Interview with John Coughlan From policy to practice: translating the Children Act 2004 reforms on the ground ‐ a view from a Director of Children's Services
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17466660200600024 |
| Pages | 63-71 |
| Published date | 01 November 2006 |
| Date | 01 November 2006 |
| Author | Dwan Kaoukji,Michael Little |
| Subject Matter | Education,Health & social care,Sociology |
63
Journal of Children’s Services
Volume 1 Issue 3 November 2006
©Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
Preamble
The government’s vision for children’s services in England and Wales, Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003),
and the subsequent Children Act 2004 are ground-breaking in that they encourage local authorities to
focus on child outcomes and demand the integration of previously separate services, such as social care
and education. Previous articles in this series were by Herbert Laming (2006), whose inquiry helped pave
the way for the 2004 legislation, and Tom Jeffery (2006), the Director-General of the central government
Directorate for Children, Young People and Families. In this article, John Coughlan, one of the new
Directors of Children’s Services, gives his perspective on implementing the new legislation at local
authority level. What follows is an edited transcript of John Coughlan’s comments.
1Dartington Social
Research Unit, UK
and Chapin Hall
Center for Children,
University of
Chicago, USA
Introduction
It is impossible in a single article to describe all of
the challenges and opportunities that have arisen as
aresult of the new legislation. I will concentrate on
four main themes and provide examples in each of
those areas. I will say a little about what the Children
Act 2004 means for a director of children’s services.
Iwill then describe, from my vantage point, the main
opportunities and barriers in implementation. I know
that research and evaluation are of particular interest
to readers of this journal, so I will explain how we
havebeen thinking about these issues, and why we
are looking to central government for a lead. Finally, I
will deal with a change which to some may seem
marginal but that is itself an indicator of the
structural change taking place with regard to
children's services in England: the demise of the
Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS),
and the emergence of a successor organisation.
Interview with John Coughlan
From policy to practice:
translating the Children Act
2004 reforms on the ground –
aview from a Director of
Children's Services
John Coughlan was interviewed at the Department for Children’s
Services, Hampshire, UK, on 7 November 2006 by:
Dwan Kaoukji1and Michael Little1
This is the thirdin a series of articles based on interviews with senior policy-makers and
managers about the reforms to children’s services in England and Wales. Subsequent series
will examine reform efforts in other countries, starting with Ireland.
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