TOPIC: Every Child Matters

Every Child Matters

Table of Contents

Introduction3

The're-focusing' of children's services debate4

The 'Looking after Children (LAC)' project7

Early Childhood Prevention (child abuse)9

The Green Paper 'Every Child Matters' and the Children Act 200314

Conclusion16

References19

Every Child Matters Agenda (DFES 2003)

Introduction

The publication of the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters' (Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 2003) and the passage of the Children Act in 2003 marks a significant watershed in thinking about children's services in England and heralds a major period of reform and change. The purpose of this paper is to trace the history of the Green Paper and the Children Act and the ideas which underpin them. In the process, I will argue that the changes being introduced will have the effect of fundamentally reordering the relationship between children, parents, professionals and the state, and have major implications for undermining the civil liberties and human rights of the citizen and increasing the power and responsibilities of professionals in a wide range of social welfare, health and criminal justice agencies in both the government and non government sectors. While the Green Paper and the legislation were presented as a direct response to the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié (Laming, 2003: 45), they were much more than this.

The Green Paper aimed to take forward many ideas about intervening at a much earlier stage in children's lives in order to prevent a range of problems in later life, particularly in relation to educational attainment, unemployment and crime, and had a much longer and more complex genealogy than simply being a response to the problems identified in the Laming Report. It can be seen to build on much of the research and thinking which had become evident in the mid 990s and which formed the basis of many of the policies which were introduced by the New Labour government in relation to children and childhood where child development was seen as key and where children were conceptualised primarily as future citizens requiring both safeguarding and investment (Fawcett et al., 2003, Featherstone, 2003 and Hendrick, 2003). However, because of the high media, public and political opprobrium arising from the death of Victoria Climbié and the need for the government to be seen to be actively responding to the Laming Report, the government was provided with an ideal opportunity for introducing wide-ranging and radical changes which aimed to realize the potential of all children. The combination of wanting to introduce changes which would both broaden the scope of prevention while trying to reduce the chances of a child dying in the tragic circumstances experienced by Victoria Climbié meant that the role of the state would become broader, more interventive and regulatory at the same time.

The're-focusing' of children's services debate

The publication in 995 of Child Protection: Messages from Research (DH, 995a), which summarised the key findings from a major government research programme on child protection practices, proved crucial in opening up a major debate about the future shape of child protection policy and practice and children's services more generally ...