Every Child Matters

Many NAVCA members support local voluntary and community organisations' work with the Every Child Matters agenda.

Our report Frontline Hopscotch provides evidence to confirm anecdotal feedback that the Every Child Matters framework, budgetary pressures on local authorities and the advent of local area agreements are creating significant obstacles for groups involved in children's services.

NAVCA has called upon ministers to address the issues identified in this report and is working with the Kindle to draw attention to the problems that arise in relation to consultation, policy, funding and procurement.

NAVCA believes that the Government, local government and their agencies should urgently address the current tensions between the need for preventative and child protection services, and the budgetary pressures on public bodies and the potentially irreversible loss of third sector providers of children's services as a result. Public procurement and commissioning arrangements at must create a level playing field for third sector organisations delivering children's and young people's services.