The creation of the pilot trusts is a move to join up services in line with last month's introduction of a minister for children and young people.
It precedes the children at risk green paper, due in the autumn, which will make children's trusts central to the reform of services for children and young people.
Information sharing, combined resources and clear accountability are to be features of the trusts, which will bring together health, education and social services. Though most trusts will be led by local authorities with primary care trusts and NHS trusts, partners from other statutory and voluntary agencies will also be involved.
Recent changes in governmental structure saw children's services moved from the Department of Health to the Department for Education and Skills. This means the DfES is now the lead Government body in the scheme. Health minister Stephen Ladyman said: "Children's trusts provide new opportunities to integrate services and focus them around children and families."
Trade union Unison has expressed concern that the pathfinders have been established "at a time when the whole future of social services for children is up in the air".
Owen Davies, senior national officer, said: "The confusion caused by the transfer of responsibility from the health to the education department is still unresolved. What is worse is that our initial enquiries have revealed that very few of the pathfinder trusts seem to have bothered to talk to the staff who will be delivering the services."
See Editorial p11.
