The National Service Framework for Children and Young People is an ambitious programme which puts children’s welfare at the heart of the health service and formalises councils’ responsibilities for promoting children’s physical and mental health. There are inevitably many questions about how such a broad cultural change, as well as a large number of changes to actual services can be achieved.
Detailed route maps will be needed, complete with implementation deadlines. And where major changes in working practices are required, money will be needed. It’s not just about whether child-focused services cost more than organisation-focused services. Change itself costs money and if the government is serious about achieving the vision outlined in the NSF, it will have to roll up its sleeves and get things moving.
One of the most radical points in the NSF is the responsibility shared by everyone who has contact with children for their well-being. "First, do no harm" should be the watchword. Professionals can unintentionally do great harm to vulnerable children with even a single throwaway remark.
