Every Child Matters Framework

All children should grow up in a supportive and stable environment. The government works to protect children and support the professionals who care for them and their families.

Schools are expected to know about and show that they are working from national policies which relate to children, young people and families.

One of the frameworks that schools should be working from is the Every Child Matters framework established in 2003. It is a UK government initiative for England and Wales. It is one of the most important policy initiative and development programmes in relation to children and children’s services of the last decade, and has been described as a “sea change― to the children and families agenda. Every Child Matters covers

The agencies in partnership may include children’s centres, early years, schools, children’s social work services, primary and secondary health services, playwork and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, (CAMHS).

It is the central goal of Every Child Matters to ensure every pupil is given the chance to be able to work towards the goals referenced with it. Most of the legislation passed and guidance applies to England and Wales, and all maintained schools have implemented the policy, it has also been influential in the rest of the UK and in some independent schools.

As part of Every Child Matters and community cohesion, schools have been developing their central role in local communities through projects such as the Extended Schools Programme.

Extended schools provide a range of services and activities, often beyond the school day, to help meet the needs of children, their families and the wider

An extended service school provides a range of services and activities beyond the school to help meet the needs of pupils, their families and the wider community. The school may work with local providers, agencies and other schools to provide access to a core offer of integrated services including:  childcare, 8am to 6pm in primary schools (five days a week and 48 weeks a year), or through local providers  a variety of activities in a safe place, including study support. In secondary schools this means offering young people a safe place to be from 8am to 6pm in term time and more flexibly in the holidays  wider community access to the school’s facilities  swift and easy access or referral to targeted and specialist services  parenting support, for example parenting programmes or family learning sessions. 2. Some schools are referred to as ‘full service’ extended schools and these schools deliver or provide access to the full range of extended services (the five elements of the core offer). The target set by the previous government was for all schools, by 2010, to provide or enable children to access a core offer of extended services. The expectation was that schools would work with other schools, the local authority and other partners to offer a range of services and activities which support and motivate children and young people to achieve their full potential. 3. Providing access to extended