Foreword
We cannot begin to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable children unless we identify their needs and understand what is happening to them in order to take appropriate action. The Government is committed to delivering better life chances to such children through a range of cross-cutting, inter-departmental initiatives. A key component of the Government's objectives for children's social services is the development of a framework for assessing children in need and their families, to ensure a timely response and the effective provision of services. This is being taken forward as part of the Quality Protects Programme. Delivering services to children in need in our communities is a corporate responsibility. It falls on all local authority departments, health authorities and community services. Improvements in outcomes for children in need can only be achieved by close collaboration between professionals and agencies working with children and families. This Guidance reflects such collaboration and is issued jointly by the Department of Health, the Department for Education and Employment and the Home Office. It is issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. The Guidance draws widely on a wealth of research about the needs of children and the best of practice. Many people have contributed generously to its development and it has been substantially enriched by an extensive consultation exercise. It is intended to provide a valuable foundation for policy and practice for all those who manage and provide services to children in need and their families. This document is the cornerstone in a series of accompanying publications, materials and training resources about the assessment of children in need. The Assessment Framework has been incorporated into Working Together to Safeguard Children. The value of this framework for assessing children in need and their families will be measured in future improvements in our responses to some of our most vulnerable children - children in need. John Hutton
Prepared 29 March 2000 |
||||
