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The government's consultation document on its children's strategy was launched last week with the aim of developing an overall strategy for young people that cuts across all government departments.

Launching the report at the National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations' annual conference in London, children and young people's unit (CYPU) director Althea Efunshile said: "The document proposes a collective vision, not just in terms of indicators of GCSE attainment. It sets up principles that should underpin all services for young people."

A key part of the strategy proposes developing a set of indicators that would measure outcomes such as health and well-being.

Efunshile added: "It is important that the strategy does not set out childhood by performance indicator. It should be a vision for how childhood should be."

However, delegates raised concerns about a "culture of measurement". Efunshile argued that she was in favour of measurement, as there was no other way to judge the effectiveness of services. "It is scandalous if we have public money being poured into services that make not a jot of difference," she said.

As part of a three-month consultation, 25 workshops will be held across England to get the views of young people and their parents. Postcards are also being distributed to cinemas across the country, asking children what single thing they would ask the Prime Minister to change and why.

Organisations from the statutory and voluntary sectors will also be consulted, including groups such as Save the Children and the Black Training and Enterprise Group.

The consultation paper was developed by the CYPU, which has responsibility for administering the £450m children's fund.

The paper will determine how the government spends its annual £40bn on services for England's 12 million young people aged up to 19.

Each government department will be expected to submit an action plan to the unit by April, outlining how it will increase youth participation.

The cross-cutting review of children at risk, led by the CYPU and the Treasury, will ensure that the vision and aims of the strategy are embedded in all government spending priorities for 2002-3 to 2005-6, says the consultation document.

The final strategy will be published in summer 2002. See www.cypu.gov.uk