the other side of northern heartlands.UKIP already has 10 Cllrs in Rotherham.the meltdown by the greens leader was a total disaster.