Just before Christmas, UK Children’s Minister Tim Loughton commissioned a review of the adoption process. His advisor, Martin Narey, had become “exercised …. about (the) parental assessment process which is”, he said, “not fit for purpose”.
Bill Gates stares out of a Rotary International poster and tells us ‘We are this close to ending Polio.’ His thumb and forefinger are placed either side of the words ‘this close.’
Michael describes the reactions of UK ministers to the Reviews around improving child development since the Coalition Government was formed 12 months ago.
Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Clay Yeager for the EB-Advocate, a quarterly newsletter published by Evidence-Based Associates (EBA), and was asked to comment on the differences between the implementation of the evidence-based programmes in the US and the UK today.
Graham Allen’s Review into Early Intervention published last week advocated for a clear standard of evidence to delineate between what does and what does not work in improving child outcomes. I have been a member of Graham Allen’s team and have argued strongly for this independent standard.
Many leaders of children’s services in the UK will glance at the Allen Review on Early Intervention published today and dismiss it as important but soft. They will be making a big mistake.
Central government, by default, is the purveyor of cuts. What can it do to help to encourage a sensible, rationale approach to clawing back the budget deficit?
Cutting sensibly should involve some agreement between central and local forces about what should go and why. The Big Society promises a different relationship between the centre and the local. The centre here might mean Whitehall or it might mean County, City or Town Hall. Local means those places that relate to the centre - local authorities, schools, neighbourhoods and so on.
It is difficult to see opportunities consequent upon the dire economic outlook. What might be good for children will be bad for somebody else, whether in terms of jobs or salary or simply having to work in a different way.
In the public sector the word ‘efficiency’ has been devalued. Politicians regularly talk about efficiency as an alternative to ‘cuts’. Generally the promise outstrips the reality.
Now the election is upon us in the UK, conversations about cutting public sector services will begin in earnest. These will not be happy conversations. Many children and families will receive less support. Many people will loose their jobs.
Children’s services -health, education, social care, police and youth justice- are about to experience huge financial cut-backs. Some might argue the biggest cuts ever are upon us.
Blogging gives a wary academic like me the chance to offer up half an idea for debate and trust that feedback and better information will help it on its way to becoming more useful.
