§ Ms CoffeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response he has made to the consultation on the Children's Green Paper, "Every Child Matters". [176525]
§ Margaret HodgeI published "Every Child Matters: next steps" on 4 March 2004, alongside the publication of the Children Bill. This included the Government response to the Green Paper consultation.
There were over 4,500 responses to "Every Child Matters", many from children and young people. The vast majority were strongly supportive of the Government's vision.
We considered the responses carefully and set out the Government response in "Every Child Matters: Next Steps", published on 4 March alongside the Children Bill. The Children Bill creates the legislative spine for developing more effective and accessible services focussed around the needs of children, young people and families. Progress since March has included consultation on an integrated inspection framework for children's services and the announcement of the Children and Young People's Sector Skills Council.