Department for Education to consult on revising National Standards for Provision of Children’s Advocacy Services

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on proposals to revise the National Standards for the Provision of Children’s Advocacy.

The Government is also looking to revise the statutory guidance on ‘Providing Effective Advocacy Services for Children and Young People Making a Complaint’ under the Children Act 1989 (2004).

Local authorities are under a statutory duty to provide an independent advocacy service for looked-after children, children in need and care leavers.

The Government notes that advocacy services should “adhere to the standards” when providing advocacy provision.

The National Standards for the Provision of Children’s Advocacy Services sets out expectations for the system to provide effective advocacy services that “aims to recognise and promote the views, wishes and feelings of all children and young people who have an independent right to an advocate”, said the DfE.

The consultation, issued on 21 September, seeks to hear views on two proposals:

Proposal 1:

• Proposed updates to the standards, in a new edition entitled ‘National Standards for the Provision of Children and Young People’s Advocacy Services’.

Proposal 2:

• Proposed updates to the guidance, in a new edition entitled ‘Effective Advocacy for Looked-After Children, Children in Need and Care Leavers: Statutory guidance for local authorities’.

For proposal 1, the Government revealed that it has revised the documents to include additional content on:

• Non-instructed advocacy (for those unable to give instructions)
• The values, knowledge, skills, and training of advocates
• Safeguarding and whistleblowing

Further, the scope of the standards has been expanded to create a set of standards that apply to most children and young people who either currently have a statutory right to an independent advocate, or those that do not have a statutory right but still receive access to advocacy services.

“This means more children will benefit from this expectation of advocacy provision and will provide further protections for children and young people who are accommodated away from their family,” said the DfE.

For proposal 2, the Government revealed that it has updated the guidance “to reflect changes since 2004 and to align it with the revised standards”.

Changes to the guidance include:

• Strengthened content on the effective delivery of advocacy services - including how children and young people can make a complaint about the advocacy service.
• Stronger focus on the needs of children and young people.
• Updated guidance to reflect new advocacy standards and advice.

The scope of the guidance remains unchanged, covering looked-after children, children in need and care leavers.

The consultation closes on 18 December 2023.

Lottie Winson