Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2006, Page 99


CHrIs­ Pas­Cal
tony­ BErtram
Viewpoint: The Developm­ent of Integrated
Children’s­ Services­ in England
How far have we come?
When reflecting on the current state of early childhood services in England it is
important to recall just how far we have come over the last 8 or 9 years. Late in the
last century we had a system of support for children and families across most of the
country that could be described as fragmented, patchy, under-funded, undervalued,
and, in far too many cases, of poor quality. It certainly was not a system fit for the
demands of family life in the 21st century. The first years of this century have been
marked by a genuinely radical and innovative attempt by Government to change this
situation and to put in place an entirely reconfigured and integrated system of support
and development for children and families. The ex­ploration and innovation that has
occurred through the funding of visionary programmes such as Early Ex­cellence and
Sure Start has provided important learning about what works and what kinds of
service have the capacity to change children’s lives.
This learning is now being mainstreamed in all communities in England through the
ex­tension of integrated services in Children’s Centres and Ex­tended Schools on a scale
and with funding levels that are unprecedented in our history, so that these Centres
are universally available. This is courageous and visionary policy making. So, we do
have much to celebrate, but it is also important and timely to take stock and reflect
hard on what has been achieved, whether policy is continuing in the right direction
and what else should be done to ensure the transformative agenda is sustained for all
children of the future.
This position paper will reflect on some of these questions and provides a perspec-
tive on what we believe still has to be done to ensure the creation of the world-class
service that the youngest and most vulnerable citizens in our society deserve.
What­ are Children’s Cent­res?
Children’s Centres provide multi-agency services that are flex­ible and meet the needs
of young children and their families. The Government intends that the provision of
good quality integrated services should have broad and lasting impact on children,
their parents and the wider community. Children’s Centres will contribute towards
the Government’s commitment to:
Uppeldi og menntun
1. árgangur 2. hefti, 2006