Minister sets out child protection plan

The government has outlined plans for improving child protection services.

Children's secretary Ed Balls is publishing the government's detailed response to Lord Laming's report on child protection, which followed the high profile death of Baby P and a separate report accusing local councils of failing to implement required reforms.

As part of the government plans, members of the public will sit on Local Safeguarding Children Boards and contribute to an annual "effectiveness" report.

The government has also appointed Sir Roger Singleton to work as chief adviser on the safety of children. He will report to Parliament and work with child welfare professionals to advise the government.

The amendments to the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill come after Lord Laming's independent report into the death in August 2007 of Baby P.

Balls confirmed that the government had already begun to act on all Lord Laming's recommendations.

He told the BBC: "All I am doing is setting out in more detail exactly what we are doing on all of the individual recommendations, in particular setting out how there will be greater national scrutiny through the National Safeguarding Unit.

"It is about what happens on the ground, how we back social workers in doing what is an incredibly difficult job every day, and how we get more people back into social work, but also how we can support, through systems and training, the social workers doing this job today."

The children's secretary argued that the nation does not "celebrate the successes" of social workers enough.

And he called for best practice to become "common practice" across the country.

Balls added: "Keeping children safe is everyone's responsibility, it is not just the job of social workers or the government.

"Enabling members of the public to be part of local safeguarding children boards will mean that child protection arrangements will no longer be behind closed doors but part of the community they are trying to protect."