The children's services agenda is mainstream. Every upper-tier council chief executive needs to be fully aware of it, while the advent of extended schools widens the scope to other departments, such as leisure and housing.

So, there is quiet satisfaction within the charity 4Children that what it advocated for so long, before joining up and partnership came into common usage, and children's services, children's centres and extended schools were on the agenda, is now mainstream through the Every child matters programme. With contacts at the highest level within Whitehall, and Cherie Blair as its vice-president, 4Children is one of the most high-profile voluntary sector groups delivering the new programme. Much of its work is with local authorities, advising them on children's services and extended schools, as well as networking with chief executives to appraise them of the agenda. Its chief executive, Anne Longfield, says: ‘The whole area of children's services has rocketed up the agenda of senior managers. Now, any group of chief executives knows about it.