Declaration of interdependence in children’s services

There is a longstanding cross-party consensus that society generally, and the state more specifically, has a unique and unconditional responsibility for all children, encompassing duties to ensure their education, health and protection and to uphold their rights and freedoms as citizens. Global economic crises and austerity do not weaken this public duty, they only make it more urgent. Children’s public services are among the most important manifestations of this duty. Their funding, design, delivery and workforces are crucial to the wellbeing of children.

Similarly, a sense of personal mission and moral duty to take practical action to help protect, nurture, and care for children has been the driving force in the creation and growth of many thousands of charities and community organisations dating back for many centuries, as well as the motivation for their many millions of volunteers and donors. Even today, more than half of all registered charities have the support of children, young people and families as their primary focus.

Both the public service ethos and the voluntary sector spirit embody the principle that they have a responsibility to take action whenever a child is in need, and to put their interests first in all that we do with and for them. It could be called a sense of civic duty towards children.

This Declaration is being made by a diverse group of organisations that have come together because they believe that the sense of public service and civic duty at the heart of children’s services is under threat from the mechanisms of the market and the financial climate.

“We share the vision and commitment to create a society where all children and young people are valued, protected and listened to, their rights are realised and their families are supported.

We believe that the reliance on price-driven competition in children’s service commissioning is eroding, rather than building, our collective capacity and sense of common cause in achieving this vision.

We declare our mutual respect for the importance of public service, charitable mission, professionalism and voluntary action in a more creative and collaborative future for children’s services.”

For further information see attached.