There is currently a big push in England to create ‘city
regions’ based on ‘combined authorities’ - http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN06649/combined-authorities
The idea is to confer on some of the big urban areas – e.g. Greater
Manchester, West Yorkshire etc. - devolved powers similar to those that apply
already in Greater London. Strategic planning, transport and environmental protection
are some of the areas in which the advantages of combination are recognised by
many.
As in London this would result in a two-tier structure with ‘boroughs’
or ‘districts’ still existing within a single strategic framework.
I think that child protection should also feature in
discussions about the formation of combined authorities. A single Local
Safeguarding Children Board and a single approach to procedures and training for
the whole combined authority area seem sensible. Much greater co-operation
between individual children’s services departments would then become possible.
One of the lessons that emerged from the Victoria Climbié inquiry was that the relationship between hospitals and social workers was complicated
because hospitals had to accommodate different procedures and working practices
of different boroughs’ children’s services whose residents used the hospitals.
There is absolutely no reason why this sort of unnecessary complication should
be tolerated.
Ideally I would like to see arrangements in which child
protection work (especially emergency work) can be easily passed between
boroughs/districts within the combined authority. That is yet to happen to any
great extent in London, but in my view should be a strategic objective of the
Department for Education to achieve.
