Big interview: The Connexions conundrum - Carolyn Caldwell, executive director, National Association of Connexions Partnerships

A service that was criticised for the funds that were pumped into it is now having to achieve targets with less resources than originally promised: 7,000 personal advisers rather than 15,000 and 2,400 support staff instead of the 9,000 pledged, according to a National Audit Office report issued earlier this year.

Despite Connexions only completing its setup period last year, there are already rumblings about its future, especially in the context of children's trusts, the new flavour of the month at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). It's an environment in which Carolyn Caldwell, executive director of the National Association of Connexions Partnerships, is trying to project a national voice. Set up last May, the independent association speaks for partnerships, not the Government.