Terry Grange, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on child protection, told the education and skills select committee, which is assessing progress towards implementing Every Child Matters, that the police had an "absolutely crucial" part to play in collaborative working.
"We appear to be consultees of the last resort," Grange said.
"The Department for Education and Skills and the Home Office talk to each other before us. There would be far better outcomes for children if they talked to us first."
The police's expertise in tackling problems such as truancy, domestic violence and missing children had not been properly recognised, he added.
David Hawker, vice-chair of the Association of Directors of Education and Children's Services, called on the DfES and Home Office to give the "right types of signals" that they expect local partnerships to involve the police in the development of children's services.
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