Archived decisions

CHILDREN'S FUND

1 The Executive Member has endorsed the Children's Fund plan, submitted by the Hampshire Partnership Management Board for the release of funding in April 2003.

2 The Children's Fund in Hampshire reflects the County Council corporate approach led by Social Services closely supported by Education, and has been designed within the framework of Government guidance to demonstrate effective partnership working between key stakeholders: users, carers, the voluntary sector and statutory agencies, to achieve the key aims of the Children's Fund programme. The Hampshire Children's Fund Partnership has been created in order to develop and manage the programme in line with Government requirements.

3 The key objectives of the fund are:-

a) To ensure that in each area there is an agreed programme of:-



· interventions that pick up on early signs of difficulty, identify needs and introduce children and young people and their families to appropriate services, ensuring close and co-operative working between all relevant local agencies:


· clear responsibility for the management of each child's or family's involvement;


· services which are sufficiently flexible and accessible to ensure informal and self-referrals.


b) To ensure that children and young people who have experienced early signs of
difficulties receive appropriate services in order to gain maximum life chance
benefits from educational opportunities, health care and social care and to ensure
good outcomes by:


· increasing the provision of the right kind of preventative services which will increase the children's life chances through combating problems before they escalate;


· ensuring services are accessible to children and young people and their families, particularly those most in need;


· actively involving children, young people and their families as service users, in planning and delivering services and in creating individual packages of support;


· empowering children, young people, families and communities to take responsibility and control of solutions for themselves.


Felicity Hindson, MBE

Executive Member for Social Care

4IR380103