Children's Secretary Ed Balls will today set out his plans to carry on investing in children's services against a backdrop of a ferocious public sector spending squeeze.

Mr Balls emerged as the big winner in last week's Pre-Budget Report with a 0.7% real terms increase in the schools spending at a time when other departmental budgets are being frozen or facing the prospect of deep cuts.

But delivering a two-year update on the Government's Children's Plan, he will acknowledge that efficiency savings will need to be found in order to fund investment across the wider range of children's services.

"Our mission is to make this the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up," he is expected to say.

"We need to build on the progress we have made through the first two years of the Children's Plan by working together, continuing to invest in our front line services, and making efficiencies that will deliver more from our investment for children."

The wide-ranging 10-year plan drew together the Government's proposals to improve children's learning and wellbeing - from improving playgrounds to reforming the youth justice system.

At the same time Mr Balls will publish a review he commissioned on the commercialisation of childhood.

He will also set out full details of a shake-up of rules requiring millions of adults who work with children to undergo criminal records checks.

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