Analysis - Is the DCSF too unwieldy to deliver?

Children's organisations and unions have no doubts: they have firmly backed the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in the wake of a report from MPs which raised serious questions about its ability to deliver.

The review by the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, scrutinised the work of the DCSF since its formation last June. It warned of the challenges posed by joint working between various parts of government (CYP Now, 23-29 April).

It welcomed the opportunities presented by the new department but raised worries about a lack of clear roles and also warned targets and timescales for delivering The Children's Plan had not been fully set out.

Joint responsibility

Under the new arrangements, the DCSF is responsible for policy and funding in just two areas - early years and five to 13 schooling. On everything else it has joint responsibility with other departments and varying degrees of control.

"The main problem with joint responsibility is that it might mean no effective responsibility, with each part of the system doing its own work but with no-one ensuring that it all adds to coherent policy and actions," the report states.

Education is cited as an example. Responsibility is split between the DCSF and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), but the DCSF holds the purse strings. However, the MPs claim neither department appears to have a lead role on 14 to 19 education.

"The DCSF is a unique department - there's been nothing like it before," Labour MP Barry Sheerman, chair of the committee, says. "But it also has the most challenging departmental arrangements ever created. It has lead responsibility on many issues, but not necessarily control of the resources needed to deliver. That puts an enormous onus on co-operating with other departments."

Other concerns centre on The Children's Plan. The report argues the plan runs the risk of simply being a wish-list due to a lack of main priorities and because there is no timetable for action for the plan as a whole.

The MPs also question why the plan is not based on the five Every Child Matters outcomes, but on a new set of strategic objectives. "The fact that there are now three sets of indicators the department is using - five Every Child Matters outcomes, six strategic objectives and five public service agreement (PSA) objectives - is unsatisfactory," the report states.

However, the DCSF is quick to defend its position. Schools minister Jim Knight argues the department has clearly stated what its priorities are. "The Every Child Matters outcomes are central to all government departments' work and, for the first time, our strategic objectives and PSAs directly correspond to them."

He adds there is no confusion over departmental roles, claiming the DCSF has been crystal clear from the start that it is in charge of all 14 to 19 curriculum and qualifications, including diplomas.

The right way forward

The National Children's Bureau (NCB), children's services union Aspect and the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) have all defended the DCSF. Maggie Atkinson, president of the ADCS, points out the DCSF has not been in place for even a year and describes it as a complex agenda that will take time.

"ADCS is very strongly in support of the new DCSF and the way in which it has set out its stall to lead the children's trusts for the nation. We see signs of real hope of government departments working more closely together. We do believe in it."

Sally Whitaker, deputy chief executive of NCB, agrees. "We welcome the broad remit of responsibilities that the DCSF now holds and look forward to this having a positive impact in the successful implementation of The Children's Plan."

Caroline Abrahams, programme director for children and young people at the Local Government Association, adds: "We remain strongly of the view that it was the right thing to develop dual teams and nothing we've seen has made us change our minds so far."

John Chowcat, general secretary of Aspect, says there is a great logic of bringing everything under one heading. But his concern is that the report did not focus on schools in enough detail. "The Children's Plan and Every Child Matters cannot be implemented without effective collaboration with schools. The report doesn't say how schools fit into it, but schools are central to the local level delivery of this agenda."

While the report raised valid points, only time will tell how successful the new children's department will be.

KEY POINTS

The Children, Schools and Families Select Committee's report, The DCSF and The Children's Plan Session 2007/08, calls for:

- The Children's Plan's main priorities and a timetable for action to be set out and clarification about how Every Child Matters outcomes will be linked to the plan's objectives;

- Clarity over who is responsible for 14-19 education and diplomas

- Detailed assessment of targets to see how much more effectively the education and children's systems are operating.