TY - JOUR
T1 - The 'change for children' Programme in England
T2 - Towards the 'preventive-surveillance state'
AU - Parton, Nigel
PY - 2008/3/1
Y1 - 2008/3/1
N2 - Following the Children Act 2004 and the launch of the 'Every Child Matters: Change for Children' programme, England has embarked on the most ambitious changes in children's services for over a generation. While the government presented the changes as a response to the Laming Report into the death of Victoria Climbié, they are much more than this. They build on a number of ideas and policies that had been developed over a number of years, which emphasize the importance of intervening in children's lives at an early stage in order to prevent problems in later life. This paper provides a critical analysis of the assumptions that underpin the changes and argues that the relationships between parents, children, professionals, and the state, and their respective responsibilities, are being reconfigured as a result, and that the priority given to the accumulation, monitoring, and exchange of electronic information has taken on a central significance. What we are witnessing is the emergence of the 'preventive-surveillance' state, where the role of the state is becoming broader, more interventive, and regulatory at the same time.
AB - Following the Children Act 2004 and the launch of the 'Every Child Matters: Change for Children' programme, England has embarked on the most ambitious changes in children's services for over a generation. While the government presented the changes as a response to the Laming Report into the death of Victoria Climbié, they are much more than this. They build on a number of ideas and policies that had been developed over a number of years, which emphasize the importance of intervening in children's lives at an early stage in order to prevent problems in later life. This paper provides a critical analysis of the assumptions that underpin the changes and argues that the relationships between parents, children, professionals, and the state, and their respective responsibilities, are being reconfigured as a result, and that the priority given to the accumulation, monitoring, and exchange of electronic information has taken on a central significance. What we are witnessing is the emergence of the 'preventive-surveillance' state, where the role of the state is becoming broader, more interventive, and regulatory at the same time.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38949210698&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2008.00420.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2008.00420.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:38949210698
VL - 35
SP - 166
EP - 187
JO - Journal of Law and Society
JF - Journal of Law and Society
SN - 0263-323X
IS - 1
ER -