The 'Every Child Matters' Policy Explained

If you work with children, or you’re a parent, then you may well have come across mentions of the Every Child Matters policy. But in simple terms, what exactly is it and what does it mean?

The Every Child Matters policy is a relatively new idea thought up and implemented by the government. It applies to the well-being of children and young people from when they’re born up until they reach the age of 19 and is based on the idea that every child, regardless of their individual circumstances or background, should have plenty of support throughout their life.

In fact, there are five key principles to the policy which the government believe children should have support with. These are:

• To be healthy.
• To stay safe.
• To enjoy and achieve.
• To make a positive contribution.
• To achieve economic well-being.

Putting the Policy Into Action

The policy applies to everyone who works in any capacity with children, or providing services to children. This includes professionals such as teachers, social workers, foster carers, hospitals, children’s homes, social services and the police, as well as any voluntary groups or charities who work with children. The idea is that at the core of all the work they do, these five simple aspects should be remembered and put into action, to ensure children get the best start in life.

Part of the way the policy works is to get all the different groups of people who work with children in any way or form to join together to share information about how they can best promote the needs of children and help them gain the most out of life. The policy also brings to the forefront the benefits of asking children and young people to share details about issues are important to them – something that has often been overlooked in the past or downplayed.

This is really good news for children and young people as this means their voices and views can be heard. It’s also good news for families too, who may otherwise have felt out on a limb and that the needs of their children in society may be forgotten.

It sounds good in theory, but how do children and young people actually make their views known? The idea is that all the local authorities throughout the country work with various groups and organisations to find out what children think. It’s not necessarily a quick process, but once their views are known, the idea is that they’ll listen to their views and try and implement new ideas to help some aspects become reality.

The government appointed the first ever Children’s Commissioner for England to help with this process and it’s their job to give children and young people a proper opportunity to have their views and thoughts known. Again, this is done in part through work with community groups and children’s organisations, giving particular focus to the needs of those deemed to be in a vulnerable position.

Overall, the policy has been mostly welcomed by those working with children. The core facets are all key areas that everyone working with children strive to foster and the policy helps strengthen these needs and requirements.