Statutory services are services that have to be provided by law and are funded by the government. The government may not necessarily have to directly provide these services but they will have to supervise them through some government departments. Each one of these government departments has a secretary of state who is responsible to parliament. Statutory services are provided by the secretaries of state and they can be questioned by parliament if they fail to provide, this may be done by appearing in front of a selected committee or questions will be asked whilst at parliamentary question time.
There are several different statutory services that children and their families are able to use, these include:
Education
Health
Social services
One of the main examples of statutory services is social services. Children’s social services are provided by government and are there to provide care and support for:
Families where children are in need (Including children living in poverty and disabled children)
Children who may be suffering harm
Children in foster or residential care
Children placed for adoption
These services provide foster care, respite care, residential homes and also social workers who are there to provide support and guidance for the children and their families.
Voluntary services are services that are non profit making and are provided by charity where either some or all of their funding is provided by public donations, however some get funding from local government agencies or from the national lottery. For example, Together for Short Lives is a registered charity that is funded mainly by public donations. They also have several partners that range from Help the Hospices, WellChild and National Council for Child Health and Well Being.
Together for Short Lives provides support for children with life-limiting conditions and also for the people who love and care for them. The charity gives the children the opportunity to play and interact with other children who are going through similar problems and provides them with all the help they need, whether that be physical or mental help. The organisation supports the child's family by offering them support and guidance whenever they need it or by simply giving the child's parents a break. The charity recognises that every family matters and provides them with equal opportunities by providing professional care wherever and whenever they need it.
Private sectors are profit making services and can often be seen as a business. Private sectors may sometimes be able to receive funding or grants from the government. If a private sector is being given funding for education off taxpayers then they have to strictly follow the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum, also some private sectors provide support social services. For example some private day nurseries are private services who have to follow EYFS because they receive some funding from the local government however parents also have to pay for their children to attend them.
Private day nurseries support the children by making sure they create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. They make sure the children have regular access to familiar resources in order to ready them for learning when they attend mainstream education. They also make sure the children feel confident in the setting without their parent’s being there. Many nurseries support the parents and families by having wide opening hours, by doing this they allow the parents to go to work without having to worry about being home on time to pick their child up. Some nurseries have achieved the NSPCC award, Staying Safe commitment Scheme so parents can be completely ensured that their children are safe in the nurseries.
E3
The Children Act 1989 was brought in to ensure that the child's welfare was the main priority. Before 1989 parents had all rights over the children whereas after 1989 children were entitled to rights of their own. The Act also