Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:00 pm on 17 May 2022.
First Minister, 20 years have now passed since the tragic murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié at the hands of her great aunt and partner in London. The case highlighted the failings of different Government agencies that failed to address the persistent abuse that she was suffering at the hands of her family. Whilst this murder did not take place in Wales, the report undertaken by Lord Laming in 2001 set out a number of recommendations as to how best reduce the chances of such horrific incidents happening again. Only last year, we saw the appalling murder of five-year-old Logan Mwangi at the hands of his mother and stepfather in Bridgend. Recently, I spoke to constituents who expressed their concerns that social services were not being transparent or accountable in the way that they were dealing with safeguarding matters. Indeed, Lord Laming's review highlighted that there was too much, and I quote,
'organisational confusion and "buck passing"...to believe that the safety of a child can be achieved simply through issuing more guidance.'
First Minister, what measures are in place to ensure that these comments are listened to, and, a generation on, that cultures have changed? Diolch.