A targeted approach not only helps to narrow the growing gap between theoutcomes of disadvantaged children and the rest, but also lifts some ofthe burdens from local authorities, who don't have to implementuniversal policies that have no relevance to their own territory and arefree to concentrate on the areas where they face more challenges.
The protocol launched by the Government at the conference (see p2) willgo some way towards freeing local authorities to tackle outcomes intheir areas without being harassed by countless Government agenciestrying to tell them how to do their jobs.
This is a common bugbear of directors of children's services, whocomplain that their first duty is towards their elected members andultimately the people who live in their area, not to national fieldforces. Of course some specialists do a good job but others can bemerely irritating.
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