ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRATION
JOHN COUGHLAN, director of children's services, Hampshire County Council
I'm a tough marker. You could make a case for being more generous given all that's been achieved, but there's a real concern about consistency and the need not to sound complacent.
Accountability is stronger. Local government and its partners immediately picked up the gauntlet of Every Child Matters and the pace of organisational change was remarkable. The buck-stopping role of the director of children's services is a clearly understood and privileged, if often terrifying, job. Children's trusts are in place, if functioning variably.
The forthcoming legislative push will help. There's an improved sense of shared ownership of safeguarding; whether that will stand the test of the inevitable tragedies remains to be seen. Integration is trickier - it's not an end in itself, just one route to improving outcomes. We've a long way to go to improve joint working, understanding and information sharing. Children's centres are the quiet revolution. So, pace and direction is definitely right, but there is more to do and, please, no more soup-or-salad metaphors.
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
