Childrens services


Report highlights cuts to children's centres 17/06/2019 Councils have been forced to reduce spending on children’s centres by nearly £100 per child in the past three years, a charity has warned.
Children being denied advocacy, report warns 13/06/2019 A ‘significant’ group of children are being denied their legal right to advocacy, a new report has warned today.
Poorest children most affected by early years funding crisis, research finds 12/06/2019 The poorest children are bearing the brunt of cuts in funding for early years education, according to campaigners.
Call for leader to quit after 'repeated failures' 05/06/2019 Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has called for Northamptonshire CC leader, Matt Golby, to quit after ‘repeated failures’ in the council’s children’s services.
Tackling people's perception of adoption 04/06/2019 As part of Big Adoption Day (5 June), Jake from the Adoptables programme, run by the charity Coram, shares his story of being adopted and his experiences at school.
'Slow progress' two years after inadequate judgement 24/05/2019 Gloucestershire CC is making ‘slow progress’ in improving its services for its children and young people two years after it was judged inadequate, Ofsted has found.
Suffolk CC’s children’s services awarded ‘outstanding’ 22/05/2019 Ofsted inspectors have awarded children’s services at Suffolk County Council the top grade of ‘outstanding'.
Hull council commits £2m to improve ‘inadequate’ children’s services 20/05/2019 Hull CC has promised to ‘accelerate’ its improvement plans and invest an extra £2m into its children’s services after they were rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.
‘Locked up’ children cost £300m to care for, commissioner says 16/05/2019 An estimated 1,500 children in England are locked up by the state for their own or others’ safety at a cost of a third of a billion pounds a year, new report reveals.
Commissioner appointed to improve Stoke’s ‘inadequate’ children’s services 16/05/2019 Stoke-on-Trent council has said it is ‘looking forward’ to working with a new commissioner who has been appointed to improve the authority’s children's services.
Delay to Northamptonshire reorganisation welcomed 14/05/2019 Council leaders have welcomed the year-long delay to plans to create two new unitaries in Northamptonshire.
Government launches £2m programme to tackle child exploitation 09/05/2019 The Department for Education has launched a new programme designed to provide specialist support for children at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation.
Forty people investigated over child abuse in Rotherham 09/05/2019 Forty people have been arrested or interviewed over child sexual abuse in Rotherham in the past two months.
Councils receive extra £30m to care for asylum seeking children 09/05/2019 The amount of funding councils receive to look after unaccompanied asylum seeking children is set to rise by £30m.
Children’s homes face ‘delicate moment’, report reveals 03/05/2019 A report on the state of the children’s homes market has cautioned central and local government to ‘be mindful’ of the consequences of funding cuts.
Spending Review should put aside £3bn for children's services say MPs 30/04/2019 The Government needs to release at least £3bn of non-ring-fenced funding to local authorities to save children’s services from the ‘crisis’ they are in, MPs have said.
LGA urges chiefs to challenge children's services directors 03/04/2019 Chief executives should confront directors to ensure children’s services are well delivered, fresh guidance published by the Local Government Association (LGA) has suggested.
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’.
Children’s home system ‘catastrophically failing children’, MPs warn 26/03/2019 MPs today launched a Parliamentary inquiry into the record number of children who are ‘farmed out’ to live in children’s homes miles away from family and friends.
Children's centres in 'fight for survival' warn councils 22/03/2019 Councils have reduced the amount of money they are spending on Sure Start children’s centres by a quarter in the past four years, new figures have revealed.
Children ‘not being protected’ by Stoke-on-Trent Council 19/03/2019 Children’s social care services are ‘inadequate’ at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, according to the findings of a new Ofsted inspection.
Austerity is gutting services ‘vital’ to women’s lives, report reveals 07/03/2019 Austerity has hit women the hardest with funding for women’s refuges, social care and youth and children’s services slashed, a new report has found.
Charities warn about ‘dangerous’ cuts to children’s services 26/02/2019 Thousands of children are at risk of falling into crisis due to ‘devastating and dangerous’ funding cuts in children’s services, five charities have warned today.
Council spending on asylum-seeking children doubles in four years 21/02/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to provide ‘vital’ funding to help them support unaccompanied children seeking asylum.
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.
Bromley children’s services undergo ‘remarkable’ improvements 09/01/2019 Bromley council are ‘extremely proud’ after Ofsted rated their children’s services, which were ‘inadequate’ two years ago, ‘good’ with ‘outstanding’ leadership.
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.
Wakefield avoids intervention over children's services 13/12/2018 Wakefield Council should retain control of its children’s services, a commissioner has recommended.
At least 160 youth centres have closed since 2016, FOI reveals 03/12/2018 At least 160 youth centres have closed since 2016, a report based on Freedom of Information Act requests by Unison claims.
Number of looked after children rises to over 75,000 16/11/2018 The number of children looked after by local authorities has increased since last year, prompting council chiefs to warn of the ‘huge demand’ this is placing on children’s services.
Hearing the voices of children in care 15/11/2018 Dr Claire Baker explores what children and young people living in care actually feel about their lives and care experience.
Many children do not know why they are in care, survey warns 15/11/2018 A quarter of 11-18 year olds have had three or more social workers over the past year, and a third do not fully understand why they are in care, a new survey has revealed.
Northants child protection services in ‘crisis’ 14/11/2018 The Government is sending a specialist commissioner to trouble-torn Northamptonshire County Council to deal with a crisis in its child protection services.
Three quarters of English councils to cut early help for children 07/11/2018 Early help services for children will be cut or reduced by almost three quarters of English councils when Troubled Families funding ends in 2020.
Union warns of ‘Trojan Horse’ of privatisation in Cornwall 06/11/2018 A union has warned of the ‘Trojan Horse’ of privatisation in Cornwall Council’s plans to reform how children’s services are delivered.
Inquiry into the funding of children’s services launched 06/11/2018 An inquiry into the funding and provision of children’s services has been launched as local authorities struggle to cope with the impact of rising demand combined with funding cuts.
Vulnerable children need 'bold solutions' 30/10/2018 The scale of the challenge of vulnerable children needs ‘bold solutions’ such as a 25-year plan for early intervention, says the chief executive of the Early Intervention Foundation.
Budget 2018: £800m cash injection for social care 29/10/2018 Social care has been given an £800m boost in today’s Budget after chancellor Philip Hammond said he recognised the ‘immediate pressures’ local authorities were facing.
Liverpool mayor calls for ‘fair funding formula’ for councils 29/10/2018 The mayor of Liverpool has called for a Royal Commission to ensure a ‘fair funding formula’ for local council services.
Surge in child protection plans pushing services to ‘tipping point’ 25/10/2018 Children’s services are approaching the point of crisis following a jump in demand, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
Children’s services at ‘breaking point’ 23/10/2018 A coalition of charities, unions and organisations have warned that children’s services are at breaking point and are being ignored in the Government’s spending plans.
Spending on children's centres falls 42% in last five years 27/09/2018 Spending on early intervention children's services has fallen by £743m in the last five years, while children's centres have seen £450m cut from their budgets, new figures have revealed.
Frontline staff warn of ‘perfect storm’ in children's services 24/09/2018 Social workers, education and law enforcement workers in England are facing a ‘perfect storm’ of complex growing need, according to Barnardo's.
A false economy 21/09/2018 With councils being forced to spend more money on children in crisis, this often comes at the expense of preventative services. Neil Merrick finds out why this is creating a postcode lottery in children's social care.
Welsh councils call for ring-fenced preventative funding 18/09/2018 A new Preventative Care Fund should be set up in Wales to help ease the strain on children's services, councils have said.
More for less? Residents will be getting less for more 17/09/2018 There are no more easy pickings when it comes to cuts and now the cracks in austerity plans are taking their toll, writes Heather Jameson.
Social workers launch campaign to reform children’s services 07/09/2018 Social workers have launched the latest stage in their campaign to cut the amount of time they spend on administration.
Councils overspend £800m on care services 23/08/2018 Councils in England have overspent £816m on children's care services in 2017/18, according to official figures.
Thousands of children in care where councils are providing failing services, warns report 20/08/2018 Politicians have been accused of ignoring a 'silent crisis' of substandard care for children who are later facing social and economic problems in their adult lives.
Social care system demonstrates ‘remarkable resilience’ 15/08/2018 Local social care services have demonstrated ‘remarkable resilience’ in the face of Government cut backs and demographic changes, think tank says.
Northamptonshire CC plan to save £70m ‘very tall order’ 10/08/2018 Northamptonshire CC may face serious hurdles making savings by renegotiating contracts with third-party suppliers, public sector procurement expert warns.
Inspectors praise Peterborough’s ‘thriving’ children’s services 07/08/2018 Inspectors have praised Peterborough City Council for creating the conditions for the city’s children’s services ‘to thrive’.
Cuts pushing children’s services ‘to the brink’, council chiefs warn 20/07/2018 Local authority leaders have welcomed new figures that reveal a marked improvement in children’s services but warn many are ‘pushed to the brink’ by cuts.
Budget gap doubles at Lewisham 17/07/2018 Lewisham LBC’s budget gap has more than doubled following an ‘unprecedented’ overspend.
Somerset warns of possible Section 114 13/07/2018 Somerset CC has admitted it may have to impose ‘severe spending restrictions’ and an ‘emergency budget’ by issuing a Section 114 notice.
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.
Young people report difficult transition from child to adult mental health services 10/07/2018 Most young people being moved from child to adult mental health services are being failed by the system, a new investigation has revealed.
Abuse of older children ‘slipping through the cracks’ warns report 06/07/2018 Local agencies often fail to spot the signs of neglect in older children, sometimes seeing them as the ‘problem’, a new report has warned today.
Two million children at ‘serious risk’, report reveals 04/07/2018 Over two million children are growing up in families where there are ‘serious risks’, a major new study has revealed.
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.
Rise in children's services spending 28/06/2018 The amount expected to be spent on children’s social care in 2018/19 is up 6.8% or £542m compared to the figure in 2017/18 budgets, latest figures have shown.
Councils ‘struggling’ with increase in children on protection plans 20/06/2018 More than 180 children are placed on child protection plans every day to keep them safe from harm, local government leaders say.
'Blame and shame' permeating children's services warns review 13/06/2018 A culture of 'blame, shame and fear' has permeated the children's social care system, the Care Crisis Review has revealed.
Most of children's services budget being spent on those in crisis 12/06/2018 Councils in England are spending nearly half of their entire children’s services budget on 73,000 children in the care system, research has revealed today.
Child protection practices differ ‘significantly’ between councils, analysis reveals 12/06/2018 A new analysis of adoption data has revealed a ‘significant disparity’ in child protection practices across the country.
Minister warns councils must adopt child protection system as 'priority' 07/06/2018 Councils and NHS organisations which have not yet adopted a system for sharing information on vulnerable children have been told they must do so as a priority.
Wakefield prepare for full Ofsted inspection 05/06/2018 Ofsted will carry out a full inspection of Wakefield’s children’s services after they were rated ‘requiring improvement’ two years ago.
Ombudsman upholds 70% of complaints about Special Guardianship Orders 17/05/2018 The local government ombudsman has revealed it has upheld 70% of complaints made about the way councils support special guardians.
Children's services blow for new chiefs 16/05/2018 Surrey CC’s children’s services are still inadequate, according to Ofsted – three years after they received the same grade.
Child mental health plans ‘lack ambition’ warn MPs 09/05/2018 The government’s proposed Green Paper on child mental health ‘lacks ambition’ and will lead to thousands of children not getting the help they need, MPs have warned today.
Councils urged to produce EHC plans in a 'timely manner' 02/05/2018 Councils have been reminded to stick to strict timetables when creating special educational needs support plans for children by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Funding for new peer reviews of children's services 01/05/2018 The Government has announced a £8.5m programme to help councils work together to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children.
Keeping children out of care 01/05/2018 Five London boroughs are piloting a new payment-by-results model to help keep children out of care. Brigitte Squire explains more about the scheme.
Whitehall cuts ‘undermining’ support services for vulnerable children 01/05/2018 Government funding reductions have forced councils to cut back on early support services for vulnerable children, an education policy think tank has found.
Council criticised after homeless family spends three years in hotel room 12/04/2018 Bristol City Council have been criticised after a family, including children with disabilities, was forced to share a hotel room for more than three years.
Council company to deliver children's services in Worcestershire 04/04/2018 Worcestershire County Council has approved plans for children’s social care services to be delivered by a new wholly owned council company.
Spending on children's services falls by £1bn in five years 03/04/2018 Local authorities are spending nearly £1bn less on children and young people’s services than in 2012, new analysis has revealed today.
Keeping children out of care 03/04/2018 Five London boroughs are piloting a new payment-by-results model to help keep children out of care. Brigitte Squire explains more about the scheme.
Councils warn ‘life-changing’ care leaver initiative is significantly under-funded 22/03/2018 Councils will only have enough funding to support one in five young people leaving care, town hall chiefs have warned today.
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.
Projects launched to support care leavers 28/02/2018 Three new projects to help care leavers into education, employment or training has been launched by the Government.
Half of children referred to councils for ‘extra help’ have suffered abuse 19/02/2018 Council chiefs have called for more Government support for children’s services after it was revealed half of the children referred to local authorities for ‘extra help’ have suffered domestic abuse.
20 years of Sure Start 13/02/2018 2018 celebrates 20 years of Sure Start: But where are Britain's children's centres now? Martyn Allan investigates.
Children's services: Improving under pressure 09/02/2018 Amid a crisis in children's services, Sam Clayden looks at the range of tools currently on trial for improving service delivery.
Plymouth agrees to manage Torbay’s failing children’s services 31/01/2018 Plymouth City Council has agreed to take on full managerial responsibility for the ‘inadequate’ children’s services in Torbay.
Council’s children’s services remain ‘inadequate’, inspectors say 29/01/2018 A re-inspection of Sandwell Council’s children’s services found they remain ‘inadequate’ ahead of the launch of the council’s new Children’s Trust.
Rotherham's children's services rated 'good' in dramatic turnaround 29/01/2018 Rotherham Council’s children’s services have been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted, following three years of Government intervention in the aftermath of the child sexual exploitation scandal.
Essex to take lead over Barnet’s ‘inadequate’ children’s services 26/01/2018 Essex County Council has been appointed Barnet’s improvement partner after the latter’s children’s services were rated ‘inadequate’ by inspectors.
Doncaster's children's service emerges from 'dark' period 19/01/2018 Doncaster MBC’s children’s services have been declared good by Ofsted - four years after the council was threatened with losing control over the entire service.
Children's services in Norfolk no longer need intervention 19/01/2018 Norfolk County Council’s beleaguered children’s services no longer require intervention after Ofsted found the council has now improved.
Councils given £29m funding boost to support vulnerable children 17/01/2018 Councils in England are to receive an additional £29m to help support unaccompanied asylum seeking children and care leavers.
Five London councils commission programme to keep troubled youngsters out of care 16/01/2018 Five London boroughs have jointly commissioned a new programme to help vulnerable young people stay out of care.
A child referred to social services every 49 seconds, figures reveal 12/01/2018 Referrals to council children's services reached 646,120 last year, according to new figures from the Local Government Association (LGA).
Early years services ‘slashed’ by 50% in seven years 05/12/2017 A charity has called for ‘urgent action’ to protect early years services after research reveals funding in some areas has been dramatically cut.
Virgin Care drops case against Surrey 29/11/2017 Private healthcare provider Virgin Care’s legal proceedings against Surrey CC and NHS England have been dropped.
Children’s social services ‘most pressing’ concern for finance heads 27/11/2017 Funding children’s social services has become the most pressing concern for finance heads, according to local government experts.
Councils can only afford to help children in crisis, charities warn 15/11/2017 Councils have been forced to close services designed to spot early signs of child neglect and abuse as they can only afford to help those in crisis, a report has warned today.
Lack of funding are leaving children's needs unmet, councillors warn 31/10/2017 Two-thirds of councillors have warned their council doesn’t have enough funding to provide universal services for children and families, according to a new survey.
Half of Tory councillors warn cuts are damaging children’s services 23/10/2017 Over half of Conservative councillors polled believe Government funding cuts have made it harder for their council to deliver legally-required responsibilities for children and young people, charity says.
Inspectors find improvements in Birmingham's children's services 20/10/2017 Birmingham City Council is continuing to make progress with improving the quality of social work, inspectors have announced.

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