Its primary purpose was to give boundaries and help for local authorities and/or other entities to better regulate official intervention in the interests of children.

The long history of children's welfare legislation had given rise to numerous unco-ordinated official powers and functions, even within the same local authorities, resulting in the tragic maladministration seen in the Climbié case.

[3] This Act's ultimate purpose is to make the UK better and safer for children of all ages.

The idea behind the Act is to promote (co-ordination) between multiple official entities to improve the overall well-being of children.

Section 13 provides for the creation and multi-agency representation of a Local Children's Safeguarding Board in each council area.