PRESS RELEASE

Embargo: N/A

Date: 11h July 2012

TITLE: Children’s Advocacy Consortium’s fight to ensure all children in care have a statutory right to advocacy

The National Advocacy Children’s Consortium (NCAC) has today sent a report to Tim Loughton MP addressing the need for government to strengthen the statutory guidance so that all children in care have access to advocacy. Advocacy is about speaking up for children and young people and ensuring their views and wishes are heard and acted upon by decision-makers.

In the report ‘Listen to Me’, NCAC has identified the main barriers to effective advocacy provision; the current postcode lottery in advocacy provision, resulting in many children not being able to find advocacy support, children and young people not being informed of their right to advocacy and the lack of regulatory framework to monitor both the provision and quality of independent advocacy.

NCAC are calling upon the government to take action to ensure the recommendations identified in the report are implemented, in particular the development of a regulatory framework to monitor advocacy and a change to statutory guidance to ensure that all children in care and care leavers have a right to advocacy for statutory reviews and child protection conferences.

Wendy Banks and Claire Hyde, co-chairs of NCAC stated;

‘We do acknowledge the Government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring children’s wishes and feelings are heard, however we still constantly hear about children and young people not being supported, listened to or protected by the system which has been set up to do exactly that.

Advocacy can play a key role in supporting children and young people to have their voices heard, entitlements met and ensuring they receive the appropriate support they need to achieve positive outcomes for the future.

It is vital that changes are made so that all children in care and on the edge of care can access the advocacy they need.’

Notes to editors:

  • The National Children’s Advocacy Consortium (NCAC) is a consortia of third sector organisations improving access to advocacy for vulnerable children and young people. NCAC is co-chaired by NYAS and Voice.
  • Members of NCAC include Barnardo’s, The Children’s Society, NSPCC, NYAS, Reconstruct and Voice.
  • The 4 recommendations in the NCAC report are: a revision of the advocacy standards; improved access to advocacy through raising greater awareness, local monitoring and training of staff; the development of a regulatory framework to monitor advocacy; and a change to statutory guidance to ensure that all children in care and care leavers have a right to advocacy for statutory reviews and child protection conferences.
  • The 64,400 children in care are amongst the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in the UK today.

To arrange an interview with Claire Hyde, Deputy Chief Executive, NYAS and co-chair of NCAC please contact:

Sara Bawden, Administrator to Senior Management

Tel: 0151 649 8700

To arrange an interview with Wendy Banks,Director of Policy at Voice and co-chair to NCAC please contact:

Tel: 020 7833 5792

Tel (direct):020 7014 9584