The primary purpose of a children’s trust is to improve outcomes for children through the planning, commissioning and delivery of children’s services across education, social care and health.
All local areas have made significant progress towards this approach. All have completed or are in the process of completing a Children and Young People’s Plan based on a joint needs assessment. At least 144 local authorities have or are in the process of appointing a Director of Children’s Services with responsibility for bringing together education and children’s social services. Many examples of emerging practice have now been published to facilitate shared learning from the most advanced children’s trusts on areas of children’s trust development such as joint planning and commissioning, information sharing and the pooling of budgets.