Gove to remove requirement for councils to set up Children's Trust Boards

The requirement on local authorities to set up Children’s Trust Boards and the requirement for those boards to prepare and publish a joint Children and Young People’s Plan are to be removed “at the first available legislative opportunity”, the Department for Education has announced.

In a statement on its website, the DfE said that Education Secretary Michael Gove would also take steps to:

• Remove the duty on schools to co-operate through Children’s Trusts via the forthcoming Education Bill; and
• Revoke the regulations underpinning the Children and Young People’s Plan and withdraw the statutory guidance on Children’s Trusts “in the autumn”.

Justifying the move, the Department said: “Strong local partnerships are crucial to meeting the needs of all children, but a one-size-fits-all approach will not work.” Removal of the requirements would allow schools to choose how best to engage, it added.

The statement said that the government continued to support effective local partnerships and was “freeing them to address local issues with innovative solutions”.

The basic duty to co-operate will continue but the list of statutory partners is to be reviewed.

Once the regulations are revoked, there will be no requirement to produce a new CYPP in April 2011 “unless the local area wishes to do so”.