Editorial: A magazine to meet the challenges of our time

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has recognised its magnitude by putting children's and youth policy in the Cabinet and at the heart of his government while it is high also on the opposition's agenda. Under Secretary of State Ed Balls, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has set out to work closely with other parts of Whitehall to see children as a whole. It is an enterprise of integrated thinking that mirrors what Every Child Matters has called for at a local level.

And it is this thinking that is the driver for the merger of Children Now and Young People Now. The new magazine, Children & Young People Now, brings together professionals working with the young, from birth to 19, across the public and voluntary sectors. It unites practitioners from early years, youth work, youth justice, social care, health, education, and advice and guidance services, and, of course, directors of children's services and policymakers. We retain the previous titles' respective associations with the National Children's Bureau and The National Youth Agency, and they will both have their dedicated pages. And subscribers will also receive another new title, Youth Work Now, which is dedicated to the practice of youth work, in the first week of every month.

This is a defining time for the nation's young. Policy reviews for children and families, disabled children and a 10-year youth strategy have been published to feed into this autumn's Comprehensive Spending Review. While the investment pledges already announced are welcome, funding concerns remain across the board. We will be a strong, independent voice for you, examining local and national policy and practice every week. We will ensure the views of children and young people are heard. And we will act as a forum for you to pick up ideas and working practices from each other and work effectively together.

But bringing together the different occupations should not indicate any dilution in their respective identities and skillsets. What is key is that readers are united by the purpose of fulfilling the potential of tomorrow's generation. In this way, the whole must become greater than the sum of its parts. Ultimately, this is your magazine. Tell us what you think about the issues we report on and let us know how we can improve to best serve your needs.