Mr and Mrs Climbie: Concern that plans do not go far enough

In a statement from their home in the Ivory Coast, Francis and Berthe Climbie said: "We believe the UK Government has made considerable progress in ensuring that children's welfare is given greater prominence."

They confirmed they were raising funds to set up a school in Victoria's memory in Abidjan.

They plan to visit the UK at the end of the month to publicise the cause and to pursue legal claims arising from their daughter's death.

Chain of accountability

Their statement added: "During the enquiry into Victoria's death however, we were shocked to find that managers had failed to take their responsibilities towards the children in their care seriously enough.

"We now hope to see a clear system of accountability established - leading up to the prime minister - to ensure all concerned with child welfare accept their responsibilities.

"Although we hoped that all of Lord Laming's recommendations would be honoured in the green paper, we have now seen that the government will not be establishing the National Agency for Children and Families. We are concerned by this omission."

They said the government had sought to assure them that that Margaret Hodge's appointment as full-time Minister for Children and Charles Clarke's new responsibility for children and families at Cabinet level would be sufficient.

Mr and Mrs Climbie - who were telephoned about the plans by Mrs Hodge on Monday morning - remain to be convinced of that.

Fear

They said the green paper stated that everyone shared a duty to do everything they could to ensure every child had the chance to fulfil their potential.

"We hope to see this sentiment lived out both in the UK and in the Ivory Coast."

That was the spirit in which they planned to build a primary school in their home town.

They hoped this would enable children, including Victoria's five-year-old sister Joelle, to benefit from education locally without the need to travel to countries like Britain, where the right to an education was taken for granted.

The Climbies sent Victoria from Abidjan to live in Britain with her great aunt Marie Therese Kouao and Kouao's lover, Carl Manning.

They did it, Mrs Climbie said in February, "because of all our children she was the most intelligent. We felt she could succeed in Europe."

But Victoria never went to school in Britain - instead she was appallingly abused by Kouao and Manning, who are now both in prison for murder.

Mrs Climbie said that because of what had happened to their daughter, people in Ivory Coast no longer felt confident in sending their children to live abroad.

It is estimated that the new school will cost about �200,000.