And some councils will be allowed to miss the 2006 deadline laid down in the green paper, the children's minister told a conference last week.
The U-turn represents a victory for the Local Government Association and professional bodies that had argued the original plans were too prescriptive and inflexible.
Speaking at the Department for Education and Skills' safeguarding children conference, Hodge said: "We see there being a children's trust in every local authority by 2006, perhaps later for some authorities.
"There are 35 pathfinders but we don't really want to wait for the full evaluation of those before we go through to the next phase. Afterwards we will refine them and we need a level of flexibility and freedom to do that.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
