Responding to the Queen`s speech, Action for Children, a not for profit charity, gleefully reminds us that for the past three years it has led the campaign for change in child neglect laws in England and Wales. Parents can now be charged and imprisoned for the criminal offence of emotionally abusing their children. `This legislation will change lives,`it says, and there is no doubt about that, but towards what end?
What happens to children whose parents are in prison?
How close Action for Children is to the seat of power is revealed in this statement:
"We have established a cross-party implementation group of MPs, who, moving forward, will work with us and the Government to determine how the new law will be delivered in practice."
Other work they do
"We have been working with politicians and decision makers across the UK to make the case for investing in early intervention. It can save the economy billions of pounds," - an argument which impresses the Scottish Governement. Action for Children Scotland is one of the largest providers of services to children and young people in Scotland and runs more than 60 services across the country. Its projects are run in partnership with councils, NHS boards, housing associations and local communities across Scotland and some are supported by the Scottish Government.
We have been focusing on retaining our existing services, especially those for families, disabled children and young people. we have some excellent examples of evidence-based early years programmes and have secured funding from the Early Years fund to expand our Roots of Empathy programme across the whole of Scotland.
The programme is aimed at primary school children and works to reduce difficult behaviour, fighting and bullying. We will pilot work on tackling sectarianism and with young people at risk of getting involved in serious and organised crime, as well as continue to increase our fostering services in line with our Fostering Growth Strategy. We are also looking into providing adoption services in Scotland
This is a charity with powerful friends which is used to getting its policies pushed through the system. Given its familiarity with the early intervention approach, it is important to take note of its Fostering Growth Strategy and plans for adoption services in Scotland. Early interventions can easily escalate into child protective actions. It would be naive to think that these policies have not been deliberately engineered together.
A charity, with an income of over £174 million to play with, which has 75 per cent of its volunteers providing direct support to the vulnerable children, young people and families it claims to work with, and only has its managing directors draw on six figure salaries with perks, isn`t a charity led by charitable managers.
In the year 2012/13 their priority was to win as many large contracts as possible in their chosen range of services.
By 2015 they aim to establish Action for Children as the preferred partner for local authorities and their funding bodies who commission services for vulnerable children and young people.
This is a charity which sees vulnerable children as a commodity, views parents with contempt and panders to local authorities as one of its group of valued customers.
