Article 39 and SWU are among 30 signatories of joint letter calling for publication of Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel report

Organisations concerned with the rights and welfare of looked after children believe this report could contain critical evidence about systemic failings

Article 39, the Social Workers Union, BASW England, and the BASW Children & Families Group are among a group of 30 signatories who have sent a joint letter on April 29th to the Chair of Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (CSPRP) Annie Hudson.  We ask the CSPRP to publish their report on 48 separate incidents where looked after children entered care following abuse or neglect and then died in care, or were seriously harmed. We consider that the Panel’s analysis could contain critical evidence about systemic failings in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of looked after children, and that it can contribute to policy development around the children’s care system.

The letter explains the barriers Article 39 has encountered when trying to access the report and why this is a matter of urgency:

“Article 39 has been seeking to obtain your Panel’s report from the Department for Education, and has had to resort to making a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Department for Education refuses to release the report because it states this was shared by the Panel with the Secretary of State only as part of Article 39’s judicial review connected to the use of unregulated accommodation. For the reasons set out above, we contend that learning from these 48 incidents must be a collective endeavour and far wider than a minister having sight of the document during litigation.

“As with other safeguarding reports containing very private information, we understand the need for appropriate redactions ahead of publication to protect the privacy of individual children and their families. However, we do not believe the safeguarding of children who are looked after by the state can be assured or advanced by continuing secrecy. We therefore respectfully ask that you publish the report as a matter of urgency.”

You can read the full letter here.

This initiative was led by Article 39 which is small, independent charity that fights for the rights of children living in institutions. SWU is proud to support Article 39’s great work on raising awareness and fighting for the rights of children in care, which also includes the #KeepCaringTo18 campaign to make it law that every looked after child receives care until at least their 18th birthday.