Read Anne Marie’s views in her weekly column; an advertisement sponsored by Conservative supporters.

Every child matters

The Government launched its Every Child Matters initiative in 2004. The principle – making sure that children had all the support they needed to be healthy, stay safe, make a positive contribution and do well for themselves was a good one. But the idea that passing laws could make every child matter was flawed. Indeed, the government’s approach has failed.

Just how badly it has failed is proven by the statistics – one in three children are currently living in poverty in this country and it has got worse since 1997.

There is no substitute for a stable family in a child’s life. No matter how hard it tries, the state can’t do the job as well. The tragic death of Baby Peter is a notable example of this. By providing support for the family, we can increase opportunity and ensure that every child has the best possible start in life, because every child really does matter.

Best possible childcare

A recent story in the news was that of a policewoman who was barred from looking after her colleague’s daughter whenever she was at work, because she was not a registered childminder. She was accused of running an illegal childminding business by Ofsted inspectors.

We need to get to a situation where childcare is made easier and not harder by a government who thinks it knows best. All parents with children under the age of 18 should have a right to flexible working hours, for a start.

A proper childhood

Too many children lack the carefree childhoods that the older generation enjoyed. A fear of being prosecuted if something goes wrong has led to a decline in school trips, so less children get to experience anything of the wider world – a recent poll found that only 46 per cent of children had visited the countryside with their school in the last year. Childhood should be a fun time but these days there is great cause for concern over the quality of life many children have.
The sight of children playing in the street has all but disappeared in a generation as fear of adults and a sense that outdoors is not a safe place to be has taken over. The fear generated by high profile abductions mean that most parents would wish their children to stay in. As a result the skills that children once learnt from independent play are in danger of being eroded. We need to do our best to make sure that children are brought up in stable and safe environments, but without their developments suffering because of mollycoddling.