Keeping
Parliamentarians Informed:
Green Paper
Every Child Matters
During
October and November the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children
(APPGC) focused on the Green Paper Every Child Matters (Cm 5860) and
the accompanying Home Office consultation Youth Justice – the
next steps, through a series of seven meetings to allow the Group
to discuss the Government’s proposals. (Both documents can be
found at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/everychildmatters)
The
meetings were as follows:
•
Overview of the Green Paper Every Child Matters and Youth Justice
– the Next Steps – speakers: Jane Held, Association of
Directors of Social Services, and Paul Ennals, National Children’s
Bureau (Monday 20 October)
• Enjoying and Achieving: Getting the most out of life and developing
broad skills for adulthood (Monday 27 October)
• Economic Well-being: Overcoming socio-economic disadvantages
to achieve their full potential in life (Monday 27 October)
• Being Healthy: Enjoying good physical and mental health and
living a healthy lifestyle (Monday 3 November)
• Staying Safe: Being protected from harm and neglect and growing
up able to look after themselves (Monday 10 November)
• Making a positive contribution: to the community and society
and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour (Monday 17
November)
• Presentation by Margaret Hodge MBE MP, Minister of State for
Children, Young People and Families (Joint meeting with the APPG Youth
Affairs, APPG Childcare, APG Parents and Families, and APG Children
and Young People in and Leaving Care) (Tuesday 18 November)
The
purpose of these meetings was primarily to discuss each of the five
outcomes listed in Para 1.3 of the Green Paper. As the success of
the structural changes listed in the Green Paper will be measured
by achievement of these outcomes for children and young people, the
APPGC felt that we should consider:
o
What do these outcomes mean?
o How could the outcomes be measured?
o How will the proposed structural changes make a difference for children
and young people, under each outcome, particularly the most vulnerable?
Briefing
papers were produced for each outcome and provide:
o
The outcome definition used in the Children and Young People’s
Unit children’s strategy consultation
o Comments on the outcome from the CYPU consultations with young people
o A list of selected targets and initiatives to demonstrate existing
measures
o A brief list of the main structural changes
o A list of particularly vulnerable groups of children and young people
o (All of the briefing papers are available on the APPGC’s webpages
on the NCB website at: http://www.ncb.org.uk/policy/appgc_list.htm)
The
briefing papers and the minutes of the meetings were used as the basis
for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children’s submission
to the Every Child Matters consultation.
Issues
raised in the meetings were very diverse and covered amongst others:
•
Poverty
• Obesity
• Domestic violence
• Homelessness
• Citizenship education
• Mental health
• Refugee and asylum seeking children
• Youth services / places for young people to ‘hang out’
• Volunteering
• Anti-social behaviour
• Offending behaviour
• Parenting support
• Residential childcare
• Information sharing proposals
• Extended schools / co-location around schools
• Consultations with children and young people
• The role of the community and voluntary sector
• Professionals / training
Future
meetings
The next meeting of the APPGC will be held in January on the Asylum
and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Bill.
Please
contact Alison Linsey, Joint Clerk to the Group (email: alinsey@ncb.org.uk):
•
To be added to the email mailing list to receive minutes and notices
of meetings
• For copies of minutes from any of the meetings
• For a free copy of the Group’s report ‘Commitment
to Children’
• For any further information about the Group.
