Background

The Every Child Matters Agenda and Integrated Children’s Services in Higher Education (ICS-HE) – Preparing Tomorrow’s Professionals

Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. It is the Government’s response to a situation where fragmented services meant that children could ‘fall between the cracks’ resulting in social exclusion or neglect. In order that every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, has the opportunity to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and achieve economic well-being, support for children needs to be rationalised through multi-agency and integrated working. This involves early years provision and schools (including extended schools) and a whole host of other partners such as healthcare, social care and welfare, culture, sport, play, and youth justice professionals working in tandem with children and their parents, carers and families.

This will naturally have far-reaching consequences for HE. These include curriculum review, joint working and new programmes, taking into account the ‘Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children’s Workforce’ and the Integrated Qualifications Framework (IQF) being developed by the Children’s Workforce Network (CWN) and the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).