Variations in Registration on Child Protection Registers

This paper outlines some of the limitations of the annual datareports on child protection registrations provided in Englandand Wales and reports the findings of a study into patternsof variation on child protection registers. Previous studiesof variations on child protection registers have usually examinedvariations between particular categories of registration, orfocused upon the aggregated numbers of children registered inlocal areas. Unlike the limited official data, this study examinedthe actual periods of time that children remained registered.It found that there were significant variations by gender, ageand local authority, in the periods of time registered. Thepaper concludes by raising questions about the range and natureof information that might usefully be collected about children,the merits of integrating data-sets, and the uses to which suchdata might be put.     

Early childhood services: evolution or revolution?

This paper considers what progress has been made towards the development of a coherent national policy on services for young children under eight and their families. Since the election of a ‘new’ Labour government in 1997, services for children and families have been higher on the public agenda than at any time in living memory. Much has been achieved, through additional funding, expansion of services, and a more coordinated approach to service provision. But there is still a severe shortage of day care places for children under three, too few appropriately trained staff, a heavy reliance on short term funding, and no agreement on the overall policy on and purpose of early childhood services. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.