Vigilant and diligent

The Every Child Matters programme, launched in 2004, set out the government's commitment to safeguarding and ensuring the best outcomes for all children. The introduction of children's trusts (which bring together in a local area or district all services for children and young people, such as child health services, schools and youth offending teams) has enabled the children's workforce to place resources where they are most needed. The government has also invested heavily in training and professional development to ensure the workforce can meet the demands of these new ways of working. But there is still work to be done. This supplement looks at how local authorities are tackling the shortage in children's social workers and asks whether the government drive to transform social work will help them recruit and retain the high-quality professionals they need. We report on the Guardian's Future Families conference, held in February, which brought together children's services professionals to discuss the future of work with families. We also ask if the issue of child neglect, which affects more children than physical or sexual abuse, has been overshadowed by high-profile cases such as Baby P. And we talk to directors of children's services about a new training programme to help them in their role.