division_name: Children and Young Persons
motion: <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 445), dated <phrase class="date" code="2020-04-21">21 April</phrase> 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on <phrase class="date" code="2020-04-23">23 April</phrase> 2020, be annulled.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;as soon as is reasonably practical&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/16" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I think they should be revoked now&#8212;I don&#8217;t think they are necessary or justified&#8230; There is a potential for children in care not to be given the protection they need and for them to be put at greater risk&#8230; For some, that means they are at greater risk of grooming or exploitation, especially older children in semi-independent accommodation.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/18" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The focus was not on the best interests of children, it was on the system and the providers of it&#8230; all of this should be based on the best interests of children, especially those that the state has such a high level of responsibility over.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/21" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Looked after children and young people are among the most vulnerable in society. Hard won rights in law are not simply bureaucratic processes but exist to protect children and young people and promote their well-being.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/23" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Some of the changes in the Regulations seem suspiciously close to the &#8216;freedoms&#8217; that were in the original draft of the Children and Social Work Bill&#8221;&#8212;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/25" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;clauses that were subsequently thrown out by a coalition of Parliamentarians, after a vigorous campaign by civil society groups and service users.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c334.1/27" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;There was no justification or evidence for removing these particular safeguards&#8230;The emergency amendments were introduced just one day before they came into force without appropriate consultation or parliamentary scrutiny&#8230;The emergency amendments lack clear guidance or parameters about how and when they should be used&#8230;Current guidance does not provide sufficient detail on how the use and impact of the new powers will be centrally collated and monitored by government or Ofsted.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c341.1/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;only be used if absolutely necessary&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c346.1/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I would like to see all the regulations revoked, as I do not believe that there is sufficient justification to introduce them. This crisis must not remove protections from extremely vulnerable children, particularly as they are even more vulnerable at this time.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c347.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;remove protections from extremely vulnerable children&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c348.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;more than half of all newly-placed adopters wondered in the early months whether they had done the right thing and whether they would be able to cope. 54% experienced stress, anxiety and/or symptoms of post-adoption depression.&#8221;</p>