Article 39 is delighted that the government will publish updated standards for children and young people’s advocacy services and revised statutory guidance this year.
The announcement forms part of the government’s progress report on action in response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s final recommendations. The Home Office document states:
.”..the Government agrees that more should be done to ensure children’s voices are heard in decision-making. Their rights in the Children Act 1989 must be respected, with children in care having clear and timely routes to raise concerns about any aspect of their care, including where they are experiencing or at risk of experiencing serious harm, and such concerns must be acted upon.”
The revised standards will include new requirements for non-instructed advocacy – especially important for some disabled children and very young children – and stronger measures around advocacy services being alert to abuses of children’s rights and taking independent action.
Current standards and statutory guidance were issued in 2002, and do not reflect the challenges faced today by children and young people who are looked after by local authorities and those who are living in institutional settings.
Article 39 had a leading role in persuading government to review and revise the 2002 standards and guidance, and worked with young people and advocates across England to provide advice to civil servants. This culminated in a public consultation on a new set of standards and guidance at the end of 2023 (read Article 39’s response here).
In November 2024, the government announced it had stalled the introduction of the revised standards and guidance for financial reasons. We described this delay as “unforgivable” and wrote to the Children’s Minister urging her to reconsider – see extract from our letter below.
Extract from Article 39’s letter to Children’s Minister, December 2024
Children’s rights and advocacy services evolved from the 1980s abuse scandals within the children’s care system. They ensure the child’s perspective is known and understood, and their rights upheld. No other service or profession has this singular focus on the promotion and protection of children’s rights. Current standards, published in 2002, do not address the particular needs and rights of children living in institutional settings, and the importance of non-instructed advocacy for children unable at the present time to sound the alarm on potential rights violations. Publication of the long-awaited revised national advocacy standards would show commitment by this government to the child’s voice and perspective, and send a very strong signal that children and their rights matter.
