Tories to abolish children's trust obligations if they win election

The move signals that a Tory government would scale back dramatically the joint working arrangements introduced under Labour's Every Child Matters reforms.

In an interview with CYP Now, shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said children's trusts are a bureaucratic burden on professionals that thwarts them in being able to do their job. Gove said: "I can't see any reason to have a statutory insistence on children's trusts continued."

Children's trusts were brought in by the Children Act 2004 in the wake of the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié in Haringey, with the aim of bringing together several agencies to try and ensure children at risk no longer fell through the cracks between services.

But Gove said his own scrutiny of serious case reviews into child deaths from neglect or abuse had revealed children's professionals "have a huge array of meetings... or you have significant absentees so no progress can be made.
"Equally often it's the case that you have a buck-passing culture where because everyone's in a meeting, no-one is responsible.

"I simply cannot see what value children's trusts add," he said.

Local partners including police, probation services, youth offending teams, primary care trusts, schools and further education colleges all now have a "duty to co-operate" in children's trusts, in particular to work together to safeguard vulnerable children and young people.

All local authorities have been required by law to have children's trust arrangements in place for at least the last two years. Children's trust boards, which oversee these arrangements, are also now on a statutory footing, effective from last week (1 April).

But critics have pointed to the fact that the joint working arrangements have not prevented further child abuse tragedies, most notably the death of Baby Peter, also in Haringey.

Gove added: "We have had children's trusts in local authorities where we've had horrific examples of child protection and safeguarding going wrong.

"We've had children's trusts in areas where achievement and attainment isn't what it should be."
Under Labour, every local area will also be required to publish a joint children and young people's plan by no later than April 2011. But a Conservative spokesman confirmed that a Tory government would also legislate to remove this requirement.

Marion Davis, the new president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, described the plans as "extraordinary."

"Children's trusts have been vital in sending out a strong message that it's everyone's responsibility to boost child safeguarding and educational attainment. To draw back from that commitment would be a retrograde step and risk undermining the strong partnerships that local areas have built up."

She added that it was important to recognise that most difficulties that children and families face require the support of more than one agency.

However, Gove said the Tories would not reverse other key Every Child Matters reforms that brought together councils' education and social services departments. Local authority children's services departments will remain in place under the leadership of directors of children's services and lead members.

"I think it's better to work with the structures we have. There are very good people doing the job of director of children's services and lead member," said Gove.

He revealed that if they form the next government, the Conservatives would aim to pass the legislation next autumn relieving local areas of the obligation to have children's trusts in place.

Sir Paul Ennals, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, said: "I am relieved that Michael Gove is intending to retain the role of director of children's services, but the impact of the directors depends on their ability to co-operate with all other public agencies through the children's trust.

"The evidence does in fact show that joined-up working improves outcomes and efficiency."

CHILDREN'S TRUSTS

• Children's trusts were introduced in the Every Child Matters green paper as a response to Lord Laming's inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié
• Their aim is to address the fragmentation of responsibilities for children's services by strengthening accountabilities and developing a local strategy to improve young lives
• All local authorities have been required to have children's trust arrangements in place since April 2008
• Children's trusts boards were put on a statutory footing from 1 April 2010, and have taken responsibility from local authorities for producing children and young people's plans

Click here for CYP Now editor Ravi Chandiramani's opinion on the Tory plans