UNIT 1: THE SECTORS IN CONTEXT: THE CHILDREN'S ACT 1989 AND 2004

The children's act provides all children with the right to be protected from significant harm. It also ensures minimum standards and regular inspections to ensure that all children are not being abused or a victim of abuse.

• Children
• Child and family social workers
• Children's Nurses
• Foster Carers
• Nursery and Playgroup workers
• Paediatric Practitioners
• Residential care workers
• Teaching staff

• The children's welfare is the most important. This regarding to PIES (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social)
• Where possible, the child has to be raised solely only by their own family.
• Give the help to the families with children in need (PIES) support must be appropriate to race, culture, religion, language, gender etc.
• Children in danger should be protected by effective intervention.
• The child should be consulted about decision making that will affect themselves and their future. The child is kept informed about what will happen.
• Parents have parental responsibility even if their children no longer lives with them.

Children who are assessed as being in need, are eligible for the following services:

• Day care for any child under 5 years old and is not at school.
• Care and supervised activities outside school.
• Accommodation, if required, if child is lost, abandoned or without a carer who can provide accommodation.

Social services must also provide:

• Assessment of needs
• An emergency service 24 hours, 365 days a year.

Main Objectives of Every Child Matters:

STAY SAFE

HEALTHY

ENJOY AND ACHIEVE

ECONOMIC WELL-BEING

POSITIVE CONTIBUTION

• A new framework for children's services, building on the 5 objectives of the 'Every Child Matters' Green Pape.
• The act shifted the emphasis from intervention to prevention
• Encourages services to work together more effectively
• Local authorities take the lead in developing children's services and must ensure involvement of a wide range of agencies including the private and voluntary sectors
• Parents and carers involved in developing plans.
• NSF (national services framework) sets standards for the ist time for children's health and social care.
• There are 11 standards in all.