Balls announces children's trusts legislation
Ross Watson
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Children's secretary Ed Balls said yesterday (18 November) that he would introduce legislation to ensure every local authority has a children's trust board as soon as possible.
The government has published guidance which is designed to strengthen and clarify the role of children's trusts, following a consultation that ended in September. Balls first announced plans to strengthen the legal status of children's trusts in July.
The announcement will mean that a board consisting of the local authority, health, police, schools and other services will be legally required to work together to agree and deliver a Children & Young People's Plan. The plan will set out a strategy for child safety arrangements and set the framework for the operation of the Local Safeguarding Children Board.
Individual members of the children's trust board will be held to account for delivering their agreed part of the shared plan. Each board will publish an annual review of progress against their plan.
Balls said effective early intervention for children and young people was central to the plans. "We want to strengthen accountability through the statutory nature of children's trusts," he said. "At the table you will have PCTs, schools, police and the lead for GP services, which means you have got the best chance of a forum for accountability when things go wrong, which is currently not the case."
