More children's complaints officers are needed

Three years after the Waterhouse report into child abuse, commissioner Peter Clarke has discovered that just a third of local authorities have specialist children's complaints officers.

It was one of key recommendations in the report, called Lost in Care, which was written by former High Court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse in 2000.

The Waterhouse report investigated prolonged abuse in children's care homes in north Wales and was aimed at ensuring it could not happen again.

More than 3,500 children are currently being looked after by the 22 local authorities in Wales.

Three-quarters of them are with foster parents.

The Waterhouse report found that looked-after children had few people they could confide in if they were suffering abuse or had emotional worries.

Children's commissioner Peter Clarke

But, three years on, only eight social services departments in Wales have appointed a specialist complaints officer.

Mr Clarke said all local authorities should offer an adult advocate who can help children speak out.

He told BBC Radio Wales: "Children who are looked after are particularly vulnerable and it is vital that they have the means of raising concerns.

"The terrible things that Waterhouse uncovered are testament to that fact.

'Priorities'

"One of the biggest priorities must be that children know that if things go wrong, they are unhappy or even suffering abuse, they have to know how they can make a complaint and how it can be brought to the right people's attention.

"From my perspective...we have to make sure those complaints officers are there and that children understand they can make complaints."

Swansea is one of the authorities that has not yet provided a specialist children's complaints officer as laid down by Waterhouse.

Director of the Association of Social Services in Swansea, Hugh Gardener, said the city council has a complaints officer in place - but he was not a dedicated complaints officer for children as recommended by Waterhouse.

He added: "We have a lot of competing priorities.

Improvements

"Every authority has to ask itself, with the money we have available, how can we best improve services (and) what will count most for the children in our care?

"I think our priorities are around workforce issues - getting enough social workers to deliver services properly."

Mr Clarke's post as children's commissioner, to oversee youngsters' interests, was introduced as a result of Sir Ronald Waterhouse's wide-ranging recommendations.