Background to Every Child Matters
In 2003 the Government published a green paper called Every Child Matters. This green paper explained how the Government wanted to improve the way that people and organisations work with children and young people.
One of the things that made the Government say things needed to be improved was the tragic death of an eight-year-old girl called Victoria Climbié. Victoria suffered horrible abuse from her great aunt and the man they lived with. This terrible treatment lasted for months, without anyone doing anything to stop it, and in the end Victoria died.
One of the aims of Every Child Matters is to make sure that a tragedy like this does not happen again.
The Government is making changes to the way that people work together to try to make sure that people see the evidence and the signs that a child or young person is being hurt, so that something can be done about it.
The Government is trying to make it easier for people working with children to talk to each other, tell each other if they notice something that might be worrying, and do something quickly if they think there is a danger that someone could be hurt or be in trouble.
But Every Child Matters is not just about stopping children and young people from being harmed by adults. It is about doing all kinds of things to help every child and young person to be safe, healthy, happy and successful.
If you need help
There are lots of excellent websites to help children and young people of all ages. If you need some help or advice about a problem, look at our list of useful websites.
Documents
Every Child Matters green paper - children and young
people's version
This page was last updated on 13 December 2005
