Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Debate between Lord Watson of Invergowrie and Lord Addington

Thursday 3rd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Lab)]

My Lords, I am pleased to speak to Amendment 209 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Young, to which I have added my name, and I thank him for introducing it so effectively. A young carer is defined as someone who is under the age of 18 and is looking after a family member or close friend. Often being forced to balance school and their social life with caring duties could seem an impossible task, which can take its toll on a young carer’s mental health. That said, on the other side of the coin, with the right level of support, many of the skills that they learn while caring are later transferable to adult life and the world of work.

All too often, however, young carers are invisible. If adults outside their family, particularly teachers and school support staff, are unaware of their caring responsibilities, it is unlikely that the help that they need will reach them, so it is important that we recognise young carers and learn how we can help them, because being a young carer is undoubtedly demanding. They assume adult responsibilities and worries while still a child and have to prepare for and get to school, study for exams and look after themselves.

During the pandemic, the Children’s Society launched the young carers count campaign, which highlighted the experiences of young carers and called for a child’s status as a carer to be included in the school census. The DfE acknowledged the value of that, because in 2022 it began to include young carers as a category in that census. Now that data is being recorded, a much clearer picture of the number of young carers across England and how they are impacted by their caring responsibilities is beginning to emerge. With proper resourcing, this should help significantly to improve the support that they receive.

The Children and Families Act 2014 amended the Children Act to make it easier for young carers to get an assessment of their needs and introduced whole-family approaches to assessment and support. Local authorities must offer an assessment where it “appears”—I am not quite sure what that means—that a child is involved in providing care. That legislation is aligned with similar provision in the Care Act 2014 that requires local authorities to consider the needs of young carers if, during the assessment of an adult with care needs, or of an adult carer, it appears that a child is providing or intends to provide care. In those circumstances, the authority must consider whether the care being provided by the child is excessive or inappropriate and how the child’s caring responsibilities affect their well-being, education and development.

Amendment 209 would add to Clause 30, which, of course, is concerned with children not in school. When a local authority is informed that a request has been made for a child to be removed from school, this amendment would require that a young carer’s needs assessment is undertaken. This would highlight cases where a child was being withdrawn to enable them to offer more support to a family member, likely at the expense of them attending school and thus continuing with their education. Increased caring responsibilities almost always mean that there is neither the time nor the facility for a child either to receive meaningful education from that relative or to self-educate, even where he or she was at least theoretically old enough to do so and the appropriate learning materials were made available. The starting point for any such assessment should always be that children are children first.

The young carer’s needs assessment must determine whether a young carer is giving what I described earlier as “excessive” care. Although a child might be undertaking relatively minor care tasks, the time that these take up and the demands that they make on the child could place significant limits on their life—for example, if the level of care interferes with school attendance or appears to be isolating the child in their home and preventing contact with their friends. For that reason, I hope that my noble friend will agree that a needs assessment is necessary to ensure that local authorities are aware of young carers’ needs and that their needs are being met, while preserving their access to education.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, I will be brief. I can see why my noble friend Lord Storey added his name to the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Young. Any child taking on responsibilities like those described in that amendment is not having a childhood. In reality, they are getting through from day to day—they cannot be doing much more. School may be the only point where they will get some support and some normal life; enabling them to have that may be the only way that they can have a future.

If you spend your entire life looking after somebody else, and they inconveniently live for quite a long time, you could find yourself in middle age without an education or qualifications and having been de-social skilled—I do not know if that is a correct expression. Your life will have been taken over by another function. That should not be put on somebody that young. When she comes to respond, I hope that the Minister will say something positive, because this is something that we should deal with at the first opportunity.

Football Governance Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Watson of Invergowrie and Lord Addington

Committee stage
Wednesday 15th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Lab)]

My Lords, with all due respect to the noble Lords, Lord Pannick and Lord Markham, is it not rather disingenuous to suggest that UEFA might have some concerns with this legislation but is not willing to make them public? UEFA is not known for being shy and slow in coming forward when it is concerned about any aspect of football in any of its member countries, so I think we can be fairly certain that, if it had serious concerns—or indeed, any concerns—it would have made them public and we would know about them.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, I find myself agreeing with both the noble Lords, Lord Watson and Lord Pannick. It would be good if we could know what has been said and, if there is no big objection, we could move on. It was suggested that we had to comply with UEFA’s rulings in our own law. That is patently absurd. But, if there is no problem, let us know about it. We have not been told that English clubs will be banned if this goes ahead, so presumably it is not that big a deal. Surely, finding out about it now would be sensible.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Lab)]

The noble Lord may be surprised and not too pleased to hear that I support this amendment. It makes sense not to have in-season changes. This message needs to be got through to some Premier League clubs, including West Ham—I invite the noble Baroness, Lady Brady, to reply. Some clubs change their ticketing arrangements in the middle of a season, shutting out some fans—particularly children and seniors—from getting cut-priced tickets. This is apparently in pursuit of greater income. Manchester United are the main culprits. I understand that a group of fans from various clubs has come together to protest at these changes. It is wrong for this to happen in season, which is why it would be sensible for the Bill to incorporate an amendment similar to the one that the noble Lord, Lord Markham, has just moved.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, I basically agree. There is a break at the end of the season. Most organised team sports change their rules and regulations in that break if they are going to do so. It might not need to be in the Bill, but it might be a Pepper v Hart type case; I say that timorously in view of the company I am keeping. If the Government can give us some indication that they will make major changes in the off-season, when players are exhausted and structural changes can be made—that is basically what it is for—then I would be happy because it is quite a sensible principle.

Football Governance Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Watson of Invergowrie and Lord Addington

Committee stage
Monday 2nd December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, I hope I might be allowed to say a few words about my amendment in this group, if everybody is okay with that.

I asked for a definition of “fans” because I had a nightmare, and this discussion featured largely in it. A fan is a self-selecting person who has made a commitment. If there is another definition out there, save it, please.

[Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Lab)]

A financial commitment.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

They have made a financial commitment or signed a pledge—I do not know, but they have made a commitment. They have said that they are a part of this and there is no compulsion; they have made a decision. That is why I felt we should have this in the Bill.

Apart from anything else, this is British law we are talking about, and the English leagues. I do not know why we are bothering discussing what people in South Korea or San Francisco are doing, because we can only deal with what is in our own legal framework. If they join a group over here and make a financial or long-term commitment, maybe then they are consulted. But it is here in the UK that you have to make a commitment; it is about the local base. These people are committing to something which is located in a place. That is why I tabled this amendment. My noble friend got to the guts of it when he said that it is an emotional commitment.

We need some guidance on what the Government are going to say. You are not going to keep everybody happy, clearly, but let us at least know why we are unhappy, and we will see what we can do about it at another stage if that is appropriate. That is what my amendment is for, and I hope we can reach that point with all rapidity.