§ 84. Mrs. Virginia BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he plans to combat child abuse.
§ Mr. NewtonIn my reply to my hon. Friend on 27 October, at columns243–44, I referred to the programme of work that the Government had in hand. This includes the new guidance and circular on multi-agency working which was issued in draft last year; the special training initiative for professional staff, of which two stages have already begun and plans for a third stage are in hand; and the preparation of practice guidelines for social workers and for nurses and of guidance for doctors on the clinical diagnosis of sexual abuse. All this work will be published when we have considered the report from Mrs. Justice Butler-Sloss on Cleveland.