The Children's Bill

Following its publication on 4th March, the Children's Bill, which is the next phase in the development of the initiatives contained in the 'Every Child Matters' Green Paper, has been proceeding through Parliament. It is anticipated that the Bill will pass into law by the end of this year. The Bill represents a fundamental re-alignment of thinking about how children's development, welfare and health might be better promoted in future and has implications for all those working in the fields of education, health and social care.

At its December 2003 Cabinet Meeting, Norfolk County Council embraced the spirit of 'Every Child Matters' and established a project team and advisory board to continue to develop proposals. The intention is that, at its meeting on June 21st, the Cabinet will determine how Norfolk will move forward towards implementation of the initiatives.

In the interim, the County Council is undertaking an extensive information-giving and consultation exercise involving all the key services and the private and voluntary sector. The Headteacher Meetings provide a valuable opportunity to garner headteachers' views on such issues as focusing provision more sharply on children, further developing a preventative approach, ensuring local service delivery, extending multi-agency co-operation and identifying best practice.