Is all well with children and childhood and the health-related services provided for them in contemporary society?: exploiting the opportunities for change

Abstract

In Part 1 of this two-part paper, a personal perspective was offered on the current circumstance of children in England. It asked why children are important, whether they get a good deal, and whether all is well with the health-related services provided for them. It examined how children and childhood have been valued over the centuries, comparing the Victorian era with today. It reviewed the opportunities to improve the lives and health of children and young people created by the current New Labour Government, and emphasised that improvement will occur only through effective advocacy at the local level for children and their services. This paper reviews the levers for change provided by the current Government's focus on children. It reviews the development of the Getting the Right Start (the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services in England) and the implications of Every Child Matters (the Government's Green Paper on Children). The fine words of philosophy and policy are long overdue and are most welcome. However, nothing is going to change for the better without local understanding of the opportunities, together with support, involvement, action and pressure for change. This means that children's staff must become better advocates for children: if we do not speak for children, then who else will? Practical actions are proposed, and the relevance of the developments in England for the international audience is considered.