My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, spoke effectively about the fundamental importance of relationships to us all but particularly to young people whose first relationship is often so flawed and damaging. That made me think of the example that some of our senior politicians currently set about what a good relationship is. One lesson we might learn from current experience is that our political culture needs some reform. We need to think about how we make our culture one where the best rise to the top, and where we have confidence that they are shining examples to us all of how one should behave. I say that with all my own faults and probably hubristically; I apologise for that.
I shall concentrate on two amendments in this group. The first is Amendment 30 from my noble friend Lord Ramsbotham, which is on screening. As a child, I had a speech impediment. I was teased by other boys because of it. I saw a speech therapist, did some exercises and no longer have my speech impediment. I was no longer teased by the other boys and I felt better about myself for that. We know that many young people in care can feel stigmatised, different or abnormal, as was mentioned earlier, so to provide them with these services and enable them to recover—to speak normally, as others do—is particularly important from that aspect.
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On financial matters, briefly, the APPG for children and people in care, of which I am the vice-chair, recently had a meeting where we debated a motion that financial education should be an obligation for looked-after children and we concluded by voting yes—that they should all receive that financial education and there should be that obligation. One interesting point made was that it should perhaps begin at an early age and that, through their relationship with young children, foster carers should be advised and supported in teaching how to manage money. From that also flows the suggestion that we should be concentrating on training for personal advisers, residential childcare workers and foster carers so that they can perhaps deliver the financial education. But that is the detail and I support that amendment.
With regard to the concerns of the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, about the funding of local authorities I omitted to say earlier that I could not agree with her more. The Bill should not put any more financial responsibilities on local authorities without providing the finance from central government for them to deliver it. That is absolutely crucial if we want to see improvement in this area.
Personal advisers are referred to in this group but when the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Warner, was discussed I perhaps missed the discussion about professionalising them. I welcome what the Government
are saying about developing the mentoring role of personal advisers but we will not see the difference we want to make through the Bill in this most important aspect—the personal adviser role—unless they are clearly well-regulated professionals with clear case load numbers. It is just the sort of clarity that we are trying to provide for social workers later in the Bill. If we do not raise the status and professional regulation of these people, we will not be delivering for young people leaving care. I look forward to the Minister’s response.