Some Background on the Formation of Children Matter East
Since the publication of Every Child Matters in 2003 and the subsequent Children Act of 2004, local authorities in the East of England have developed distinct arrangements and responsibilities for managing the design, procurement and delivery of services for those aged 0-19. This has presented local VCS organisations working with children, young people and their families with significant challenges and opportunities. Since 2006, there has been an informal regional alliance which has, alongside its associated forums, networks and umbrella orgnisations, begun to represent the specialist interests of the sector.
These arrangements were reviewed and refreshed via an externally facilitated away day in 2008. The discussions reaffirmed the sector's commitment to strengthen its regional voice by formalising the alliance into a regional forum known as Children Matter East for VCS organisations working with children, young people and their families, supported by an Executive.
With a registered charity for every 150 children or young people, the sector makes a significant contribution to the well-being of the East of England. Children Matter East has been set up to provide a stronger, more cohesive, single voice, conduit and point of reference for the sector and its partners. It includes national and regional specialist networks and organisations who are already contributing to the development of the sector, some of whose members are from organisations providing services to Children's Trusts.
The Forum
As a regional forum, Children Matter East has some specific functions:
To act as a conduit for representation on appropriate regional and sub-regional strategic bodies or networks.
To identify and promote to partners the contribution the sector can make to improved outcomes for children, young people and their families.
To share good practice.
To promote the development of local specialist support for the sector.
To improve partner's reciprocal accountability for implementing national guidance that is relevant to the sector and its work, including Compact compliance.
To guide, prioritise and review the development of key themes for the sector, e.g. workforce development, unitary authorities and sub-regions.
To support the Executive to develop a work plan that delivers its aims and to monitor its progress and effectiveness against agreed outcomes.
To elect a Chair of the forum and the Executive.
To link below provides access to a diagram showing the relationship between all of the stakeholder organisations connected to Children Matter East:
Regional Forum Diagram
