On Monday I spoke during the debate on the Labour Government's Childrens Bill. I have previously highlighted many extremely damaging Labour policies hidden in the proposed law which will hammer school standards and remove parents' choice, such as the axing of academies and adding unnecessary red tape on home education. However, in this speech I chose to focus on how this Bill would affect one specific constituent I met with at a surgery on Friday.
This constituent shared with me a truly harrowing childhood; neglected and sexually abused as a baby by both his parents, he was eventually removed and adopted. However, the impact of his life story means that he has experienced homelessness, prison on more than one occasion, and ongoing mental health issues related to the trauma he experienced.
He shared with me when we met last week that he felt let down by social services when he asked to see his care records. He was handed over his files in a jumbled mess and provided with no support by Devon County Council to explain technical language and read through its extremely disturbing content.
As I argue in my speech, this constituent's case highlights a clear need to ensure that care leavers receive a meeting with a professional to support and explain what their records mean - a simple proposal that could make an extraordinary difference.
