Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I have Amendment No. 30 in this group but, first, I want to say that I very much support the noble Earl, Lord Listowel. It is very disappointing that the commitment in Care Matters has not resulted in an explicit duty in the Bill to provide diverse accommodation. Amendment No. 30 relates to the duty in relation to disabled children in particular. It would add to the duty to secure accommodation the further duty to secure enough accommodation that is, "““consistent with the welfare of all children including disabled children””." It would require local authorities to demonstrate that they were increasing the supply of suitable accommodation for such children in their area rather than simply relying on the provision in the Bill not to place a child locally if there was no accommodation consistent with their particular needs. I have been asked to table this amendment by Every Disabled Child Matters, which speaks particularly for the disabled child. It welcomes the Bill’s provision in Clause 8 to increase the number of looked-after children placed locally but has major concerns about how disabled children will fare under the Bill. The Bill has the potential to transform the experiences of a lot of disabled children, many of whom are placed a long way from home because their special needs can be met only in an authority some miles away. We do not want to see local authorities relying on the necessary provision in the Bill not to place a child locally if there is no accommodation consistent with their welfare; instead, we want local authorities to build up enough appropriate places in each local authority to take care of such children. There is a tendency to place children a long way away, and these distances increase the safeguarding concerns because there is no one whom the child knows, such as a member of the family or a friend, to keep an eye on them. That makes it difficult for family and friends simply to stay in touch and to keep their relationship going. It also adds to the sense of isolation that many disabled children feel anyway because they are just a little bit different from their peers. Amendment No. 30 would impose a duty on local authorities to demonstrate that they are building capacity for future placements for children and young people with disabilities. Without this amendment, we are concerned that the most vulnerable looked-after children—those with disabilities—will not benefit from the improved outcomes of being placed near to home from which other children will benefit.