News

The long-awaited Children Bill setting out reforms to children’s services was announced by education secretary Charles Clarke, writes Clare Jerrom.

As expected, the bill paves the way for the appointment of directors of children’s services, who will be accountable for all children’s social services and local authority education. Lead council members for children’s services at local authority level will also be introduced.

A new children’s commissioner for England will be created through the legislation to bring England in line with the rest of the UK. The post-holder will draw on children’s views and ensure they are fed into policy making and service delivery. They will also advise government and, at the direction of the secretary of state, investigate individual cases that have a wider relevance for children.

Clarke said the commissioner would be independent of government, but report annually to parliament via the secretary of state.

“The Bill is the most far reaching reform of children’s services for 30 years ensuring those improving children’s services is given top priority at all levels,” Clarke said.

Partnership working and greater accountability will be encouraged through other measures including:-

• enabling local authorities, primary care trusts and others to pool budgets into a children’s trust and share information better
• placing a tighter focus on child protection through a duty on key agencies to safeguard children and promote their welfare through Local Safeguarding Children Boards and a power to set up a database containing information about children
• placing a duty on agencies to co-operate among themselves to improve the wellbeing of children
• creating an integrated inspection framework to assess how well children’s services work together
• enabling more joined up working on the ground, with health, education and social care professionals working together based in the same location such as in schools or children's centres

The Children Bill follows publication of the children’s green paper  Every Child Matters last September, which in turn addressed many of the issues raised by Lord Laming’s report in January 2003 into the death of Victoria Climbie three years earlier.

The government’s response to the Youth Justice – the Next Steps consultation, which was published alongside the green paper, was also published today.

Home Office minister Paul Goggins said the consultation showed “particularly strong support” for ensuring families were more involved in efforts to stop young people re-offending.

Respondents also wanted to see a greater role for the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme, a robust community penalty used as an alternative to custody.

Further updates on the Children Bill will be posted on this website throughout the day.

For background information on the Children Bill click here.

The Bill is available at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200304/ldbills/035/2004035.htm