Initial responses to the Green Paper.

The article presents responses to the Green Paper Every Child Matters. For many readers, the first response will have been relief that Every Child Matters acknowledges that child protection should be a part of overall policies to improve children's lives. The most radical proposal contained in the Green Paper is the plan to merge local authority education and social care services for children under a Director for Children's Services. This integration represents a staging post along the route to Children's Trusts which will incorporate children's health services and possibly Youth Offending Teams and Connexions. Chapter 6 of the Green Paper addresses workforce reform and acknowledges the problems of increasing bureaucracy, high workload and a lack of supervision. The Green Paper also discusses alternative approaches to safeguarding children, which includes a range of supportive interventions focused on parents and family group conferencing. The Green Paper has many positive elements, including the proposal for a range of multidisciplinary teams which would encompass different interprofessional permutations but would focus on assessment and early intervention.