New act heralds major changes
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The dawn of a new era for children's services arrived this week when the Children and Families Bill passed into law as an act (news, p4). While not as wide-ranging as the Children Act 2004, it promises to herald the most significant changes to vulnerable children and young people services since then, with its reforms to speed up adoption, create childminder agencies, revamp the SEN assessment process and ensure schools provide a daily hot lunch to every infant-age pupil.
Although the legislation took 13 months from first reading to enactment, some of the key details of how the act's provisions will be put into practice are still to be finalised. Over the coming weeks, the sector will be combing through the fine details of the act and the guidance accompanying it to establish what it will mean for how services and professionals work. CYP Now will keep you abreast of all the crucial developments - starting with a special report on the implications for practice in the next edition.
derren.hayes@markallengroup.com.
