Youth Justice News
| Author | Tim Bateman |
| Published date | 01 December 2003 |
| DOI | 10.1177/147322540300300306 |
| Date | 01 December 2003 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Youth Justice News
Compiled by Tim Bateman
Correspondence: Tim Bateman, Youth Crime Section, Nacro, 169 Clapham Road,
London, SW9 0PU. Email: tim.batemanVnacro.org.uk
Every Child Matters?
The long awaited Green Paper on the development of services for children was
launched on 8 September 2003. Every child matters sets out a detailed vision for an
approach which is ‘less about intervening at points of crisis or failure, and more about helping every
child to achieve his or her potential’.
The Proposals in Brief
The paper proposes a radical overhaul of services for children which will have
significant implications for those who work with young people in trouble. At the heart
of the strategy is a shift towards greater integration. Local authorities will be required
to establish a post of Director of Children’s Services, accountable for all children’s
education and social services functions, leading –in most cases –to a single Children’s
Department and the demise of social services. In the longer term, by 2006, it is
anticipated that the model of Children’s Trust will further integrate provision by
incorporating children’s health services. Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and
Connexions may be part of the Trust but will otherwise be expected to establish a close
relationship with it. The paper also sets out the case for the appointment of a
Children’s Commissioner for England, independent of government. However, unlike
the equivalent posts in Scotland and Wales, the Commissioner would not have a
responsibility for representing individual cases.
Closer to the ground, the paper envisages the creation of new multi-disciplinary
teams, located around places where children spend much of their time such as schools,
a new network of Sure Start Children’s centres, and primary care centres. A common
assessment framework will be developed, to avoid duplication and encourage
consistency, drawing upon –and replacing –the range of existing mechanisms, such
as ASSET and the social services’framework for assessing children in need and their
families.
Service delivery will be informed by the creation of integrated information hubs to
ensure that the range of professionals who work with children share concerns at an
early stage and existing legal barriers to exchange of information are to be removed.
At a minimum, the data base will include basic details of every child living within the
area, each of whom will be given a unique identifying number. The information stored
will include whether they are known to education welfare, social services, the police or
the YOT, and if so, the contact details of the relevant professionals dealing with the
case. Where the system shows the child to be known to more than one professional
specialist agency, a designated lead professional with responsibility for coordinating service
provision will have to be identified.
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