The crux of the Every Child Matters agenda is to provide all-round support for children that ensures they have access to the full range of services they need in order to thrive. This includes both universal services, such as a school place and a GP, and more specialist ones, such as speech therapy, a social worker or additional support in class. Viewing the child more holistically means that the range of practitioners involved with a child is able to take a wider perspective when working with them, as well as coming from their own narrower specialism. In order to do this effectively, professionals and staff in a number of situations need to have access to the information that the others have – not necessarily all of it, but to be able to share what, in their professional judgement, is appropriate. There is also a desire to promote social inclusion, to reach out to children

and young people who can be difficult to reach, those who are on the periphery of society and are at risk of not being in a position to enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, or achieve economic well-being. Then there is the recognition of the value of early intervention, of early

identification and intervention for those who might be thought vulnerable in some way, to try to give support that will prevent a situation from worsening, and to remedy it before more intensive intervention is required. All these key activities can be supported through technology – in particular

through the connectivity and functionality offered by the internet. These make it easier to work collaboratively across agencies and locations; to share information and keep others informed; to reach out to those who have become disconnected from their local provisions; and to recognise needs and step in to ameliorate them at the earliest opportunity. This chapter considers the ways in which the connectedness of ICT helps to make these outcomes a reality.