Local Elections: What voters really want from their councils
With voters heading to the polls tomorrow, a recent YouGov survey reveals what local issues matter most — and the answers are not always what you might expect.
Southport Inquiry: Councils face challenge to prevent future attacks
23/04/2026 Councils face a challenge to prevent attacks such as those in Southport that claimed the lives of three schoolgirls, children's services directors warn. |
ADCS: Cuts have led to poor safeguarding outcomes for children
14/01/2025 The combination of poor-quality housing and the cost-of-living crisis is contributing to ‘family distress and breakdown’, safeguarding report concludes. |
Clark: Tories and Labour unwilling to address SEND crisis
15/04/2024 Labour and the Conservatives have been accused of an ‘unwillingness’ to confront the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services. |
EXCLUSIVE: Questions over child age assessments
25/08/2023 Council directors have raised doubts over Government plans to take over age assessments of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. |
Exploitation warning after Illegal Migration Bill becomes law
20/07/2023 Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) could be in danger of being exploited after the Illegal Migration Act created an incentive for them to run away. |
'Not acceptable' to treat age disputed young people as spontaneous arrivals
06/07/2023 It is ‘not acceptable’ that age disputed young people from asylum hotels are treated as spontaneous arrivals, says head of directors of children’s services. |
‘Significant concerns' over regional care cooperatives
23/03/2023 Regional care cooperatives (RCCs) will not resolve the issues around child care placements, councils have said. |
Children's social worker numbers drop for first time since 2017
27/02/2023 The Government has been urged to act after official figures showed the number of children’s social workers has fallen for the first time since 2017. |
Call for national review of children's mental health services
07/04/2022 The new president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has called for a post-pandemic national review of children’s mental health services. |
Children and families need £12.5bn over three years, says new ADCS president
22/04/2021 The growing number of children and families who need support 'to thrive, not just survive in the wake of the pandemic' will need investment of around £12.5bn over three years, says England's new children’s services chief. |
Children’s services face £824m budget gap
24/02/2021 A funding shortfall of £824m is being faced by children’s services, according to research published today. |
ADCS issues warning of family crisis to come
04/12/2020 The Government need to provide a long-term financial settlement for to tackle rising demand for children’s services, experts have warned as economic consequences of COVID hit. |
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ADCS president calls for welfare overhaul
08/07/2020 The impact of the pandemic on children’s futures must not be underestimated, the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has said. |
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Auditors bid to explain real cause of difference in councils' spend on kids
23/01/2019 A nine-fold variation in spending on children’s social care could largely be down to ‘differences in characteristics’ between councils, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) study. |
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Funding call to end 'postcode lottery' for children's services
11/07/2018 MPs today called for more funds to help end a so-called postcode lottery for children’s services. |
