Primary care trusts will have to have their delivery plans "signed off" by children's services directors, a senior government official has said.

Speaking at a conference last week, Ravi Gurumurthy, head of the children's green paper team at the Department for Education and Skills, said the directors were to be given statutory responsibility for all children's education and social services as the heads of children's trusts under proposals in the green paper.

The government confirmed last week that it intended to legislate for this in February in a new children's bill (news, page 7, 11 December).

Giving PCTs a duty to protect and promote children's well-being, combined with a joint inspection programme, would help get local health professionals involved in sharing information about child protection and their health, added Gurumurthy. He said there had been more than 2,500 responses to the green paper consultation.