CONCERNS have been raised over the possible impact the 'weakening' of child protection have had on local youngsters measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

MPs this week voted to keep emergency covid-19 regulations linked to vulnerable youngsters despite warnings they introduced a 'significant' relaxation of protections.

Now Cllr Martin Donaghy, children's spokesman for Bolton Labour group, is calling on Bolton Council to put pressure on the Government to restore immediately safeguards to vulnerable children that were severely weakened hen lock down began.

The emergency measures have been criticised by the Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield, who said she wanted to see all the regulations revoked, and protections were needed more than ever to protect children who are more vulnerable in the current pandemic.

Cllr Donaghy said “ I’ve contacted the relevant officers at the Council to express my deep concern about the relaxation of the rules and the effect this could have on vulnerable Bolton children.

“The changes, which have been described as ‘unjustified’ by the Children’s Commissioner, means that children across the UK are now less protected than they were 60 years ago, including from sexual abuse.

“There seems to be little or no evidence to suggest that these protections needed to be relaxed in the first place; there was no parliamentary discussion and no consultation took place before the changes came in.

"Decades of evolving legislation designed to protect young people were cast aside in a knee jerk decision."

Cllr Donaghy added “Yes, we are living in difficult times, and yes staff also need to be protected from the virus, but some things are just not worth the risk, and the full force of the protection measures should be restored immediately.”

Shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said the Government's changes, moved in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, are "disproportionate" and should be revoked with immediate effect.

But Labour's bid to annul them was defeated by 123 votes to 260, majority 137.

The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 temporarily amend 10 sets of regulations relating to children's social care, including relaxing administrative and procedural obligations.

These include relaxing the timescales under which representatives of a local authority must visit a child in care and allowing such visits via phone or other electronic means, giving local authorities more time to carry out reviews into complaints about services they provide, and removing the requirement for adoption panels.

Education minister Vicky Ford said protecting vulnerable children has been at the "heart" of the Government's response to the pandemic.

She added that some of the changes allow local authorities to "divert from established timescales for a limited number of activities" or respond to staff absences and reduce personal contact if required.

Conservative former children's minister Tim Loughton said there are "serious question marks" about the consultation that went in to the regulations as the Children's Commissioner was not consulted.