PRIORITY TWO. Reform the judicial, health and social care services surrounding families

Reform the judicial, health and social care services surrounding families

The children and families we work with are often interacting with a range of state services in parallel with organisations in the community and voluntary sector. Inadequacies in state services can jeopardise positive outcomes achieved through community-based interventions. Reform and reorganisation needs to be prioritised in the following areas:

Judicial

• The new government must recommit to the redevelopment of Hammond Lane to ensure the provision of facilities that are fit for purpose to meet both current and future need. Adequate budget should be allocated and the development should be completed within the lifetime of the government.
• Commit to the establishment of a national system of Child Contact Centres to facilitate contact for parents and children where needed.

Health and Social Care

• Recognise and formalise the community and voluntary sector’s integral role in the delivery of state services.
• Commit to the further development and delivery of a whole family approach to mental health services.

Social Welfare

• Set a timeline and roadmap for the benchmarking of weekly social welfare payment rates against the costs of a Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) ensuring a socially acceptable minimum standard of living for all.