Dissertation
Addressing Child Abuse via Every Child Matters and Improving Educational Experiences Policies
Abstract
The thesis has served the purpose to address child abuse with the help of Every Child Matters by bringing improvements in educational experiences policies. The policy changed after the election victory of the Conservative Party. Under which policies of “Beyond Every Child Matters” and “Big Society” emerged as important ones. The paper is broadly a recommendations paper where the educational experiences policies have been looked at and explained in light of new and revised Every Child Matters policy. The issue of child abuse has been addressed in light of ECM policy under the new government because it takes a broader and comprehensive look at the issue. In this qualitative research, review of the literature has been done to draw findings. The issue of child abuse has been addressed in light of the policy guidelines of ECM. The research is exploratory, and it explains various factors around it. However, findings reveal that there is a strong impact of ECM on educational experiences of children and students, and the issue of child abuse is addressed through it. Recommendations have been made to improve the collaboration and participation of parents and educators in the process so that educational experiences may be improved, and the issue of child abuse may be addressed.
Key Words: Every Child Matters, Child Abuse, Educational Experiences, Parents, Educational Institutions, Educators, Administrators, Conservative Government Election Victory in 2010, Big Society
Chapter 1-Introduction
Child abuse is a growing social problem in many countries. Developed and developing countries are affected by these alike. Child abuse may be in the form of sexual assault on a child, and it may be through the neglect of a child. In the United Kingdom, there are proper laws of prevention of child abuse and Every Child Matters is a comprehensive UK government program which aims to protect every child irrespective of his or her background and circumstances. This program was started in 2003, and it may be said as a response to an event in which Victoria Climbie died (Government of UK, 2003). However, since the coalition government in 2010, the emphasis of the program has changed too much extent. This paper aims to consider the impact of the program to address the problem of child abuse by improving the educational experiences of children. Thus, the program can be divided into two periods, i.e. before the coalition government of the Conservative Party in 2010 and after the formation of the coalition government of the Conservative Party. It has been noted that addressing this important social issue of child abuse through this Every Child Matters program can be possible if the government still has an emphasis on it (Routledge , 2016). Every Child Matters policy should be communicated with parents and educators or administrators so that it may improve the educational experiences of children and address the issue of child abuse. Moreover, there should be the emphasis of this policy on this issue, which can only be possible if it is prioritized. This paper looks into a comparison of the policy in pre-2010 and post-2010 periods and scenarios.
1.1-Every Child Matters Policies:
Every Child Matters is an initiative taken by the UK government, and it has been prepared for England and Wales. It is a comprehensive program which covers children of any background and circumstances, and in terms of age, its jurisdiction is quite wide. The scope of the policy covers all children and adults. The age limit is up to the age of 19 under this program, but this age limit increases to 24 if the person is disabled. Since the coalition government’s victory in 2010, the program has undergone considerable changes and focus. One of the most prominent changes after the Conservative Party-led coalition was to change the name of the Department for Children, Schools, and Families to make it the Department for Education. The well-being of an aspect of the policy was replaced with achievement driven and oriented policy (Evans J. , 2012).
1.2-Child Abuse:
Child abuse is mostly associated with its sex perspective, and in the UK context, it has been in society any time and every time during history. Almost all child abuse cases have noticed that a relative or a person familiar with the child is involved in this act. Cases of child abuse keep coming on the surface, and religious institutions, schools, politicians, military personnel, and other sectors and departments have been involved in this criminal act of child abuse.
1.3-Improvement in Educational Experiences Policies:
This research also highlights the improvement in educational experiences policies. Educational experiences policies are aimed at providing a friendly and assisting environment to students through which they can enrich and make their educational experiences better. This paper also discusses improvements in these policies concerning the prevention of child abuse. Educational experiences are very important to be discussed in light of Every Child Matters policy because this policy has directly addressed these experiences.
1.4-Problem Statement:
Child abuse is a social problem in UK society like other societies of the world, and this issue needs addressing. To address the problem of child abuse, there should be considerable focus on the protection and safety of children, and it can be done by making the educational experiences effective and motivating for children. In this scenario, the UK and Wales got Every Child Matters policy in 2003, which integrated a comprehensive program of education to children and their learning and educational experiences. It made the policy very attractive and useful in the eyes of the public and critics. However, the policy has experienced a considerable change since the coalition government of the Conservative Party, which has changed the orientation of the program or policy. Thus, the problem to be addressed in this research is to look into the effectiveness and usefulness of the policy for educational experiences of children and making the policy a safeguard from the child abuse problem. Therefore, the paper would study and research the effectiveness of the policy in the pre-2010 period when the government was fully dedicated to it by giving it priority. On the other hand, the UK and Wales have faced a change in the party ruling their geographical land where Conservative Party-led coalition won the election in 2010. After the victory, it has been observed, and critics have pointed out that there is less or decreased focus and attention to the policy. This situation can cause a serious setback to the educational experiences of children, and they might face more child abuse cases. Therefore, this paper critically looks into the policy and its effectiveness towards steps against child abuse and betterment and effectiveness in educational experiences (Davies, Mountford, & Gannon, 2009). The problem of child abuse should be addressed in a comprehensive manner, which means that it may not be effective to address the issue directly. If the issue is addressed directly and exclusively that many contextual factors may be ignored because there are many factors associated with this issue. Therefore, the issue has been addressed in this thesis through the lens of Every Child Matters policy and educational experiences have been taken into account.
1.6-Objectives of the Study:
- To address the social phenomenon of child abuse
- To discuss and explain Every Child Matters in connection with child abuse
- To explain improvements in educational experiences policies concerning child abuse
- To explain the implications of Every Child Matters to address child abuse and improve educational experiences policies
- To assess the change in the effectiveness of ECM policy in the pre-2010 and post-2010 scenario
- To offer the present-day situation of the policy and its effectiveness
- To recommend the government and stakeholders about the policy
Chapter 2-Literature Review:
Worldwide, child abuse prevalence and spread are one of the serious public issues. It is a general perception that the rate of child abuse is increasing in the world, but there is no such evidence with researchers to say it for sure (Gilbert, et al., 2011). It is found in the context of the UK that there is a rise in trends that children are getting child protection plans.
Moreover, there is also a rise in children those are entering into foster care centers. There has been an increase in the number of children getting a child protection plan in England by 48 percent from 2006 to 2010. Furthermore, there is an upward or increasing trend in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland (Fisher, et al., 2010).
There is solid evidence, and it is acknowledged in several studies that child protection services have been reporting a low level of prevalence of acts of child abuse and in reality, the rate of prevalence is high. It is also reported that at least 50 percent of young adults may recall of abuse in their childhood. However, if the incident of child abuse happened at a very young age that it is difficult to recall and if the incident of child abuse has been consequential or serious then it is easy to remember the incident (Munro, 2011).
There is found a gap in the reported and recorded cases of child abuse, and the reason is the fact that these incidents usually take place on the premises of the home. The studies conducted on child abuse are usually conducted on adults to recall their childhood experiences while children are not made part of the research. The issue or problem of child abuse has been defined so that the concept of child abuse can be made clearer. The level or scale of abuse and attributes of affected individuals are maintained so that changes in the behavior and attitudes can be noted. Every Child Matters has taken a broader and more comprehensive picture through which care for children has been emphasized even further (Pereda, Guilera, Forns, & Gómez-Benito, 2009).
There has been rich research on the role of Every Child Matters, and implications of the initiative have been noticed and considered related to school administration and educational experiences policies. The research states that Green Paper on Every Child Matters has plenty of implications for children and their families. These implications are very effective since the Children’s Act passed in 1988 (Reid, 2005).
The role of ECM and its impact on educational experiences policies is clear as it directs and assists schools and other departments and their professionals to have a serious approach for child development. Education has been given the top priority in giving a child an environment for development. The concept and idea of extended schools is the result of this policy where aims of schooling are broadened and are made comprehensive. The ECM policy aims to reverse an overemphasis on academic achievements because only academic results are not prioritized. Moreover, there is a need for a comprehensive plan of studies for students (Barreau, et al., 2008).
Educational experiences policies link with effectiveness through Every Child Matters, and it has been noted that health and cognitive and noncognitive outcomes are related to each other. Researchers have found that poor health behavior has poor outcomes for students. Smoking and insufficient nutrition for children are considered to be responsible for poor cognitive outcomes. It also leads to or associated with poor parenting skills. Be a healthy outcome of ECM is also important in educational experiences as it has been researched that there is not a very high or great impact on health outcomes from education. Staying safe is another important outcome of ECM, and bullying is one of the determinants of ECM, as it is found that well-being of children, is largely affected by experiences of children. Bullying, victimization, and friendships are important factors, and they play an important role in individual experiences of children (Gutman & Feinstein, 2008).
2.1-Children Act 2004 and ECM Policy:
There are four key areas of the Children Act of 2004, and they have been aimed at making children’s experience effective (Lancaster & Kirby, 2010). These important areas have been discussed in different research studies and have been reviewed in the following.
2.1.1-Support for Parents and Careers:
The government has taken a step towards the support and improvement of children’s lives in the UK and has assigned the fun of 24 million pounds for the fund. The name of the fund is the Parenting Fund. The purpose is also there to increase children’s educational experiences. Parenting skills and family support is increased to children, and in the result; they can have more attention and care. There is an association of the fact that if there is more support from family, then children perform better in studies, and they are successful in their career as well. There is increasing support for parents and careers from ECM and the Children Act of 2004 under which every child gets much attention and care. In the result, support is provided to children through services of schools, health, and social welfare, and childcare improves very much. Specialists may also come in to support families by providing them advice and valuable recommendations. In the result, educational experiences of children get better and effective (Pugh, 2009).
2.2-Early Intervention and Effective Protection:
The ECM policy and the Children Act of 2004 have enabled the application and utilization of early intervention in the system. Every Child Matters agenda contains a provision for broader integration was efforts for the betterment of children are well integrated and collaborated by several institutions and bodies (Santer & Cookson, 2009).
It is also researched that the importance of on-the-spot multidisciplinary teams is very high so that the delivery of services may be encouraged. The importance of such services and collaboration is greater when it is close to the premises of educational institutions. There is a tendency to increase the possibility of providing the delivery of services immediately, and any issue may be resolved on the spot. The provisions of ECM and the actors have all these important provisions for the betterment of children and youngsters’ care. In the result, educational experiences of students also affect positively (Davies, Mountford, & Gannon, 2009).
2.3-Accountability and Integration:
It has been noted that accountability and integration are also one of the objectives of ECM. ECM ensures that there are no organizational boundaries and quality of services is not affected negatively because of different departmental culture and policies. The quality of services is ensured to children and their families, and in the result, they become more involved and interacting in the educational experiences. The aim of the government through ECM is to assign one person responsible for taking care of and improving the lives of children. That person is responsible at the local and national level for this responsibility in favor of children. To do this, the government has created the Ministry for the issues involving Children, Young People, and Families. There are also Director of Children’s Services at the local authority. The development of Children Trust is also part of the process. To protect the issues and rights of children, there are Local Safeguarding Children Boards (Evans & Rich, 2011).
ECM takes into account every child, and every child has been made a priority for local authorities. There are multitasking and mutual interactions of different agencies aimed at providing integrated and collaborative effort. ECM is one of such initiatives which collaborate based on different agencies and their functions. In the result, there is an equal priority given to each child. Moreover, research studies confirm that it is very important to have clear and well-established standards for the development of performance targets, funding streams, action plans, practice standards, and rationalization of activities and actions for each agency providing support and care to each child. Thus, there is an enhanced level of effectiveness and usefulness if there is an integrated inspection framework for services provided to children (Cheminais, 2014).
2.4-Reforms about Workforce:
The safety of children is very important, and the public has given attention to this important issue in society. The safety of children is important from different social problems, and child abuse is one of them. Moreover, neglect is also considered to be one important issue faced by children. In the context of educational background and the backdrop of Ian Huntley incident at Soham, the focus has increased towards the safety of children. There is a need for increased safety measures at an educational setting and social setting. In the result, the protection and safety of children have been ensured. ECM has taken this perspective, and it has focused on reforms about workforce where working with children require well integrated and multidimensional support from different directions and departments. A more skilled and flexible workforce can come up with the expectations of ECM where their high skills and flexibility lead to a better future and results for every child. Children practices have been transformed and made efficient in the result of ECM because there is more chance of long-term training, opportunities for promotion, reduction in bureaucracy, and more chances of betterment for students in the result of Every Child Matters (Cale & Harris, 2013).
Professional development of the workforce is also possible because of ECM because professional development is done through an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach. Access to this aspect of professional development is achieved through ECM. However, it is important to note which are the key professionals involved in the ECM. These key professionals include police, nurses, midwives, general practitioners, health visitors, and workers and personnel working in schools, educational and social healthcare centers. Any change in the workforce reforms for children would involve collaboration and interaction of these key professionals (Kominis & Dudau, 2012).
2.5-ECM Policy After 2010
Frost and Parton (2009) have discussed the term of safeguarding which is part of ECM program, and it has been noted that safeguarding has been included in the program as a broader element under the Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and child abuse was a narrowly focused agenda, and it is included in section 47 of the act (Frost & Parton, 2009).
Furthermore, there is also the changed policy of Beyond Every Child Matters and the policy of Big Society under which education and welfare policies have been included to provide a comprehensive and more detailed manner. The research discusses the policy and its outcomes from the period of 2010 to 2015 and after 2015 (Simon, 2017).
The author has noted that Every Child Matters agenda under the New Labor brought the most considerable and visible changes in education and welfare section since the Education Act of 1988. The new coalition government brought reforms swiftly and dramatically and established the Department for Education. It was by the department under a new government that laid out the policy which was away from bureaucratic practices and under the new policy, the policy was changed, and reforms were introduced. However, policies of older ECM since 2003 were replaced with new terms. New terminologies of “let every child achieve more”, “safeguarding”, and “local areas, better, fairer, services” were included under the new policy (Simon, 2017).
2.6-Schools and ECM: A Future Outlook
Every Child Matters or ECM has several provisions and steps for the betterment or well being of children; then it is hoped that these advantages and benefits can be achieved through it. However, research studies have joined the Children Act with it, as well. Both of these documents make such a framework and scenario for the betterment of children and their families that they can get benefits. There are many good points of Every Child Matters for students and their educational experiences. These benefits also help children and their educational experience for several reasons. The literature has covered some of the benefits of the future of children and their families in light of Every Child Matters. These are hopes which are associated with ECM that it would bring for families and children (Thompson & Emira, 2011).
The children are made safe from any harm through ECM, and the jurisdiction and nature of the harm are of different scale and type. Other forms of harm are abuse, neglect, harassment, any kind of exploitation, and misbehavior. These different forms of harm affect students in the school setting very negatively, and the negative impact can be made better if there are combined efforts against these forms of harm (Meehan, 2016).
2.7-Challenges for Schools in the context of ECM:
There are several challenges which are faced by schools and educational institutions when they aim to implement the provisions of Every Child Matters framework and policy in their educational setting. Children have possibilities to get benefits from the framework if these challenges are responded effectively. In a study, the ECM and the act have been taken together to observe challenges faced by educational institutes (Kominis & Dudau, 2012).
Schools are required to be equipped to be multi-departmental and interdepartmental in their approach so that they can interact with different departments and areas to come up with requirements of Every Child Matters. Schools are going to cooperate and collaborate with different agencies so that individual improvement strategies and initiatives may be ensured (Reid, 2005).
2.8-Responsibilities for Local Education Authorities:
Literature has confirmed the role of local education authorities to achieve the aims of the ECM framework. This framework aims to make LEAs able to work in line with combating abuse and other negative effects on children due to different reasons. However, recommendations have been made for LEAs to follow if they want to effectively implement the framework of Every Child Matters (Cheminais, 2014).
LEAs have an obligation to coordinate and support school administration and students so that they can ensure a high level of achievement of students. LEAs perform a supporting role, and in this role, they ensure that they keep an eye on the needs of educational institutions. The achievement of children is taken as a priority because central importance is obvious to children. However, it is also needed that there is an efficient and swift method to diagnose and identify problems faced by children in an educational setting. LEAs take action in this regard as strategies should keep being developing so that problem recognition stage may run fast, and there is an easier and faster method of problem identification of children (Cheminais, 2014).
LEAs take measures for the safety and protection of children, and this purpose; they identify and protect vulnerable children. Safety and protection are important to be considered so that there is no discrimination against students in educational institutions (Cheminais, 2014).
Chapter 3-Methodology:
The methodology section for this research is important to highlight the methods used to get results from this research. First, the objectives of the research would be rewritten in this chapter, which is followed by the chosen methodology for this research. It is followed by the rationale of using the chosen methodology. Then, other important aspects of the methodology are going to be explained in this chapter.
The objectives of the study would be discussed here a little bit so that the foundations of the chosen methodology can be set. Objectives call for addressing the social phenomenon, which is child abuse. The application of Every Child Matters policy is also included in the objectives of child abuse. However, the phenomenon of child abuse has not been studied exclusively, but it has been considered as an outcome of the policy that it would reduce instances of child abuse in society. The aspect of change in the policy has also been included in this paper where conservative party coalition made considerable changes in the ECM policy when it was elected in 2010 and then after 2015 changes increased in their magnitude further as well.
3.1-Chosen Methodology:
The methodology used for this research is qualitative because the research aims to explore the policy of Every Child Matters for addressing the issue of child abuse and making educational experiences effective for students. The policy of ECM has been explored, and in light of this policy, other variables of child abuse and educational experiences have been explained and explored. Therefore, the methodology used for this paper is to review based methodology, and the literature on the topic has been used to draw findings around the theme of the policy of ECM. Benefits of qualitative research methods may be many, and these benefits lead to study the research under these methods. First, qualitative research methods yield results to be applicable in a specific way. In the result, specific research can be carried out using qualitative research methods. This is why qualitative research methods have been employed so that specialist results may be found (Grange, Lewis, & Carslaw, 2016).
3.2-Justification of Using Qualitative Research:
The policy of ECM has been there for more than 15 years, and its importance and critical role in the children’s welfare, protection, and safeguarding is very clear, therefore, even after the election victory of Conservative Party in 2010, the policy has continued with changed. There is plenty of research on the topic in the pre and post-2010 scenario of the policy, and that data has been used for review, discussion, and drawing findings.
3.3-Selection of Articles for this Research:
Selection of articles has been made using keywords related to the research terms around ECM and subjective changes in the policy throughout the period until 2019. Thus, ECM policy and Beyond ECM policy, and a Big Society policy are the keywords used in the research to study and analyze the policy over time. Moreover, five outcomes of the ECM policy and the role of the Education Department have been searched to find articles for this research. The Big Society by the Conservative Party is also the policy to take care of communities, and the protection of children and education becomes possible under the policy.
3.4-Ethical Considerations:
Ethical considerations of the study have been met, and the articles included in the research have been properly processed under these considerations. Ethical considerations include citing used articles properly and referencing them in the text and at the end of the bibliography. Moreover, the research has been conducted around the objectives of the study, and no biases or prejudice has not been considered in conducting this research. Ethical values have been observed in the research, and there are no personal interests of the author in this research. Moreover, credible sources have been used in research, which directly addresses the topic.
3.5-Criteria for Selection of Articles and their Discussion:
| Database and Search Words | Title of Articles | Full Access | Access to Abstract | Website or Book | Inclusion Criteria |
| Report for JRF: The primary school years.
(Socio-economic factors for children) |
The socio-economic gradient in child outcomes: the role of attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs The primary school years. | Yes | Yes | Article | The article discusses an important aspect related to child outcomes. Therefore this article has been selected |
| Sport, Education, and Society.
(Every child, physical education) |
`Every child (of every size) matters’ in physical education! Physical education’s role in childhood obesity | Yes | Yes | Article | The role of Every Child Matters policy has been discussed about a social phenomenon of obesity. |
| (Every Child Matters ) | Every Child Matters: A Practical Guide for Teaching Assistants
|
No | Yes | Book | The book offers discussion on the ECM policy. |
| European Journal of Teacher Education | Every Child Matters: the perceptions of a sample of initial teacher education trainees in England | No | Yes | Article | The article discusses the ECM policy about teacher education trainees. |
| Journal of Education Policy | Body policies and body pedagogies: every child matters in totally pedagogised schools? | No | Yes | Article | The policy of ECM has been discussed in the context of pedagogy. |
| Psychological Medicine | The varying impact of type, timing, and frequency of exposure to childhood adversity on its association with an adult psychotic disorder. | No | Yes | Article | The article discusses children adversity, and it is linked with experiences faced by children. |
| Lancet
(child maltreatment, trends, and policies) |
Child maltreatment: variation in trends and policies in six developed countries.
|
No | Yes | Article | The extent and level of child maltreatment in the developed part of the world has been discussed. |
| Government of UK
(Every Child Matters ) |
Every child matters
|
Yes | No | Report | The report details the ECM policy. |
| Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report
(Children’s Wellbeing, School effects) |
Children’s Well-Being in Primary Schools: Pupil and School Effects | Yes | Yes | Report | The report discusses and takes children well being into account. |
| Management Accounting Research | Time for interactive control systems in the public sector? The case of the Every Child Matters policy change in England
|
No | Yes | Article | The research discusses ECM policy change. |
| Open University Press
(Listening and communication of children) |
Listening to Young Children
|
No | Yes | Book | Listening and communication with children have been taken into account in this book. |
| Early Child Development and Care | Every child mattered in England: but what matters to children? | No | Yes | Article | Related aspects of children have been discussed in this article. |
| Gov.uk
(child protection) |
Documents on the Munro review of child protection | No | Yes | Report | The aspect of child protection has been discussed, and it is related to the variable of the study. |
| Clinical Psychological Review
(Child sexual abuse, students, community) |
The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: a meta-analysis.
|
No | Yes | Article | Child sexual abuse has been analyzed and discussed in this article. |
| Book
(Every child matters, service) |
EVERY CHILD MATTERS: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE INTEGRATION IN ENGLAND | Yes | Yes | Article | The article discusses the ECM policy. |
| Pastoral Care in Education
(Every Child Matters, Children Act) |
The Implications of Every Child Matters and the Children Act for Schools | Yes | Yes | Article | Implications of ECM and Children Act have been included in the article. |
| Routledge
(Every Child Matters) |
Every Child Matters Outcomes Framework | Yes | Yes | Report | The report is on the ECM policy. |
| Northumbria Research Links
(Every Child Matters, Childcare) |
Early years, childcare and Every Child Matters | No | Yes | Book | The book is on the ECM policy, and it discusses children and childcare. |
| Disability and Society
(Every Child Matters, ASD, ADHD, care for children) |
They say every child matters, but they don’t’: an investigation into parental and carer perceptions of access to leisure facilities and respite care for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | ECM policy has been investigated about children having disorders. | |||
| ECM policy in Conservative Party Reign and Children Act 1989 | Frost, N., & Parton, N. (2009). Understanding children’s social care: Politics, policy, and practice. Sage Publications. | Yes | No | Book | The book takes into account ECM and its role in the overall policy of the government. |
| Every Child Matters, Beyond Every Child Matters, a Big Society of UK under Conservative Party Government after 2010 | Simon, C. A. (2017). Beyond Every Child Matters. Routledge . | No | Yes | Book | The book is comprehensive and detailed on the ECM policy, and it has covered the period of 2010 to 2015 and just after the 2015 period extensively. |
Chapter 4- Discussions and Findings
The results from the review of the literature in this study describe that there is a positive link to address the issue of child abuse, and there is betterment in educational experiences because of ECM policy. Results have been given in light of the objectives of the study, and themes of the study have been extracted around these objectives.
4.1-Results
Results have been generated based on the objectives of the study, and these objectives have been achieved after careful review of the literature and information on the chosen phenomenon.
- To address the social phenomenon of child abuse
- To discuss and explain Every Child Matters in connection with child abuse
- To explain improvements in educational experiences policies concerning child abuse
- To explain the implications of Every Child Matters to address child abuse and improve educational experiences policies
- To assess the change in the effectiveness of ECM policy in the pre-2010 and post-2010 scenario
- To offer the present-day situation of the policy and its effectiveness
- To recommend the government and stakeholders about the policy
Objectives of the study have been considered to relate to the themes in the literature review. It is found that the phenomenon of issue of child abuse is important, and there is a need to consider and address the issue in the context of the developed world, including the UK. Thus, this paper has addressed the issue of child abuse, but it has been noted that it is not a single issue which has been discussed. It is because of the comprehensive policy of ECM, which later changed to beyond ECM and a Big Society policy affecting the issue or phenomenon of child abuse. The objective of addressing child abuse in connection with ECM has been achieved as well. The ECM policy and Conservative Party-led coalition’s revised policy takes a holistic and comprehensive approach and place the issue of child abuse within the context of many functions and activities at the same time. Thus, the policy improves educational experiences, and in the result, better protection and safeguard of children get possible. The implications of ECM policy and a Big Society are great for eradicating the phenomenon of child abuse because of its effectiveness.
However, the paper has not effectively achieved the objective to compare the effectiveness of the ECM policy in the period before 2010 and after 2010. It is because it may require great detail. However, it is noted that there are some voices which favor ECM under the Labor Party; however, there are some voices as well, which praise the policy in the Conservative Party led government. The policy is effective, and it has decentralized the education process and system, and in the result, the educational experiences of children have got better. Recommendations have been made in the end chapter of this research.
4.2-Discussion:
Every Child Matters policy has been studied, and it is related to children as well as young people. The policy has come with other policies for these segments. The Children Act, Youth Matters, the Children’s Plan, and others are such policies which are aimed at offering a safe and healthy atmosphere for children. Especially, the policy change after the election victory of the Conservative Government has affected the ECM very much where critics have also stated that the policy has changed very much, which may affect the effectiveness of the policy. However, it is not the case in reality because a Big Society policy of the new government after 2010 and then, beyond Every Child Matters policy have ensured focusing on educational experience and well treatment with children. Although there are five outcomes of the policy, different elements have also been introduced by the new Conservative Party government.
The literature review has noted that there is a difference in five outcomes under the new government. The policy replaced five outcomes with “let every child achieve more” and “safeguarding” has been replaced with “child protection”, and “children’s trusts” have been replaced with “local areas, better, fairer, services”. The new government adopted a comprehensive banner of a Big Society under which the role of the state changed significantly and fundamentally in relation to public and private sectors. This change led to affect the educational experiences of children, and their issue of child abuse was also affected positively.
As far as child abuse is concerned, it is usually discussed with neglect of a child. It has been noted whether ECM under the new government is helpful to reduce child abuse and neglect. It is worthwhile to highlight that addressing child abuse is part of the research issue. In response to this aspect, a literature review has revealed that ECM contains such provisions through which instances of child abuse go down, and there are lower chances of child abuse because of this policy. It has been revealed that child abuse is not the only objective of ECM policy, and it creates a context in which the chances of child abuse decline.
So far as the aspect of collaboration between educators and child services is concerned, enhancement has been associated with Every Child Matters policy and the policy of a Big Society. There have been studies which have found a positive environment for educators, and in the result, there are positive educational experiences for students.
Educational experiences have been studied in the research as ECM has the chance to improve beyond ECM policy. The literature review in this regard states that ECM policy has been enabling children to get the maximum benefit from educational experiences. It has been noted that related favorable outcomes of ECM enrich educational experiences. This aspect and input from the literature have helped to show that educational experiences have a positive impact from ECM.
So far as the promotion of policy is concerned, the role of teachers and parents is important because students of younger age are dependent on them. They can better talk about the perceptions of ECM on the eradication of child abuse and improvement in educational experiences because of the ECM policy. It is because ECM has some outcomes which directly affect or claim to affect children or students in their educational experiences. It has been noted from the literature review that there is increasing support for parents and careers from ECM and the Children Act of 2004 under which every child gets much attention and care. In the result, support is provided to children through services of schools, health, and social welfare, and childcare improves very much. Therefore, there is a positive attitude of parents towards children and students under the ECM policy.
There had been five outcomes of ECM before 2010, and later, those five outcomes were replaced by new outcomes under the new government. As it has been noted earlier that these outcomes are “let every child achieve more”, “child protection”, and “local areas, better, fairer, services” therefore, the ECM policy has been discussed in light of these elements of the new government.
It has been noted that criticism has to be faced by the new government’s policy regarding ECM, which was the most visible and important attempt towards the wellbeing of children. Children’s achievement has been added in a new policy in the place of well-being. The achievement of children has been given importance. It does not mean that there is a difference in priority of the policy towards children because the achievement-oriented environment for children can help them a lot as well.
The outcomes of child protection and local areas with better and fairer services make such a helping environment for children that their protection level gets higher. It is one of the most important elements that the new government has extended the previous ECM policy with the new policy, and it has just added new elements in the new policy. Based on this discussion, findings have been taken around the objectives of the study.
4.3-Findings:
The thesis has reached some findings after a discussion on results from the review of the literature. It has been found that Every Child Matters policy is having a strong impact on educational experiences and in their improvement. However, the policy has undergone a great change after the election victory of Conservative Party in 2010 elections. Outcomes of ECM have been replaced with other outcomes under the new policy where achievement has been fostered for children having education in the UK.
It is found that the policy of beyond Every Child Matters and a Big Society have been having a significant impact on the reduction of child abuse. The issue of child abuse can be addressed through the policy because it has been developed to cover the issue and reduce its impact on society. It is noted that child protection helps to protect children from any harm because the policy has a central aim to offer protection to children. Thus, child protection directly affects the child abuse phenomenon, and this policy is suitable to address it.
Moreover, it is found that collaboration and educators also have a considerable enhancement in the result of the policy, which means that they do see betterment or enhancement in their role and their interaction. It is important here that Every Child Matters ensure that different agencies keep working together to make experiences of students and children better. The importance of this aspect is very strong because the participants of this study do think that there is a collaboration between educators and child services because of Every Child Matters.
It is found in this research that there has been a strong association between the ability of children or students to get the maximum benefit from the educational experience. The educational experience is an important variable which has been studied in this study which covers the whole educational context for students. ECM is supposed to provide an educational experience, which is beneficial for all of them. It is found that there is a significant association between educational experiences and the policy as they get maximum benefit from the educational experience. It is a very important finding, and it sets out the effectiveness and significance of Every Child Matters policy, and it also highlights its place in the educational experiences of children.
These findings have been taken in light of the literature, and it is vital to relate important findings with studies included in the literature review. There had been five outcomes of ECM before 2010, and later, those five outcomes were replaced by new outcomes under the new government. As it has been noted earlier that these outcomes are “let every child achieve more”, “child protection”, and “local areas, better, fairer, services” therefore, the ECM policy has been discussed in light of these elements of the new government.
So far as the objectives of the study are concerned, all objectives have been achieved. However, the comparison between the effectiveness of policies has not been made because the policy has been taken as a whole. There are certainly two periods regarding the policy which are before and after 2010, when the government changed. However, it has been noted that the new government has extended the ECM policy further, and it has ensured the protection and achievement of children in their educational experiences. The policy is suitable for addressing the child abuse phenomenon in society.
Chapter 5-Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1-Conclusion
The thesis concludes that child abuse is one of the important social problems in the developed world like it is a problem in developing countries. There are some cruel minds and souls in every society which do not have sympathies and care for innocent children. The issue of child abuse should be addressed, and a more comprehensive and inclusive approach might be appropriate to address this issue. Therefore, this thesis has addressed the issue of the educational experiences of children and students in light of a broader policy of ECM. The ECM policy 2003 is effective, but it has undergone a considerable change in the years after 2010. Therefore, the government has changed the policy to suit their policy-making intent, and in this way, the purpose has been achieved to protect children. This is the protection element of children, which lead to standing this policy against child abuse. There had been five main outcomes of ECM policy, and these outcomes were ensuring every child to be healthy, safe, contributing, advancing towards achievement and enjoyment, and achieving economic prosperity. These were five outcomes of ECM, and these outcomes affect children’s educational experiences. It has been noted that there is a difference in five outcomes under the new government. The policy replaced five outcomes with “let every child achieve more” and “safeguarding” has been replaced with “child protection”, and “children’s trusts” have been replaced with “local areas, better, fairer, services”. The new government adopted a comprehensive banner of a Big Society under which the role of the state changed significantly and fundamentally in relation to public and private sectors. This change led to affect the educational experiences of children, and their issue of child abuse was also affected positively.
The qualitative research method has been used to analyze the issue, and it has been found that there is a strong impact of ECM under a new policy on educational experiences and child abuse. These outcomes of Every Child Matters cover the issue of child abuse because they are comprehensive enough to cover the well being and safety of children. Therefore, the policy protects children from any form of harm, and child abuse is one of the hardest harms for any child. The policy has been discussed with the help of review of the literature. Therefore, educational experiences have been taken as variable. Moreover, the policy of Every Child Matters was developed in the context of an incident involving an educational center.
Findings have presented that there is a strong and positive relationship between Every Child Matters and educational experiences of students along with eradication of child abuse through the policy.
5.2-Recommendations:
There is a range of recommendations in light of the findings of this research. It is recommended that the policy of beyond Every Child Matters and a Big Society policy should be communicated with parents and educators. It may be possible that the lack of involvement with them may lead to finding a moderate relationship between policy and educational experiences. It is also recommended highlighting the issue of child abuse and relevant policy guidelines with the issue. The issue may be solved and addressed through Every Child Matters. Any kind of abuse or neglect may be treated and addressed through this policy, and it is recommended to take a comprehensive and in-depth look into this aspect. Child abuse issue is recommended to be fully addressed through this policy. It is recommended to take all parents and educators and administrators on board to address the issue. They should communicate about positive aspects of the policy and its significance for eradicating the issue. It is recommended that the participation of parents and educators in light of Every Child Matters policy should be increased and stimulated so that they may contribute more.
It is also recommended that Every Child Matters policy should be applied fully and comprehensively. It means that the policy should be applied with the true spirit of it where all outcomes should be ensured to be achieved through the application of the policy. It is also recommended that Every Child Mattes policy has been developed to enable the interaction and cooperation of different agencies to work together. Therefore, this aspect should be emphasized and it is recommended, taking it to a high level. The most important participation is from parents and educators or administrators because they remain close to students or children. They can make the difference in a real and practical manner, and it is recommended motivating them.
5.3-Limitation of the Study:
This thesis has some limitations as the study is only qualitative. While quantitative research methods can be applied in the study because the policy has impacts on different variables of the study. Different agencies and stakeholders might have been included, and it is expected that future research would take those stakeholders in future research. Another limitation is related to quantitative methodology research may also be effective to study Every Child Matters and its effect on educational experiences to address the issue of child abuse. Therefore, it may also be used for future research that quantitative study should be conducted. Moreover, another limitation is related to the way the issue of child abuse has been addressed. The issue has been addressed as part of the ECM policy, and it is assumed that the policy protects children from abuse. A more direct and comprehensive approach should have been used to address the issue of child abuse and their educational experiences.
6-References
Barreau, S. P., Carneiro, H., Chowdry, C., Crawford, L., Dearden, A., Goodman, P., . . . Washbrook, L. (2008). The socio-economic gradient in child outcomes: the role of attitudes, behaviours and beliefs. Interim Report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2(1), 20-31.
Cale, L., & Harris, J. (2013). Every child (of every size) matters’ in physical education! Physical education’s role in childhood obesity. Sport, Education and Society, 18(4), 433-452.
Cheminais, R. (2014). Every Child Matters: A practical guide for teachers. David Fulton Publishers.
Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2014). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Psychology Press.
Davies, I., Mountford, P., & Gannon, A. (2009). Every child matters: The perceptions of a sample of initial teacher education trainees in England. European Journal of Teacher Education, 32(4), 383-399.
Evans, J. (2012). Is the Coalition ditching Every Child Matters? Retrieved from https://emotionsblog.history.qmul.ac.uk/2012/05/is-the-coalition-ditching-every-child-matters/
Evans, J., & Rich, E. (2011). Body policies and body pedagogies: every child matters in totally pedagogised schools? Journal of Education Policy, 26(3), 361-379.
Fisher, H. L., Jones, P. B., Fearon, P., Craig, T. K., Dazzan, P., Morgan, K., . . . McGuffin, P. (2010). The varying impact of type, timing and frequency of exposure to childhood adversity on its association with adult psychotic disorder. Psychological Medicine, 40(12), 1967-1978.
Frost, N., & Parton, N. (2009). Understanding children’s social care: Politics, policy and practice. Sage Publications.
Gilbert, R., Fluke, J., O’Donnell, M., Gonzalez-Izquierdo, A., Brownwell, M., Gulliver, P., . . . Sidebotham, P. (2011). Child maltreatment: variation in trends and policies in six developed countries. The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 25(3), 758-772.
Government of UK. (2003). Every child matters. Retrieved from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/
file/272064/5860.pdf
Grange, S. K., Lewis, A. C., & Carslaw, D. C. (2016). Source apportionment advances using polar plots of bivariate correlation and regression statistics. Atmospheric environment, 145(1), 128-134.
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Kominis, G., & Dudau, A. I. (2012). Time for interactive control systems in the public sector? The case of the Every Child Matters policy change in England. Management Accounting Research, 23(2), 142-155.
Lancaster, Y. P., & Kirby, P. (2010). Listening to young children. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Meehan, C. (2016). Every child mattered in England: but what matters to children? Early Child Development and Care, 186(3), 382-402.
Munro, E. (2011). The Munro review of child protection: final report. A child-centred system. Retrieved from http://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/8875_DfE_Munro_Report_TAGGED.pdf
Pereda, N., Guilera, G., Forns, M., & Gómez-Benito, J. (2009). The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(4), 328-338.
Pugh, G. (2009). Every child matters: The implications for service integration in England. In Service Integration in Schools, 1(2), 77-92.
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Routledge . (2016). Every Child Matters Outcomes Framework. Retrieved from http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415485586/data/EveryChildMatters-OutcomesFramework.pdf
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Thompson, D., & Emira, M. (2011). They say every child matters, but they don’t’: an investigation into parental and carer perceptions of access to leisure facilities and respite care for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or ADHD. Disability & Society, 26(1), 65-78.
Appendix
Chosen Studies
| Database and Search Words | Title of Articles | Key Words |
| Report for JRF: The primary school years.
(Socio-economic factors for children) |
The socio-economic gradient in child outcomes: the role of attitudes, behaviors and beliefs The primary school years. | Socioeconomic gradient, child outcomes, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs |
| Sport, Education and Society.
(Every child, physical education) |
`Every child (of every size) matters’ in physical education! Physical education’s role in childhood obesity | Every Child Matters, physical education, childhood obesity |
| (Every Child Matters ) | Every Child Matters: A Practical Guide for Teaching Assistants
|
Every Child Matters, teaching assistants |
| European Journal of Teacher Education | Every Child Matters: the perceptions of a sample of initial teacher education trainees in England | Every Child Matters, perceptions, education trainees |
| Journal of Education Policy | Body policies and body pedagogies: every child matters in totally pedagogised schools? | Every Child Matters, pedagogy, schools, |
| Psychological Medicine | The varying impact of type, timing and frequency of exposure to childhood adversity on its association with adult psychotic disorder. | Childhood diversity, psychotic disorder |
| Lancet
(child maltreatment, trends and policies) |
Child maltreatment: variation in trends and policies in six developed countries.
|
Child maltreatment, trends and policies |
| Government of UK
(Every Child Matters ) |
Every child matters
|
Every Child Matters |
| Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report
(Children’s Well being, School effects) |
Children’s Well-Being in Primary School: Pupil and School Effects | Well being of children, Primary School |
| Management Accounting Research | Time for interactive control systems in the public sector? The case of the Every Child Matters policy change in England
|
Public sector, Every Child Matters policy change |
| Open University Press
(Listening and communication of children) |
Listening to Young Children
|
Young Children, Considering and Listening them |
| Early Child Development and Care | Every child mattered in England: but what matters to children? | Every Child Matters, England |
| Gov.uk
(Child protection) |
Documents on the Munro review of child protection | Munro review of child protection |
| Clinical Psychological Review
(child sexual abuse, students, community) |
The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: a meta-analysis.
|
Child sexual abuse, community, student samples |
| Book
(Every child matters, service) |
EVERY CHILD MATTERS: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE INTEGRATION IN ENGLAND | Every Child Matters, service integration in England |
| Pastoral Care in Education
(Every Child Matters, Children Act) |
The Implications of Every Child Matters and the Children Act for Schools | Every Child Matters, Children Act, Schools |
| Routledge
(Every Child Matters) |
Every Child Matters Outcomes Framework | Every Child Matters outcomes |
| Northumbria Research Links
(Every Child Matters, Childcare) |
Early years, childcare and Every Child Matters | Every Child Matters, child care |
| Disability and Society
(Every Child Matters, ASD, ADHD, care for children) |
They say every child matters, but they don’t’: an investigation into parental and carer perceptions of access to leisure facilities and respite care for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | Every Child Matters, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) |
| Sage Publications | Understanding children’s social care: Politics, policy and practice. | Children’s social care, policy and practice |
| Routledge | Beyond Every Child Matters. | Beyond Every Child Matters |
