HC Deb 11 May 1966 vol 728 cc406-8

3.44 p.m.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Roy Jenkins)

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement about child care arrangements in Dorset.

Following my meeting with representatives of the Dorset County Council in February, a thorough inquiry has been made by my inspectors into the council's child care arrangements. Particular attention was given to all the circumstances surrounding the case of the boy who was injured while in the council's care.

Although my inspectors found no serious failures in the county's general standard of child care, or particular defects in the council's arrangements to which this distressing case could be attributed, the Report does disclose some shortcomings. I am asking the council to discuss these urgently with me. Among them is the need to ensure that the reporting to the full Children's Committee of any serious occurrence is not again overlooked. I also wish to direct attention to the need for additional children's residential accommodation in the county.

I further propose to ask all local authorities to issue new guidance to medical practitioners as to the information required in the periodic medical reports to be furnished on children in care.

In view of the special circumstances that led to this inspection, I am arranging for a copy of a letter I have sent to the council and of the chief inspector's Report to be placed in the Library, and for the publication of the Report as soon as possible.

Mr. Hogg

Will the right hon. Gentleman accept the apology of my hon. Friend the Member for Poole (Mr. Murton) who was prevented from being in his place owing to temporary indisposition?

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that this case shocked the conscience of, I think, all kinds of public opinion in the country, not merely because of its particular circumstances, but because of doubts about the adequacy of recruitment of child care officers, and possibly of payments to foster parents, which may make it more difficult for the right hon. Gentleman to recruit a sufficient number of parents of adequate calibre?

Did the inquiry, the result of which the right hon. Gentleman has now published, involve a visit by his inspectors to the foster parents concerned? Can the right hon. Gentleman say what was the date of the last visit to the child before the incident was discovered? Is it not the case that the child's injury was such that a full medical examination would have revealed it, and was not a similar injury discovered as long ago as 1961?

Mr. Jenkins

I accept the apologies of the hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Murton), and I am sorry that he is not able to be here.

I was fully aware of the general disquiet which this case aroused, and it was precisely for that reason that I took the action which I have described.

Finally, I think that it would be better if the right hon. and learned Gentleman and hon. Members generally were to study the Report and raise any detailed questions subsequently.

Mr. Abse

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this case has only pinpointed the difficulties encountered by foster parents who receive inadequate payment, no money for holidays, and no maintenance grants of any kind? Is it not time that my right hon. Friend took notice of the Association of Foster Parents, and like bodies, who want to review the terms of service, and want to make certain that there are sufficient child care officers to give adequate support and time to the foster parents who have these difficult charges in their care?

Mr. Jenkins

I shall look into these matters. I do not think that the question of payment to foster parents is central to the difficulties in this case, though I shall consider this in the general context.

With regard to the number of child care officers, my hon. Friend will see that there is a reference to, and a recommendation on, this point in the Report.

Mr. Winnick

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that at the present time salaries for child care officers are completely and totally inadequate? Will he give some instruction to local children's authorities to upgrade child care officers so that these officers, who are doing such a valuable and essential job in the community, are properly paid?

Mr. Jenkins

I keep this matter under review, just as I endeavour to keep under review matters concerning other people in similar fields whose payment is also sometimes not regarded as overgenerous.