Summary of Ed Balls' speech at NCB event regarding the Every Child Matters agenda

Every Child Matters agenda announced
Thursday 19 July 2007

The new Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, has set out a straightforward yet ambitious mission to drive up school standards and improve the lives of every child in the country. He announced a total of £456 million for projects to support the wellbeing of children and families across the country and a focus on play, which enables children to lead healthy, safe and happy childhoods.

At an event organised by NCB, the Secretary of State announced:

£396 million investment to continue the Children’s Fund over the next three years
£60 million over the next three years to support schools in working with mental health practitioners
a “Staying Safe” consultation to support parents in striking the right balance between protecting their children and allowing them to learn and explore safely
taking on dual responsibility for play with the department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop fun, safe and effective children’s play
the key focus of the nationwide consultation to develop a new Children’s Plan to examine prevention of problems, tailored support services, positive childhood and the roles of families
The Secretary of State addressed a conference of experts in children’s services, saying: “Our aspirations are straightforward and ambitious. Every child deserves to be safe and loved and have a healthy and happy childhood, free from harm. And every child should have the chance to make the most of their talents and fulfil their potential.

“To do this, we must provide excellent universal services for all children and their families; be able to identify potential problems early, before things go wrong; and when children are at risk, do something quickly to help children and their families get back on track.”

On closing the achievement gap in schools, the Secretary of State said that key challenges remained, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Services for children need to be more joined up, particularly mental health services and intervention must take place early and decisively with children at risk of truanting.

The Secretary of State concluded by acknowledging the agenda as challenging one and defining it as the responsibility of the Every Child Matters department to make it a reality.