Early day motion 338

CHILD PROTECTION AND THE REACH CAMPAIGN

• Session: 2013-14
• Date tabled: 02.07.2013
• Primary sponsor: Whittaker, Craig
• Sponsors:
  • Bottomley, Peter
  • Caton, Martin
  • Dodds, Nigel
  • Jackson, Glenda
  • Shannon, Jim

That this House recognises that every child has the right to be safe; condemns the lack of protection offered to vulnerable children, which demonstrates the need for a wider change in culture when all agencies respond to children who appear to be out of control or at risk, not least because of the proven link between running away and child sexual exploitation; calls on the Government to increase pressure for greater collaboration between the police, health and social services, local authorities and third sector specialists to provide a multi-agency response and swifter support in respect of child protection, which, in these times of tighter budgets, will allow for more joined-up and efficient working, resulting in larger savings for all parties, such as the Reach model proposed by the children's charity Railway Children; and believes that this model effectively brings together a range of interventions for young runaways that are personalised to stop risk factors from escalating with a recent evaluation showing proven success in the Sheffield area.