Children


Council proposes introducing more smoke-free spaces 12/04/2019 Derbyshire residents could soon be asked to decide on whether they want more smoke-free places in their county.
Thousands of children being taught in illegal schools 12/04/2019 Up to 6,000 children are being educated in illegal schools across England putting their safety and education at risk, a watchdog has warned.
Nearly two thirds of councils cut mental health services for children 10/04/2019 Around 60% of local authority areas have seen a real-terms fall in spending on low-level mental health services for children, a new report has revealed.
Child benefit value at ‘record low’ 03/04/2019 The value of child benefit has fallen to a record low, a think tank says 40 years after the benefit was established.
School children in referral units doubles within a decade 01/04/2019 The number of primary school children in Pupil Referral Units has more than doubled since 2011. according to the Labour Party.
Government is ‘failing’ to combat child poverty, campaigners say 28/03/2019 Campaigners have warned that the economy is not ‘working for everyone’ as the latest statistics show that child poverty in working families is on the rise.
Commissioner appointed to oversee Blackpool's children's services 26/03/2019 Essex CC has been appointed to take over Blackpool Council’s children’s services after an Ofsted report last year found it was ‘inadequate’.
Council chiefs call for ‘urgent investment’ in children's health visitors 21/03/2019 The health visiting service is ‘stretched to its limits’ due to underinvestment and a shrinking workforce, local authority leaders have warned.
Children missing out on ‘vital emergency support’ due to cuts 18/03/2019 New research from a children’s charity has revealed that young people are paying the price of Government cuts in crisis support, with many parents struggling to afford food and clothing.
Children left vulnerable to abuse due to focus on Brexit, report warns 12/03/2019 Councils are failing to protect children from abuse in England due to ‘systematic’ safeguarding failures, a new report has warned.
Councils ‘failing’ children exploited by gangs, report reveals 28/02/2019 The same mistakes that led to child sexual exploitation failings are being repeated with gangs, the children’s commissioner has warned.
Very few young people regularly vape, report finds 27/02/2019 Only a small proportion of young people are regularly using e-cigarettes, according to the findings of a new report.
MPs call for an ‘early years revolution’ in child care 26/02/2019 Members of Parliament have called on local authorities to develop plans to help improve support for children during the first 1,000 days of life.
Childhood poverty set to hit ‘record highs’ 20/02/2019 The proportion of children living in poverty risks hitting a record high by the end of the parliament, a shocking new report has revealed.
Whitehall’s ‘hostile environment’ puts children in danger, charity says 19/02/2019 The Government’s commitment to creating a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants outweighs their commitment to children’s rights, a charity has warned.
Pilot project helps a third of youths quit ‘county lines’ 14/02/2019 Specialist support helped nearly a third of young people in a pilot project to quit 'county lines' involvement with drugs, according to a review.
Only a week left to enter Street Design Awards 14/02/2019 The Street Design Awards, celebrating innovation and best practice in street design schemes, have been relaunched by Local Government News magazine.
Council rolls scooters out in bid to tackle pollution 13/02/2019 Children in Leeds will soon be travelling to school on scooters instead of in cars as part of the council’s push to clean up the city’s air.
Health experts warn about impact of toxic air on children 06/02/2019 Nearly nine out of ten child health experts are warning air pollution is already having a negative impact on children's health in their region.
Front-line workers ‘must get better’ at tackling child exploitation by drug gangs 30/01/2019 Front-line professionals ‘must get better’ at spotting signs that children are being exploited, a children’s charity has said in response to an annual assessment of county lines drug networks.
Government failing to treat children as victims of domestic abuse, warns charity 11/01/2019 Nearly a quarter of a million children should be classed as victims of domestic abuse, the NSPCC has said today.
Nine out of ten councils blow the budget on children's care 09/01/2019 Nearly ninety percent of councils overspent on children’s social care last year, according to figures released by the Local Government Association.
£12m boost for adoptive families 24/12/2018 The Government yesterday announced a £12m funding boost to support adoptive families.
Council chiefs warn of dangerous ‘must-have’ toys 24/12/2018 Local government leaders are warning Christmas shoppers to avoid potentially dangerous and fake ‘must-have’ toys.
Whitehall launches £9m holiday programme for disadvantaged children 21/12/2018 The Government today launched a £9m programme to provide disadvantaged children with free meals and activities during the school holidays.
One in four trafficked children reported missing from care 21/12/2018 Nearly a quarter of trafficked children were reported as going missing from care in 2017, a new study has revealed.
New mental health teams set to support 500,000 children 20/12/2018 Half a million children and young people are set to benefit from new mental health support teams, secretary of state for health and social care has announced.
Health visitors ‘crucial’ for children’s cognitive development 19/12/2018 Thinking skills should be made a priority to prepare children for school, according to a new report.
Early learning gap widens in 50% of council areas 18/12/2018 The early learning gap between children in poverty and their peers has widened in half of the local authority areas in England, children’s charity reveals.
Teachers warn of ‘Dickensian’ levels of poverty 17/12/2018 Teachers have warned they are seeing increasing levels of 'Dickensian' poverty among children in their classrooms.
Council chiefs call for ‘emergency cash’ to support children with special needs 17/12/2018 The Government has announced it will provide £350m to support children with complex needs and disabilities.
A million young children will be deprived of basics this Christmas, charity warns 06/12/2018 A million children face a miserable Christmas without warm clothing, fresh food or celebrations, poverty campaigners have warned.
More than 130,000 children will be homeless at Christmas, charity warns 05/12/2018 The number of homeless children has increased by 59% in the last five years, meaning 131,000 will be without a permanent home this Christmas, Shelter has warned.
Children in care to receive scholarships to independent schools 05/12/2018 The Government yesterday launched a new scheme to help children in care receive mentoring and scholarships from independent schools.
Council call for action over number of operations to remove rotten teeth in children 03/12/2018 Council leaders have called for immediate action to tackle sugar consumption after new figures showed more than 45,000 teenagers and children had teeth extracted in hospital last year.
Southwark commits to 100% treatment rate for children with mental health conditions 30/11/2018 Southwark Council has become the first local authority in the country to commit to a 100% treatment rate by 2020 for children with mental health conditions.
One in eight children have a mental disorder, data reveals 23/11/2018 One in eight children and young people aged between five and 19 have a mental disorder, according to a survey.
Commissioner warns children are being failed by mental health services 22/11/2018 Mental health services for children and young people are generally improving but progress is slow, according to the children's commissioner.
Over 1,000 children referred to social services every day 09/11/2018 Nearly 400,000 children in England were referred and assessed as in need of the support of social services in 2017/18, according to the latest figures.
Councils call for powers to ban junk food advertising 07/11/2018 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to give them the powers to ban junk food advertising as part of the struggle against childhood obesity.
Care and adoption can mean 'heartbreaking' separation from siblings, say lawyers 01/11/2018 Children going into care or being adopted often risk losing touch with their brothers and sisters, according to new research – even though these can be their most important relationships.
Council chiefs warn of ‘detrimental impact’ of nursery cuts 24/10/2018 Local authority leaders have warned that Government plans to cut funding are placing maintained nurseries and support for children with special needs at risk.
Whitehall announces £5m fund to fight knife crime 22/10/2018 Local authorities are being given the opportunity to bid for funding to tackle youth and gang crime in high-risk areas.
Building a secure future for EU children in the UK 19/10/2018 Kamena Dorling explores what impact Brexit may have on European national children living in the UK, especially those in local authority care.
Poverty can lead to self-harm and violent crime, study shows 11/10/2018 Children from poorer families are at ‘significantly greater risk’ of being involved in violent crime and harming themselves later in life, new study shows.
Watchdog warns of 'significant unmet need’ for children’s mental health services 10/10/2018 There is still 'some way to go' before mental and physical health for young people are treated with the same importance, the official spending watchdog warns.
Children’s mental health referrals increase by a quarter 08/10/2018 The number of referrals to specialist children’s mental health services has increased by 26% over the last five years, an education think tank has revealed.
International education spending: a statistical minefield 05/10/2018 Mark Whitehead investigates the Government's 'seemingly casual' approach to data when it comes to education spending.
Government acted ‘unlawfully’ over Dubs Amendment 04/10/2018 The Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that the Government acted ‘unlawfully’ in not giving reasons to children refused entry to Britain under the Dubs Amendment.
Whitehall asks councils for ‘trailblazing’ ideas to fight childhood obesity 26/09/2018 The Government is asking local authorities to apply to its ‘trailblazer’ programme for tackling childhood obesity.
Children with mental health issues face youth services ‘black hole’ 12/09/2018 Three-quarters of young people looking for support for mental health issues become more unwell before they can access treatment, charity reveals.
Children face adoption ‘postcode lottery’ 12/09/2018 Children going into care face a postcode lottery for the opportunity to stay with relatives, a family law firm has found.
Lack of suitable accommodation forcing police to lock up children 10/09/2018 A lack of suitable accommodation is forcing the police to detain children and vulnerable adults, the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee has warned.
Children’s happiness ‘declining’, charity finds 29/08/2018 The well-being of children is as low as it was 20 years ago, according to an alarming new report from a children’s charity.
Over 100,000 children homeless over holidays, council chiefs warn 28/08/2018 The number of children who spent their school holiday homeless has risen to more than 123,000, council leaders have warned.
Figures show 40% increase in number of children with Type 2 diabetes 20/08/2018 The number of children and young people being treated for Type 2 diabetes has increased by 40% in the last four years, new figures have revealed.
Government launches scheme to ‘boost’ political participation among pupils 14/08/2018 The Government has launched a programme aimed at teaching young people about politics and promoting participation in the political system.
Charities merge to improve support for ‘vulnerable children’ 10/08/2018 More vulnerable children will be given specialist support as a result of a partnership between two leading charities.
Court rules £5m of special needs cuts ‘illegal’ 06/08/2018 Bristol City Council has said it is ‘disappointed’ by a court ruling that found the authority had acted illegally by cutting £5m from the budget for children with special needs.
Study links to children's health to parent's mental health problems 30/07/2018 Doctors should consider seeing whole families at the same time, according to a new report that shows children's well-being is affected by the state of their parents' health.
Whitehall criticised for ‘disappointing’ approach to children's mental health 26/07/2018 The Government’s green paper on children's mental health ‘doesn’t go far enough’ in tackling the challenges many young people are facing, local government leaders warn.
Excluded pupils ‘abandoned’ by education system, MPs say 25/07/2018 Pupils who have been excluded from school are being ‘failed’ by the education system, MPs warn.
Severe obesity in children at record high, health body says 24/07/2018 Levels of severe obesity in children aged 10 and 11 have reached the ‘highest point’ since records began, public health body warns.
Child poverty at ‘highest rate’ in over a decade 24/07/2018 Relative child poverty may have risen to its highest rate in at least 15 years, think tank warns.
Whitehall launches £8m domestic abuse fund 23/07/2018 Local authorities are now able to bid for money from an £8m fund in order to help children who have been affected by domestic abuse, the Government announced over the weekend.
Whitehall announces £250,000 to support youth integration 17/07/2018 The Government has announced £250,000 will be provided to help national youth groups ‘unlock’ the full potential of youngsters.
Council calls for fairer system of looking after unaccompanied asylum seeking children 17/07/2018 Portsmouth City Council has urged the Government to review the way councils deal with unaccompanied children seeking asylum, after figures show they account for a quarter of the council's looked after children.
Nowhere to play? 17/07/2018 New research from the Association of Play Industries has revealed the scale of decline in playgrounds across England. LGN finds out more.
Thousands of children facing abuse ‘repeatedly’ referred to social care services 02/07/2018 Thousands of children are ‘repeatedly’ referred to children’s social care but get no help until their problems escalate to crisis point, a children’s charity has discovered.
Hunt outlines plan to halve childhood obesity by 2030 25/06/2018 Supermarkets will be prevented from displaying unhealthy foods and sweets at their checkouts in a crackdown being considered by health secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Millions of children exposed to ‘toxic’ air pollution, charity warns 21/06/2018 One in three children in the UK are growing up in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution, new research by Unicef has revealed.
Kids eating ‘far more sugar than is healthy’, warn health officials 15/06/2018 Children have already consumed more than the recommended intake of sugar for the whole of 2018, according to Public Health England.
Whitehall announces £1m pilot to improve mental health assessments 14/06/2018 The Government today announced a £1m pilot scheme to help children in care get ‘high quality’ mental health assessments.
Campaigners call for ‘urgent action’ to house children 13/06/2018 A campaign for children’s rights is calling on local authorities to stop ‘breaking the law’ by housing families in B&Bs for longer than the legal limit.
Free schools ‘failing’ to offer innovative approaches to education, study reveals 31/05/2018 Free schools are failing to offer new approaches to education and are not educating enough disadvantaged children, according to researchers.
Councils should be given more powers to tackle junk food, MPs say 30/05/2018 Council leaders have welcomed a call for local authorities to be given more powers to tackle the advertising and sale of unhealthy food and drink to children.
Council chiefs warn obesity is ‘ill-health time bomb’ 29/05/2018 New figures show that child obesity is contributing to a 'multi-billion pound ill-health time bomb', local government leaders have warned.
Ban cars from school areas, charity says 21/05/2018 A charity has urged the Government to ban cars from the immediate vicinity of school gates at drop off and pick up times in order to improve air quality.
Oral health figures reveal ‘clear inequalities’, health body warns 16/05/2018 UK’s public health body has warned there are ‘clear inequalities’ in oral health with children from deprived areas more likely to be affected by tooth decay.
Children Today: Securing health that lasts a lifetime 15/05/2018 Renuka Jeyarajah-Dent reports from an event held at the Foundling Museum by Coram together with the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition to celebrate the 350th year of Thomas Coram’s birth.
Rise in mental health referrals from schools 14/05/2018 Local government leaders have branded a report on mental health services for young people 'worrying' and called for a radical overhaul of the available treatment.
Government pledges £28m to help disadvantaged children 08/05/2018 The Government has pledged £28m to provide disadvantaged children and young people with education and training.
Government launches £4.5m fund to help children with alcoholic parents 23/04/2018 The department for health and social care has launched a new ‘innovation fund’ to help local authorities support children with alcoholic parents.
Over 140 children a day are having teeth removed, health body finds 06/04/2018 A child in England has a tooth removed in hospital every 10 minutes due to preventable tooth decay, public health body says.
Burial fees for children are scrapped in England 03/04/2018 The prime minister has announced the launch of a fund to help parents who have lost a child meet the costs of the funeral.
Children should be at ‘the heart’ of the Northern Powerhouse, commissioner says 26/03/2018 Children should be placed at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, commissioner says as report reveals wide inequalities between children depending on where they are born.
Vulnerable teenagers ‘abandoned’ at 18, charity warns 21/03/2018 Councils should be required to plan for vulnerable young people’s transition to adulthood, charity says as it warns ‘children in need’ are being abandoned once they turn 18.
Government cuts force over a million children into poverty 14/03/2018 One and a half million more children will be in poverty by 2022 due to the Government’s austerity agenda, commission reveals.
Measures to support children’s mental health must be ‘fast-tracked’, commission says 08/03/2018 The Government needs to ‘fast-track’ measures designed to ensure local services work together to support children and young people’s mental health needs.
Most children in care believe it has improved their lives, survey reveals 19/02/2018 Children in care are more likely to feel safe than those in the general population, according to a new study.
150,000 children of public sector workers ‘pushed into poverty’ 15/02/2018 Over a hundred thousand extra children of public sector workers have been pushed into poverty due to pay restrictions and benefit cuts, trade unions say.
Councils urged to provide more support for children of alcoholics 12/02/2018 Over half of councils do not have a strategy in place to help children of alcoholics despite the ‘horrific’ impact of parental alcohol misuse, a new parliamentary report has warned.
Over half of councils plan to cut spending on children's services 09/02/2018 More than half of councils in England are planning to slash spending on children's services such as closing children’s centres, according to a new analysis.
Government fostering report calls for councils to work with agencies 07/02/2018 Collaboration between local authorities and the private sector would improve foster care for children, a new Government report has suggested.
Council hits out at 'basic and unfair' migration funding 02/02/2018 The council that looks after 10% of the country's unaccompanied asylum seeking children has slammed the government's decision to award it less than 2% of the funding available.
50,000 children missing out on suitable education, charity warns 31/01/2018 Directors of children’s services warn current legislation does not support councils in safeguarding vulnerable learners as new figures reveal nearly 50,000 children are missing out on a suitable education.
Council chiefs urge Government to expand sports funding 31/01/2018 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to expand its sports funding in order to help tackle the child obesity problem.
Child poverty charities call for end to benefit freeze 24/01/2018 Child poverty charities are calling for an end to the benefit freeze as new figures reveal in some areas over half the children are growing up in poverty.
‘Fragmented’ approach to child health damaging nation, paediatricians say 23/01/2018 The Government’s ‘fragmented’ approach to child health care is damaging the health of the nation, paediatricians warn.
Nearly 1,000 children's centres not inspected for five years 22/01/2018 The Government has been accused of dragging its feet over inspections of children's centres, which have been frozen since 2015.

Unjust enrichment?

Housing authorities should take care when relying upon valuations that will feed into section 125 notices, says Amy Rogers, of the disputes team at Cripps.

Don’t play the hokey-cokey with health

Local government has turned public health around despite funding cuts. Now it not the time to think about returning the service to the NHS, argues Nathan Elvery.

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Local Government News

The March issue of Local Government News explores alternative funding channels that are available to councils beyond the Public Works Loan Board, what hurdles merging councils face in coming together, and how local government is handling GDPR.

This issue also has a special highways and street lighting section exploring how councils can use lighting to embark on their smart city journey and using IoT technology to weather the storm.