Children Act 2004 – information for professionals
Children’s Services in England – Part 2
Section 10 encourages local authorities (by law) to promote cooperation between agencies to improve children’s wellbeing by making sure that the children under their care are:
- being healthy
- staying safe
- enjoying and achieving
- making positive contributions
- achieving economic wellbeing.
It also gives key partners a duty participate in these arrangements and provides legal powers to support them.
Section 11 states that agencies who work with children must guarantee that they've got plans in place to make sure children's welfare and safety are warranted
Section 12 allows agencies to set up databases or indexes that contain basic information about children and young people to help professionals work together and provide early support to children, young people and their families. Case details are specifically ruled out.
Sections 13-16 require that local authorities set up statutory local safeguarding children boards that key agencies may participate in.
Sections 18 and 19 require local authorities to put in place a Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member to be responsible for, as a minimum, education and children’s social service function. Local authorities have discretion to add other relevant functions to the role, such as leisure or housing, if they feel it is appropriate.
Sections 20-24 require an integrated inspection framework to be established by the relevant inspectorates to inform future inspections of all services for children. They also make provision for regular Joint Area Reviews to be carried out to look at how children’s services operate across each local authority area.