Every Child Matters : The Green Paper

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="09ed05a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>          </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>                             </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>    Reading Council for Voluntary Youth Service</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> </B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="09fd2123.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id97.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Children Young Peoples Plan"><U><B>Children & Young People's Plan</B></U></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Every Child Matters : The Green Paper</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id98.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youth Green Paper"><U><B>Youth Green Paper</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Reading Council for Voluntary Youth "><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Every Child Matters : The Green Paper</I></div> <div> What's it all about?</div> <bR> <div> On 8th September 2003 the Government published a Green Paper entitled "Every Child Matters". The paper sets out a number of key proposals for the future of how services for children and young people should be delivered in the future. The document invited everyone with an interest in this area, both voluntary and statutory services, to be involved in the consultation process. It recognised the key role of the voluntary sector in the lives of a large number of children and young people and so our feedback is vital.</div> <bR> <div> The paper set out a consultation framework for improving outcomes for all children and their families, to protect them, to promote their wellbeing and to support all children and young people to develop their potential.</div> <bR> <div> Recognising the huge significance of this opportunity for the voluntary sector to express its views, Reading Children's Fund and RCVYS hosted an event to both inform interested parties of the issues raised by the Green Paper and to allow open discussion on the paper itself. At the end of the evening, the views of those present were collated to produce a response to government on their proposals.</div> <bR> <div> Our Response</div> <bR> <div> You will find the complete response document under "<A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Every Child Matters Our Response"><U>Every Child Matters - Our Response</U></A><A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Every Child Matters Our Response"><U>".</U></A> Below is a summary.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Broad support for the principles of the Green Paper</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">To achieve many of its objectives, the Government must harness and develop the capacity of the voluntary and community sectors</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Means need to be found to encourage stronger links between the sectors. This should include joint training</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The value of flexible working within the voluntary and community sectors should be recognised</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Services need to be delivered to children and young people where <U>they</U> choose, rather than for administrative convenience. The proposal for extended schools is in danger of ignoring this.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Services need to be available for young people who `hang out' in town or city centres</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The time-limited and age-restricted nature of many recent government initiatives e.g. Sure Start, Children's Fund, Connexions, reduces their effectiveness</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The geographical focus of so much provision on the bottom 20 per cent of wards is unhelpful in many parts of the South East where pockets of deprivation exist alongside relative affluence.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">There should be specific measures taken to ensure that the voluntary and community sectors are linked into the IRT process</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The absence of any proposals for young carers, and for traveller's children, is of concern.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page updated: 04/02/04 CB</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>