Vulnerable Children and public services
16 February 2021
Peers will examine how well public services tackle underlying causes of child vulnerability in families including domestic abuse, poor mental health and addiction.
- Call for evidence
- Inquiry: The role of public services in addressing child vulnerability
- Public Services Committee
The Public Services Committee has launched a new inquiry to look at whether reforming public services can address the growing child vulnerability crisis.
The inquiry will focus on public services for children and families in England and look at how providers support mothers and families during pregnancy, and how they support children in their early years and school years.
Areas the committee will explore include:
- Do vulnerable children, parents, guardians and families receive enough support from early intervention and preventative services?
- How should the Government coordinate public services to support vulnerable children to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic?
- How should the Government work with providers to integrate public services to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families?
- What can the Government and public service providers do to encourage different agencies – for example, the NHS, councils, schools and police – to share data that helps keep vulnerable children safe?
- How could the Government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda address regional and local disparities in children’s education, health and wellbeing outcomes?
Baroness Armstrong, chair of the committee, said:
“The number of vulnerable children invisible to public services has increased significantly in the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our new inquiry will consider public services in the broadest sense, exploring community-level initiatives and the role of the private, voluntary and charitable sectors in the delivery of services to children and families.”
You can follow committee and progress of the inquiry on Twitter: @LordsPublicSCom.