11/11/03 - Every Child Matters

Today, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet endorsed the Council’s response to the Government’s Green Paper `Every Child matters’ and recommended the response to Council for approval on 20 November.  The response outlines the Council’s commitment to securing the well being, health, safety and achievement of children and young people. Chief Executive, Louis Victory says,   

“The Green Paper has brought a radical new agenda to ensure agencies better meet the needs of children and young people.  The main focus of the paper is the recommendation to move towards early intervention, multi agency family support and clear effective inter agency working.  The report outlines the need for a joined up service for children and families requiring Education and Children’s Social Services to join together.  Cumbria County Council has been ahead of Government on this, setting up the Learning and Care Consultative forum last summer and the `Shaping Learning and Care’ Panel.  The Council recently appointed an interim Corporate Director of Social service to ensure the human resource flexibility to move the initiative forward and recent developments mean that we are likely to be working with young people from the innovative Cumbria Young People’s Strategic Partnership Board.   

The task set by the Green Paper is not an easy one and cannot be achieved by the Council alone.  Partnership is at the heart of the recommendations and we need to work closely with Government, other agencies, providers and community groups.”