Children’s services and education
Gordon Brown’s emphasis on Children, Families and Education can be seen not only in the creation of two Departments, in raising the age of compulsory participation in education or training, and in the commitment of significant additional funding to the rolling out of Sure Start (originally a Treasury initiative); it is arguably most apparent in the appointment of Ed Balls – possibly his closest colleague – as Secretary of State for the new Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
As in other areas, Brown and Balls have blended stability with an element of freshness in their approach. For example, Andrew (Lord) Adonis retained his place as junior minister for schools (removing him would have symbolised a significant break with the Blair agenda), and the flagship Academies programme is to be retained, but with a far greater role for Universities as ‘sponsors’ (without making a financial contribution) and for local authorities, and with an apparent insistence on Academies playing a full part in the local family of schools. The long running tension between the dual strands of policy on children and schools, which the former DfES struggled first to deny then to rectify, has been tackled head on: in Balls’ first major speech outside Parliament he said, “As the Every Child Matters Department, our collective responsibility is to make this an age of opportunity for all children, not just some children”.
The treasury has allocated £184 million of new money to finance the new 10 year youth strategy. Following its launch, Ed Balls explained its purpose was to rebuild trust between children and adults and in a succession of media interviews most notably with the Mirror, he said he wants to end the era of anti social behaviour orders (Asbos) saying every one that is issued is a “failure”.
As with other reviews from the Treasury that are being ratified by Brown and his team, a joint DfES/Treasury review of children’s services focused on early intervention and prevention as well as disabled children and their families. Sure enough, the Children’s Fund, which had been due to end next March, is now to continue, with £396 million to be invested through local authorities over the next three years. And an additional £60 million has been allocated for mental health.
More broadly, the emphasis on children defining the mission of the new Department, and schools being at the centre of delivery, is already clear. Continuing the reduction in child poverty, reducing inequalities of opportunity and support, and improving the widely variable (and largely class-related) education, health and social outcomes have been at the heart of Balls’ two major speeches to date. And he has had two clear messages for schools: there will be a renewed focus on standards, ahead of structures, with backing for the professional judgement of teachers and heads and encouragement of strong and innovative leadership in pursuit of excellence and tackling disadvantage; but schools’ involvement in the children’s agenda is not negotiable – “I want to champion a grown up relationship between schools and professionals in children’s services and government and focus on what matters – the outcomes for children and young people”.
Ed Balls' speeches available at: