Understanding the impact of policy, a National Perspective Prof. Nick Frost, Professor of Social Work (Childhood, Children and families), Leeds Metropolitan University Children and Young People in Vulnerable Circumstances 18th July 2013

1. The impact of policy: a National
Perspective
Nick Frost,
Professor of Social Work
(Childhood, children & families)
Leeds Metropolitan University
n.frost@leedsmet.ac.uk

2. Aims of the paper
 To address ‘child welfare’ policy in
relationship to vulnerable children
 Pitch between ‘macro’ level (welfare policy)&
between ‘micro’ level (i.e. safeguarding
policy)
 Explore policy models for working with
vulnerable children and young people

3. Vulnerability
 A complex and contested concept
 ‘Universal’ & ‘targeted’ approaches
 Children as ‘active agents’ and ‘passive
victims’
 Children in need & children in need of
protection
 Children, young people & participation

4. The New Labour intervention
model

5. Re-modeling childhood
New Labour and childhood:
 Social investment in cash benefits and services
 Workforce re-modeling
 Integrated and holistic approaches
 Regulation, targets and inspections – the ‘audit society’ /
‘strong state’ culture
 Progressive universalism
leading to a new form of childhood shaped by the five outcomes.

6. The Coalition – policy shifts
 Re-naming of DCSF to Department for Education
 Bonfire of quangos – CWDC , GSCC, NSDU……
 Abolition of – Child Trust Fund, Contact Point……
 Restrictions to local authority expenditure
 Reforms to health and education: fragmentation
 Adoption reform
 ‘Troubled families’ / social investment bonds
 Changes to Serious Case Reviews
 De-regulation of Children's Trusts and Children's Plans
 The four reviews – Allen, Field, Tickell and Munro
 Early intervention

7. Theoretical perspectives
New Labour attempted to re-construct childhood through a
strong State-led, social investment programme which operated
through a regime of regulation, targets and inspection.
The Coalition attempts to limit the State’s role in childhood
through de-regulation, localisation and withdrawal of social
investment leading to a more private and individualised
experience of childhood, except where more authoritarian
interventions are seen as necessary.

8. Two models of childhood
The New Labour child experiences more –
regulation: assessment and measurement:
social investment: holistic approaches:
professional involvement: planned and
strategic approaches.

9. Two models of childhood
The Coalition child experiences -
less regulation: and less social investment:
is the ‘educated’ child rather than the ‘holistic’
child: a more ‘privatised’ and less ‘public’
existence: more localised variation: with
authoritarian interventions for ‘vulnerable’
children & young people

10. New Labour ‘progressive
universalism’
 Those children and young people who need
it should receive additional support to
address the persistent gap in outcomes
between the lowest and highest socio-economic
groups. This means offering a
continuum of support according to need with
greater personalisation of services to meet
every child’s and family’s requirements
(DfES, 2007a: 5) Aiming High for Disabled Children

11. Coalition targeted services
 Children and Families Bill (3rd reading)
 Adoption
 Family proceedings
 Child care / parental leave
 Education, Health and Care plans

12. A coherent narrative?
 ‘all children....should have the opportunity to
realise their potential and to succeed’
 ‘we have a fundamental responsibility as a
Government to look our for the most
vulnerable children and to not only protect
their welfare but safeguard their interests and
their future’ [Edward Timpson, HC Hansard,
25 /2/2-13, col 45]

13. The UNICEF judgement
Report Card 7 (2007)
United Kingdom 21st from 21 rich countries
[18th on material well-being dimension]
Report Card 11 (2013)
United Kingdom 16th from 29 rich countries
[14th on material well-being dimension]

14. The adoption example- social
authoritarianism in action
 The misuse of social statistics
 Fast track adoptions- financial and
transparency tools
 ‘A rush to permanence’: adoption breakdown
 An attack on birth parents?
 Ethnicity and culture

15. CSE example- multi-disciplinarity
in action
 A programme of action around perceptions of
vulnerability
 From ‘child prostitution’ to ‘child sexual
exploitation’ (CSE)
 Multi-disciplinarity as central
 Addressing a social problem

16. Rhetoric and reality?
 Progressive policies – Health and Well-being
Boards, elements of Munro, CSE
 Regressive policies- child poverty, adoption,
ethnicity and culture
 Working with not doing to ‘vulnerable’
children and young people