Has Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner, forgotten about parents?

Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner, rightly drew attention to the fact that the state can be 'a really bad parent', and highlighted many of its flaws. Yet in her speech (24 November 2020), she rarely mentions parents and as is all too often the case, it is a litany of how children react to care and how care might be improved. Is it not time to adopt a two-pronged attack on the very institution of care and, by adopting a public health and family centred approach, to reduce the number of children in care from 80,000 to something approaching 10,000?

It is not enough for Anne Longfield or any Children's Commissioner to repeat what researchers have known for decades; that children in care are not properly heard, are frequently moved, are more likely to be abused, suffer emotionally and educationally and are far more likely to offend or become homeless than their peers. Now is the time for the Children's Commissioner to advocate for repeal of the Children Act 1989 (and ensuing legislation), and for its replacement with family-focused legislation that places the welfare of the family rather than of an individual child at its heart. Only then will families receive the financial, emotional and behavioural support that is so needed, and only then will children and parents be able to strengthen their bonds and work together towards a brighter future. For more information and research, see www.socialworkwithchildrenandfamilies.org