§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to assist voluntary organisations in connection with implementation of the Children Act 1989.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyWe made available £250,000 in 1991–92 specifically for training in the Children Act for the voluntary sector.
Copies of the nine volumes of the Children Act guidance and regulations and the other Children Act publications were issued free of charge to the voluntary sector.
Children Act training materials commissioned by the Department were also supplied to voluntary organisations.
Our centrally funded child abuse training initiative grant, almost £1 million this financial year, has helped a range of organisations to assess the impact of the Children Act and to bring some of their own material up to date in the light of it.
270WVoluntary organisations also have an important part to play in local authorities' review of day care services in their area. The Department is currently funding in its under-fives initiative for development officers, based in different parts of the country, who have a remit to improve relationships between the relevant local authority and the voluntary sector. These posts will help the success of the review process.
Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities have a new duty to provide a range of services for children in need to promote their upbringing within their families. They will need to collaborate with the voluntary sector in the provision of such services. To help with this, the Department it to provide funding to voluntary organisations for three years, starting in 1992–93, under the family support initiative—total funding, £500,000 per annum.
The Government also provide support to a wide range of voluntary organisations in the child care field under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.