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Connexions partnerships could be phased out under children’s services reforms, a leading figure in the voluntary sector has warned, writes Amy Taylor.

Kevin Williams, chief executive of YMCA England, told a conference on children’s services in London that the government appeared to want to make children’s trusts “the pre-eminent body” for 13 to 19 year olds, despite setting up Connexions four years ago to make decisions for the same age group.

Williams added that there was a danger that the name children’s trust could also result in them placing a greater focus on the lower end of the 0-19 age spectrum covered, with less attention being paid to teenagers’ needs.

Speaking at the same conference, children’s minister Margaret Hodge said she hoped the voluntary and community sector would be placed on an equal footing with local authorities in developing the new agenda for children’s services.

Hodge said that, although local authorities had been put in the “driving seat”, the government was consulting with the voluntary and community sectors on how to strengthen their role, and would use the regulatory framework to help persuade councils to give the voluntary sector an equal say in the reforms.


“The local authorities care about their Comprehensive Performance Assessment,” she said. “But we can’t force it. This is a bottom-up set of reforms.”

Her comments follow earlier suggestions that the voluntary sector could be used to boost child protection social worker numbers and to take over control of failing children’s trusts.