Child protection trusts ruled out

None of the children’s trust pilot projects will be
focusing on child protection services, a senior department of
health official has said, writes Derren
Hayes.

Carole Bell, the department’s lead on children’s trusts,
revealed that all the government’s suggested models for
children’s trusts were covered by the 45 local authorities,
which have made bids, with the exception of child protection.

Bell explained that children’s trusts applicants felt
child protection could not be separated out from wider
children’s services.

She admitted the department “was wrong” to think
that a separate service could be based around child protection.

The bids have involved paediatric, Connexions and youth
offending teams services, and will be monitored for effectiveness
and value for money by primary care trusts.

Bell also raised the idea, at a conference run by Harrogate
management centre, that while trusts will be run by councils
initially they could in future be run by hospitals focusing on
children’s disabilities.

One of the bids has subsequently pulled out, while the remaining
44 are awaiting a decision by the government after they made
presentations to ministers.