Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

May I make a point of crushing simplicity to which I should have referred in the rather rambling remarks that I made earlier? Very often the difficulties arise because social services departments have to work as if they were totally in isolation as compared with other limbs of local government. In other words, had there been a measure of co-operation and understanding between social services, the education authorities, the health authorities and the housing authorities, then, indeed, in many cases the family would not have split up. It is a matter of total simplicity and of total significance. Of course, there will be situations where legislation is necessary but this has nothing to do with legislation at all; it has a lot to do with knocking people’s heads together. Departments that have a brittle relationship with each other sometimes have to be made to co-operate.