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Last week a leading academic claimed the well-being of children might be suffering because of an over-emphasis on protecting them. Jonathan Bradshaw of York University criticised the mothballing of plans by the former Children and Young People's Unit to survey children on how they feel about their lives. He said such research should be a national priority and called for subjective measures of poverty to be included in the government's new definition of child poverty, including a measure of absolute low income, relative low income and material deprivation.

Bill Badham, development officer, National Youth Agency
"Victim, villain or risky investment? Government policy towards children and young people is chameleon-like, changing its colours to suit the mood. It will only gain coherence and integrity when established within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. And, within the convention, participation is the keystone. Without the participation of children and young people in the promotion of all their rights to a good childhood, none will be achieved effectively."

Bob Hudson, professor of partnership studies, Centre for Health Services Management, University of Birmingham
"The demise of the Children and Young People's Unit is worrying. The unpublished survey led to the articulation of the five key outcomes said to underlie the children's green paper. But, without the publication of the full survey, these seem vague and disconnected from the drive for structural reform. In the meantime, the new Children and Young People's Directorate is cutting the budget of the Children's Fund. There is a danger here that resources gravitate towards child protection and youth offending."

Martin Green, chief executive, Counsel and Care
"The government is right to place a high priority on child protection, but this should not be the only response to children's issues. It is important to understand and deal with some of the underlying causes of abuse, which can include poverty. Until we get a clear and co-ordinated approach to child welfare we will not succeed in meeting the challenges of protecting children."

Julia Ross, social services director, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
"The well-being of children and young people should not be seen as separate from the general duty on local authorities and NHS bodies to take account and promote health and well-being. The integration proposals for children's services will help to bring a better balance to our policies and how we implement them. We can afford to be optimistic about this major opportunity to mainstream services for vulnerable children into the universal services."

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist and broadcaster
"It is misguided to pitch the well-being of children against the serious abuse suffered by so many of them. Of course it is important that all of us should promote the care of all children, particularly those brought up in low-income, no-hope families. The government must not neglect this area. But child abuse must remain the priority because it destroys the victims and often there is no recourse. The hysteria over cot deaths, with the focus entirely on parents' rights is likely to lead to dangerously less protection for vulnerable children."