Govt reboots child protection system
The government will reboot its child protection system in response to the death of Baby P in Haringey.
Ed Balls, children’s secretary, will later announce an overhaul of the Children’s Trust Boards (CTB) set up after the death of Victoria Climbie.
Currently, only some local authorities have a CTB. Under the new plans they would be introduced for all areas.
Each trust will now be run by a board comprised of school, health, educational and police authorities, as well as the local authority.
Individual members will be held accountable for the delivery of a strategy for child safety.
The idea is to coordinate the work of child protection workers.
In a speech set to be delivered to directors of children’s services later, Mr Balls will say: “Professionals working with children in this country do a tough job, often in very difficult circumstances.
“But we must do whatever it takes to strengthen local arrangements to enable children to live and grow up safely.”
