A report by the association on how local authorities are tacklingpoverty warns that restrictive targets are impairing flexibility.
It also calls for more long-term funding for local authority schemesthat reduce child poverty.
Conservative councillor Alison King, chair of the association's childrenand young people board, said: "No childhood should be blighted bypoverty and local authorities have a real contribution to make. TheGovernment has offered some useful new opportunities for localauthorities in the Children Act 2004, but we need the time and resourcesto explore them properly.
"Local government should be free to adapt more flexibly to localconditions. Targets should be replaced by frameworks that allow greatermovement. And ideas that work should be given the longer-term fundingthey need to really make a difference."
Caroline Abrahams, chair of the End Child Poverty campaign, added: "Itis vital that local authorities are given the tools to do the job, butat present we are not convinced this is happening. Funding forchildren's services, in particular, is extraordinarily tight."
The warning comes as campaigners in Scotland warn that new measures totackle fuel poverty do little to help low-income families withchildren.
Last week the Scottish Executive announced that it was extending itsfree central heating programme for pensioners for another two years.
But Eddie Follan, head of policy development at Children in Scotland'said: "The Executive has missed a golden opportunity to tackle fuelpoverty among low-income families with dependent children. There are atleast 46,000 children in Scotland living in fuel poverty. Worst of all,there are 5,000 households with children without central heating.
"Our priority was for these households to be included in the newprogrammes. We are disappointed that the poorest children will not nowbenefit from a programme that would enhance their health and wellbeing,prevent illness and contribute to a better education and childhood."
John Watson, parliamentary and policy officer for Barnardo's Scotland'said that the needs of families experiencing fuel poverty were just asgreat as pensioners.
- www.lga.gov.uk
- See Analysis, p22.
