It was with a sinking feeling that I read the front page story, 'Kids' services up for grabs', in the latest issue of The MJ (19 August), highlighting the market-scoping exercise commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills. The children's lobby, I thought, would need to put in more effort to unpick the tangled strands of three different issues - how do we protect children best, how do we develop a market in provision to support children and families, and how do we intervene in failing services? The ideas hinted at are not necessarily 'bonkers', as claimed by certain union representatives - but they are muddled.
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