In 2003, Victoria Climbie, a young girl in the care of her great aunt and the man she lived with, suffered horrendous abuse before her eventual death at their hands. The event sparked widespread and heated debate about the nature of services for children. It was felt that if services had worked closer with one another this tragedy may have been prevented.
In 2004 the Government passed the Children's Act which gave new objectives to organisations that provide services for children and young people to arrange a partnership between those services. This partnership forms the basis of a Children's Trust. In North East Lincolnshire, this arrangement is called the Change4Children Partnership and includes partners such as the Local Authority, Health, Police and the Voluntary and Community Sector.
In 'Every Child Matters'; the green paper that preceded the Children Act; the Government outlined the five outcomes that should be achieved through these changes in services for children. The outcomes are that every child should be healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.
Children's Trusts work to make the positive outcomes mentioned in 'Every Child Matters' a reality. In North East Lincolnshire, the Children's Trust was officially launched in the spring of 2008. The Trust was already working in new ways to help local children and young people to achieve their full potential and enjoy life.
The Children's Trust is responsible for organising the provision of services that can work on many levels to care for local children, no matter how big or small their particular need may be.