Children at Risk (Hansard, 22 January 2002)

§ Jacqui Smith

The safeguarding of children at risk is a high priority for us. That is why over the last few years we have introduced new legislation, new guidance, new structures and new policy initiatives to make children safer and to ensure that there is a proper focus on children at the very heart of Government. These measures includeThe Care Standards Act 2000 to improve the inspection and regulation of children's care services, and the Protection of Children Act 1999 which makes it much more difficult for unsuitable people to work with children; Revised core inter-agency child protection guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999) and the new Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (2000); New guidance focusing on Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution (2000) and a National Plan for Safeguarding Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation (2001); A Minister for Young People—my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchin (Mr. Denham)—and a new Cabinet Committee focusing on Children and Young People's issues; The first ever national Children's Rights Director for England—Roger Morgan—to act as a powerful champion for some of the most vulnerable children in our country; The establishment of the Children and Young People's Unit, which is responsible for ensuring the coherence of Government polices that affect all children and young people under 19; Radical new initiatives such as the £885 million Quality Protects programme, Sure Start and Connexions.

The child protection guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999) and the new Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (2000) both give specific guidance on how education and social services departments should work together to support children in need.

Co-ordination of the planning and delivery of services by education and social services departments is a key element of the Government's five year £885 Quality Protects programme, which is improving the management and delivery of children's services. The Government have published Objectives for Children's Social Services. The Department's public service agreement contains targets including improving the educational outcomes of children in need and children looked after. Local authorities have to produce annual QP management action plans (MAPs) on how they are moving towards the achievement of these objectives. The national overview report of local authority's QP MAPs published in October 2001 reported in relation to services for children in need …in general there is plenty of evidence of good collaboration between education and social services; and as these partnerships develop the focus of their work is beginning to broaden and closer partnerships in a range of contexts are beginning to draw social work expertise and the needs of vulnerable children onto agendas which in the past might have been seen as 'purely educational"'. 756W In October 2000, the Department of Health and Department of Education and Employment jointly issued "Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care". The national overview report shows that for looked after children MAPS this year included considerable evidence of joint working between education and social work staff, designed to support the education of looked after children".

In "Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21' Century" issued in March 2001, the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Employment, agreed to further work together to build on our special education needs (SEN) programme of action. The recently published revised special education needs code of practice, gives guidance on how social services and education departments should jointly plan and meet the needs of children with SEN. The SEN Toolkit issued with the code of practice, included a section on the role of social services. This was sent to directors of education and social services. Work has also begun on the commitment in "Valuing People" to find out more about the numbers, characteristics and outcomes of disabled children in residential schools and other residential placements, who are known to be particularly vulnerable to abuse.

Learning disability partnerships boards have been set up in local authority areas to oversee and advise on the implementation of the adult aspects of "Valuing People". Membership should include representation from a range of statutory sector interests, including social services and education. Guidance issued to local councils in August said that one member should be appointed to be a champion for child/adult transition issues. The guidance adds that boards will need to develop effective links with other agencies whose responsibilities are relevant to implementing valuing people; these will include Connexions partnerships, local learning partnerships, further education colleges, and education institutions.