Prof Jay recommended the appointment of a new cabinet minister for children. Several junior ministers are responsible for aspects of young people’s lives, and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson attends cabinet, but there is no cabinet minister with the title envisaged by the inquiry.
A bigger change involves the recommendation for a child protection authority for England and Wales. The Conservatives preferred instead to make existing institutions work better.
The new government wants what has been described as a “fuller conversation” on a new authority. Setting one up would involve several government departments. Lucy Duckworth, from campaign group Act On IICSA, says it should operate like the Health and Safety Executive, providing training and support in protecting children.
The recommendation for a national public awareness campaign remains outstanding, though the government already funds a series of campaigns. Prof Jay wanted it to extend to content on TV and digital channels but also to use “positive role models” in creative media such as drama.
They include better registration of staff in children’s homes, as well as young offender institutions and secure training centres. She demanded more use of the vetting and barring list of approved employees, that the government took steps to improve compliance with it, and its extension to those working with children overseas. These measures were “in progress” according to a Conservative government update in 2023.
A related recommendation is to ban staff in institutions from using pain to get children to comply. The last government would not give a clear commitment to this, saying in 2023 there might be a need for it to prevent serious physical harm to a child or adult.
Ms Duckworth says banning the use of pain restraint is essential, saying it amounts to “legalising a form of child abuse”, and points out some perpetrators might deliberately seek out jobs where they can hurt children.
The last government was concerned about the implications of the proposal to change the Children’s Act to give courts powers over local councils when children are at risk. This has not happened.
