Initial
impressions
14. One very clear message emerges from the evidence
we have received: there is almost universal support for the basic
aims of Every Child Matters. We agree with witnesses—and
therefore think it fitting to state at the outset—that
the Government deserves substantial praise for embarking on such
an ambitious and comprehensive programme of reform.
15. We have been impressed by the commitment and
enthusiasm shown by those at the front line, who will shoulder
most of the responsibility for implementing the radical and substantial
changes in practice. We welcomed the evidence they gave us of
the significant progress made to date. However, we also pressed
them on their concerns, in practical terms, about how Every
Child Matters will be translated into reality.
16. Early on in the inquiry, Lord Laming foreshadowed
the contribution of many of the witnesses we would subsequently
hear from when he told us:
"I see the steps that the Government has
taken, which are very, very important steps and a solid foundation
on which to build the beginning of the next phase; however, the
test is: what is the quality of services delivered at the front
door by any one of these agencies across the whole of England,
whether on a housing estate in Preston or a rural community in
Cornwall? […] Implementation will be the test, and what the
Government now puts in place gives us encouragement, but there
is a long way to go."[7]
17. While generally welcomed, some aspects of the
proposed reforms have been the subject of significant concern
and debate. These include: proposals to improve information-recording
and sharing through the introduction of a series of linked databases
containing basic information on all children in England; the role
of the Children's Commissioner for England; and the likely participation
of some schools, GPs and health services in the programme of reform.
Consequently, we comment on these issues in detail in the relevant
parts of this report. Structurally, we follow the DfES's lead,
looking first at the central 'outcomes' and then at the implications
of change at the front line, process level, strategic level and
governance level, in turn.
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