Does Every Child Matter - Essay Example

Does Every Child Matter: An Analyzing Evaluation of the Key Developments in Social Policy for Children and Families Under the New Labor Government Does Every Child Matter: An Analyzing Evaluation of the Key Developments in Social Policy for Children and Families Under the New Labor Government Specifically, social policy relates to that of "the guidelines for the changing, maintenance or creation of living conditions that are conducive to human welfare. Thus social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues such as public access to social programs. Social policy aims to improve human welfare and to meet human needs for education, health, housing and social security. In an academic environment, social policy refers to the study of the welfare state and the range of responses to social need." (Wikipedia, 2006). The United Kingdom is a rather unitary state in which central government substantially directs that of most government activity, and however, it should be known that the structure of services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differs in certain respects; each separate region has both a Secretary of State and an administrative department situated in the central government, and as well its own assembly and executive, which take on the role in the region of certain central government ministries. The matter of what social policy is and how it affects the family is one which truly needs to be taken incredibly seriously into consideration, and as well it is important to make sure that a viewpoint is gained in relation the old policy; what has changed, whether it is positively or negatively, and so on. As well all of the factors and matters in relation to this should be discussed in order to allow for a more knowledgeable and introspective viewpoint on the matter and this is what will be dissertated in the following. Social policy is a matter which truly has many different aspects, and for instance in United States politics, social policies are those which truly regulate and govern human behavior in areas such as sexuality and general morality, and as well, they are in special contrast to other, more traditional forms of political policy for instance, and that includes the matters of foreign policy and economic policy, for example. The Children Act 1989 is one which was implemented basically to: reinforce the autonomy of families through definition of parental responsibility; provide for support from local authorities, in particular for families whose children are in need; and legislate to protect children who may be suffering or who are likely to suffer significant harm. Basically this act was set in place to have grounds in regards to the welfare of children in general, and when a court determines a question with respect to the upbringing of a child, the child's welfare is what will be the court's paramount consideration. Furthermore, the main aims of the act are: to bring together private and public law in one framework; to achieve a better balance between protecting children and enabling parents to challenge state intervention; to encourage greater partnership between statutory authorities and parents; to promote the use of voluntary arrangements; and to restructure the framework of the courts to facilitate management of family proceedings. The Children Act 2004 however, is considered as being in reference to the New Labor Government, and this Act varies in many different ways in comparison to the old policy; for instance, this guidance on the duty to cooperate provides that of the underpinning framework for children's trusts, and well-being is the term that is used in the Act in order to properly define the five Every Child Matters outcomes, which are as follows: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and achieve economic well-being. Basically what happened was that - in regards to the old policy - Margaret Thatcher won her party's leadership election in 1975, and then following victory in the 1979 general election, the Conservatives then pursued a monetarist economic programme, and in regards to Thatcher, perceptions abroad broadly follow the same political divisions, as on the left, Margaret Thatcher is generally regarded as somebody who used force to quash social movements, who imposed social reforms that disregarded the interests of the working class and instead favored that of the wealthier elements of the middle class and business. Overall it is quite easy to see that there are differences between the new and old policy, and that truly the changes that have been made have been nothing but positive; however there is no way to thoroughly enumerate the various ways in which children around the world are economically exploited and physically mistreated, and "While victims of injustice and poverty have always had trouble with being heard, none have had more trouble, historically, than children. Whether exploited as child laborers or prostitutes, drafted as young teenagers into armed forces, forced as young girls into a lonely life as domestic workers, deprived of an education to work on the family farm, or denied adequate nutrition and health care, children need help and protection from an adult world that perpetrates most of the abuse." (United Nations, 2006). The most important thing for society as a whole to realize and recognize is that there are things that can be done in regards to improving the quality of life in situations such as these, and that as well, if we were all to put as much into something like this as well can, then it would truly be astounding just how far things could go. There is an apparently paradoxical aspiration to universal childcare in the state which is usually identified as the most liberal residualist in Europe, and evidence has been found in regards to greater policy innovation in Wales than in Scotland, despite the weaker formal powers and flimsier child care policy legacy in the former. As well, England in general truly displays a second paradox: policy expansion from a very low base against that of an apparently unfavorable background even despite a lack of strategic policy coherence. When you truly consider the old policy and compare it to the new one, there is really no question in regards to which is better, and which is bound to bring a more positive outcome, and as well, it is thus then quite obvious as to what steps should be taken in the near future in order to make things more positive overall for everyone involved. The real quotient here is to make everyone as knowledgeable and as understanding as possible on the subject matter at hand, so that we can all fully understand the best thing that we can do in order to make the situation a better one overall. If we are to do this, then we will be able to clearly see the difference that we have made and as well, we will be able to see society greater as a whole, and will be able to continuously work towards a more positive future all the time. References APH. (2006). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/sp/ Clasp. (2006). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.clasp.org/ Every Child Matters. (2006). Children Act 2004 - Guidance. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/guidance/ Intute. (2006). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/socialwelfare/ OPSI. (2006). Children Act 2004. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/40031--b.htm Social Policy. (2006). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.socialpolicy.org/ Spicker, P. (n.d.). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/index.htm SPRC. (2006). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/ United Nations. (2006). Children's Rights. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.un.org/rights/dpi1765e.htm Wikipedia. (2006). Social Policy. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_policy Read More