Please view our "What's new" page for recently updated information, including the Kent Children's Trust Commissioning and Delivery Review (also mentioned below).

Children's Trusts are central to Government policy for improving children's services. The policy, developed in Every Child Matters, the Children Act 2004, and The Children's Plan aims to improve outcomes for all children by redesigning services and ensuring active partnership through Children's Trusts.

Children's Trusts bring together social care, health, police, education, districts and other services to ensure integrated, child-centered approaches to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. All Local Authorities are expected to introduce a Children's Trust by 2008.

In November 2008 the DCSF released new guidance designed to strengthen Children’s Trusts and support improvement in outcomes for children, young people and their families. The ‘Statutory Guidance on inter-agency cooperation to improve well-being of children, young people and their families’ was released along with a consultation on revised guidance for the roles and responsibilities of the Lead Member and Director of Children’s Services.

An information leaflet entitled ‘What is a Children’s Trust’ explaining what Children’s Trusts do was also made available, along with a letter from the Secretary of State on Children's Trusts. 

Kent Children's Trust

The Kent Children's Trust was established in September 2006 with the Kent Children and Young People’s plan,  ‘Positive about our Future’ being published in the same year. The second version of this plan has recently been approved and defines the key priorities for supporting children and young people in Kent through to 2011.

Kent Children's Trust Commissioning and Delivery Review

Throughout August, September and October 2009 Kent Children's Trust are undertaking a self analysis review of their Commissioning and Delivery Arrangements.  This review has been initiated by the KCT Executive group and will use the Commissioning Support Programmes Self Analysis tool as the basis for the review and will be supported by members of the CSP alongside the KCT Partnership and Development team.  A programme of work and review is currently being finalised by the team and will endeavour to capture colleagues from as many aspects of C&YP commissioning and delivery in Kent as possible.

As online Self Analysis Tool will also be available from these pages from September to allow those unable to attend any of the scheduled programmes of work to still undertake the exercise and help shape future commissioning and delivery arrangements.

KCT CSP Self Analysis Exercise 

What is Commissioning?

The Commissioning Support Programme (CSP) defines the term commissioning in relation to Children's Trusts as:

'Commissioning is the process for deciding how to use the total resource available for children, young people and parents in order to improve outcomes in the most efficient, effective, equitable and sustainable way.'

The KCT Commissioning and Delivery Review Aims and Objectives.

• To ensure that the KCT Board, Executive and sub structure are fit for the purpose of effective integrated commissioning and delivery across children's services in Kent.
• To complete the national commissioning self-evaluation with a wide range of groups working as part of the KCT to identify commissioning strengths and areas for improvement.
• To seek feedback on the effectiveness and capacity of local partnership arrangements to commission and deliver on a locality basis within a strategic framework.
• To develop a strategic ommissioning plan (setting out how the key priorities in the CYPP will be commissioned) including any infrastructure developments for the KCT arrangements.
• To inform the development of the long-term Children's Trust Strategic development plan covering all elements of Children's Trust working.

For more information please contact one of the KCT team on the details below.

LCSPs

The 23 Local Children’s Services Partnerships (LCSPs) went live in September 2008. The LCSPs play a central role in improving outcomes for local children, young people and families through integrated commissioning and front line delivery. Each LCSP will produce its own Local Children and Young People’s Plan, they have also established their own Local Children’s Services Partnership Boards. The introduction of LCSPs represents a key milestone in the development of children’s trust arrangements in Kent..

Children’s Trust Newsletter

The latest edition of the Kent Children’s Trust Newsletter is now available. The newsletter highlights successes, provides information and includes items on new developments supporting children’s trust arrangements in Kent. We hope you find it helpful and informative.

For further information on the Kent Children’s Trust please see the useful links document or contact:

Joy Ackroyd
Kent Children’s Trust Partnership Manager
Tel: 01622 696013
E-mail: joy.ackroyd@kent.gov.uk

Jill Wiles
Policy Officer Children’s Trust and Health
Tel: 01622 694121
E-mail: jill.wiles@kent.gov.uk

James Harman
Children’s Trust Development Officer   
Tel: 01622 694195
Email: james.harman@kent.gov.uk

Ashley Cowling
Children’s Trust Administrative Assistant, Kent Success Apprentice  
Tel: 01622 694121
Email: ashley.cowling@kent.gov.uk