Children's trust
What is a Children's Trust?
All local authority areas are required to have in place Children’s Trust arrangements by April 2008 as part of the Government’s wider agenda for children and young people and as set out in its national publication: Every Child Matters: Next Steps.
Every Child Matters was part of the Government’s response to the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbie and the failure of services to work together to listen and respond to the needs of children.
Every Child Matters focuses on five key outcomes for children and young people:
- Be Healthy
- Stay Safe
- Enjoy and Achieve
- Make a Positive Contribution
- Achieve Economic Well-being
The introduction of the Children Act 2004 provides the legislative spine for developing more effective and accessible services focused around the needs of children, young people and their families.
The main purpose of the Children’s Trust is to bring together all the organisations delivering services to children and young people in order to improve communication, share information, join up services and achieve better outcomes for all children and young people.
Middlesbrough Children and Young People’s Trust will, through effective engagement of children, young people, parents and carers, determine what services are required to meet identified needs, establish how best to deliver those services through joint commissioning, pooling of resources and integration of services.
The Trust is firmly committed to improving outcomes for children and young people in Middlesbrough and has clearly demonstrated this commitment through its agreed vision and principles.