Children's services


Children abused for decades under care of Lambeth Council, inquiry finds 27/07/2021 Hundreds of children were subjected to decades of cruelty and sexual abuse while in the care of Lambeth Council, a damning inquiry has found.
Government to invest £45m to improve adoption services 26/07/2021 A new national strategy to end the ‘postcode lottery’ in adoption services has been launched by the Government.
Children's social care review reveals system in urgent need of reform 23/07/2021 Jo Porter outlines how local authorities can maximise the chance of identifying the families that need assistance and provide the necessary support.
Children’s services spending slashed in half, charities warn 15/07/2021 Council spending on crucial services that help stop children reaching crisis point has almost halved over the last decade, new research has revealed.
How to make life good for children in care and care leavers 21/06/2021 Dr. Claire Baker and Linda Briheim-Crookall examine how sharing local authority best practice can boost the well-being of children in care.
Most children in care feel safe where they live 21/06/2021 A new survey has found that while the majority of children in social care settings are happy where they live, nearly one in 20 regularly feel unsafe.
Government announces £16m for virtual school heads programme 17/06/2021 The Government today announced that more than £16m is now available to councils to ensure there is a local champion for children with a social worker in every local authority in England.
Children's social care a 'Jenga held together with Sellotape' says damning review 17/06/2021 The children's social care system is too focused on investigating families rather than providing them with support, according to an independent review of services.
SEND services in Suffolk to be reviewed 15/06/2021 An independent review into Suffolk County Council’s special educational needs and disability services is to be conducted following criticisms by families.
County at 'unsafe capacity' for caring for lone child migrants 14/06/2021 Kent County Council has warned it has reached capacity for caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) for the second time in a year.
Patel reveals rota replacement scheme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children 10/06/2021 A new rota scheme will better distribute responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) among councils, home secretary Priti Patel has revealed.
Newborn baby care orders on the rise, research finds 04/06/2021 The majority of mothers facing urgent care proceedings are given less than a week’s formal notice that their newborn baby might be removed, new research has warned today.
Children’s social care services ‘creative’ during pandemic, study finds 03/06/2021 A new study has found that children’s social care services have been ‘flexible’ and ‘creative’ in their responses to supporting care leavers during the pandemic, but it also found COVID-19 has exposed fragility in current systems.
Councils should have legal duty to provide ‘early help’ says report 02/06/2021 A new report is calling for a legal duty on local authorities to provide early help to children and families, rather than providing what is easiest to measure.
Charity calls for ‘fair’ financial support for kinship carers 01/06/2021 A charity has called on the Government to ensure that kinship carers receive the same amount of financial support as foster carers.
Care leavers moved into unsafe and unhealthy homes, says charity 25/05/2021 Many young people leaving the care system are being forced to live in unsafe and unsuitable accommodation, a charity has warned today.
Government announces £50m boost for care leavers 24/05/2021 The Government today announced a £51m funding boost to help councils support care leavers and have launched a consultation on improving the quality of housing for those leaving care.
Grenfell director dismissed while on sick leave, tribunal hears 20/04/2021 A council director who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after working on the Grenfell Tower response was dismissed while on sick leave, an employment tribunal has heard.
Councils call for long-term plan to tackle education inequalities 25/03/2021 Education inequalities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic are unlikely to be solved by a quick “catch-up” initiative, council leaders have warned today.
Call for Beveridge report for children 16/03/2021 A 'once-in-a-generation review' of the future of childhood has been launched by the Children’s Commissioner for England.
Investigation launched into children’s care market 12/03/2021 A study into the increasing costs in children’s social care provision and lack of appropriate placements has been launched by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Ombudsman criticises council for failing to investigate mother’s complaint 11/03/2021 Isle of Wight Council has been criticised for failing to properly investigate a mother’s complaint about the way it removed her disabled son’s personal budget.
Home secretary announces £23m to tackle exploitation of young people 08/03/2021 A children’s charity has called for a national strategy to provide help for children at risk of exploitation rather than a strategy focusing on ‘hot spots’.
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.
Government bans unregulated accommodation for vulnerable children 19/02/2021 Placing vulnerable children under the age of 16 in unregulated accommodation will be made illegal from September, the Government has announced.
Government announces £35.5m to tackle violence at local level 09/02/2021 Local communities are set to benefit from a multi-million-pound funding boost to help support measures tackling serious violence.
Report calls for a joined up public health approach to gangs 08/02/2021 Local authorities are failing to tackle the key drivers for youth violence in their areas, the Children's Commissioner has warned in a new report.
Councils warn of 'harrowing' rise in serious child harm cases during pandemic 05/02/2021 The number of serious child-related incidents reported by councils has risen by more than a quarter during the pandemic, new figures show.
The biggest providers of children's care placements report £216m profits 29/01/2021 The six biggest independent providers of children’s residential and fostering placements made £219m in profit last year, a new report has found.
Pandemic could impact children's mental health for years, report warns 28/01/2021 Damage to children's mental health caused by lockdown and school closures could last for years, the Children’s Commissioner has warned today.
Review pledges to radically reform children's social care 15/01/2021 Council chiefs have welcomed the launch of an independent review into children’s social care.
Westminster Family Hubs lead the way - from partnerships to integration 18/12/2020 Jayne Vertkin explains how Family Hubs in Westminster are transforming families’ experience of services, making early help easier to access.
West Sussex to keep control of children’s services for at least 12 months 11/12/2020 West Sussex County Council will keep control of its children’s services for at least another year following improvements made, the Department for Education (DfE) has said.
Councils caring for 16,000 more children in past decade 11/12/2020 Councils are looking after nearly 16,000 more children compared to ten years ago, new figures have revealed.
New guidance to help councils scrutinise services for children in care 10/12/2020 Councils have been urged to review their services for looked after children after a report highlighted variation in practice across the country.
Minister announces £4.4m boost to support vulnerable families 08/12/2020 The Government has announced that more than £4m will be made available to extend COVID-19 response programmes supporting vulnerable families.
'Data desert' on vulnerable children and county lines, report warns 03/12/2020 Local authorities and police forces are failing to identify the number of vulnerable children being exploited by criminal gangs, a new report has warned.
Secure children's home places 'inadequate' 02/12/2020 Young people are being ‘failed’ by a lack of places in secure children’s homes, research published today has revealed.
Pandemic made vulnerable children 'invisible' report warns 01/12/2020 Vulnerable children became 'invisible' during the pandemic, Ofsted's chief inspector warned today.
Duchess of Cambridge unveils results of UK's biggest early years study 27/11/2020 Only one in four people recognise the specific importance of the early years, according to the UK’s biggest ever study on the topic.
‘Stark variation’ in the well-being of care leavers 25/11/2020 A study has revealed there is a wide variation between the well-being of care leavers across different local authorities in England.
Councils warn about 'significant' overspends on children’s services 24/11/2020 The number of vulnerable young people referred to councils’ children’s services increased by 15% in the first three months after the first lockdown, figures have shown.
Children in care system are being 'failed by the state' 11/11/2020 Thousands of children are being failed by the ‘broken’ residential care home market, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned today.
Ofsted warns of COVID impact on SEND support 09/11/2020 The pandemic has ‘seriously affected’ support for special educational needs an disabilities (SEND), according to Ofsted.
Managing uncertainty - Children’s services and the COVID effect 09/11/2020 Jo Porter outlines what further steps central government and local authorities should take to ensure that the wellbeing of vulnerable children is prioritised if or when referrals spike.
Spike in child abuse since pandemic 06/11/2020 Ofsted’s chief inspector has warned of an increase in the number of child injuries and deaths uncovered by local authorities since the onset of the pandemic.
Charities tell PM to protect children from ‘winter of hunger’ 04/11/2020 The UK’s leading children’s charities have joined forces to urge the Government to do more to protect children this winter.
Supporting children after the second national lockdown 04/11/2020 Dr Jo Casebourne explains why more most be done to intervene at an earlier point to help the growing number of vulnerable children and families who don’t have a social worker.
Survey reveals 'worrying picture' of children's mental health 23/10/2020 One in six children now have a probable mental disorder, up from one in nine in 2017, new figures have revealed.
Local children’s services struggling to support most vulnerable, charities warn 21/10/2020 Five leading children’s charities have called on the Treasury to invest more in local children’s services which are struggling to cope with the double impact of a decade of austerity and a pandemic.
Calls for a recovery package to tackle childhood vulnerability 29/09/2020 A comprehensive recovery package is needed to help children deal with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said today.
Two-thirds of adoptive families without a support plan, report finds 29/09/2020 Thousands of vulnerable adopted children are failing to get the support they need, a charity has warned today.
Calls to ban unregulated accommodation for under 18s in care 10/09/2020 Councils should be banned from placing vulnerable children in unregulated accommodation such as hostels or caravans, the Children’s Commissioner has said today.
Councils 'deeply concerned' about fall in children's social care referrals 07/09/2020 The number of children being referred to social care services fell by a fifth during lockdown, council leaders have warned.
Half of professionals feel childhood obesity is a child protection issue 03/09/2020 Nearly half of health and social workers believe child obesity should be considered a child protection issue, according to a new study.
Unlocking the opportunity to transform children and young people services 19/08/2020 Hannah Saunders and Fiona Gold say now is the time to act and transform children and young people services.
Councils warned about discriminating against autistic children 06/08/2020 More than 40 councils have been criticised for unlawfully discriminating against autistic children.
Councils call for adequate funding to tackle modern slavery 30/07/2020 Council leaders have warned children's services are under significant pressure after the number of child modern slavery referrals increased by 1,400% in five years.
Call to 'supercharge' early years services 17/07/2020 Early years services are failing to target the children that most need support, a report has warned today.
Coronavirus is jeopardising child welfare 16/07/2020 Chris Lloyd-Smith examines how the coronavirus is endangering child welfare, posing a challenge to local authority childcare and protection services.
New support for 'unseen' vulnerable children 09/07/2020 A new service to help vulnerable children and young people who don't meet usual social care thresholds has been launched by a coalition of charities.
Coronavirus could create a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable teenagers 07/07/2020 Thousands of vulnerable teenagers are at risk of falling through gaps in the school and social care systems, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned today.
Thousands of children 'at risk' when EU Settlement closes, report warns 01/07/2020 Thousands of children are at risk of being left in 'legal limbo' when the EU Settlement Scheme closes next year, a report has warned today.
Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report 23/06/2020 Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested.
Charity declares ‘state of emergency’ in foster care 23/06/2020 A children’s charity has warned that the number of children needing foster care has increased by 44% during the pandemic.
Covid-19 recovery will ‘pile on pressure’ for families, report warns 16/06/2020 A report released today reveals concerns about the impact the coronavirus crisis has had on vulnerable children and families.
Funding boost for councils caring for asylum seeking children 09/06/2020 Councils will receive increased funding to look after children seeking asylum, the Government has said.
Middlesbrough to keep control of its children's services 05/06/2020 Middlesbrough Council will be allowed to keep control of its 'inadequate' children's services to allow further improvements to be made.
Charity warns of increase in gang activity post-lockdown 03/06/2020 Criminal gangs are using new ways of exploiting children in the wake of coronavirus, a new report has warned.
Kent leader warns of migrant crossing ‘crisis’ 26/05/2020 The council's leader has asked the home secretary to make it mandatory for authorities to provide support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).
Survey highlights child abuse could go unreported during lockdown 18/05/2020 Child abuse could go unreported during lockdown as a quarter of adults do not know where to go for help, a survey has found.
Charities call for 'vital' early intervention funding to safeguard children 18/05/2020 Funding cuts to children's services have left councils unable to cope with the current crisis, charities have warned today.
Vulnerable children falling behind at school, report warns 27/04/2020 Children who need a social worker are 'significantly' behind other children at school, new research has revealed.
Warnings that vulnerable children 'hidden from sight' during lockdown 27/04/2020 New local area profiles will help councils identify how many vulnerable children are in their area.
Domestic abuse puts children at more risk of exploitation, review warns 01/04/2020 There is an overlap between children’s experience of domestic abuse and their offending behaviour, a review has concluded today.
Calls to mobilise an 'army of volunteers' to protect children during lockdown 01/04/2020 The Children’s Commissioner for England has warned an ‘army’ of volunteers are needed to protect vulnerable children while schools are closed.
Devon CC’s children’s services criticised for ‘serious failures’ 19/03/2020 Ofsted has found ‘serious failures’ in services for young people in Devon as they discovered a minority of care leavers had been living in tents.
Yorkshire council criticises Ofsted rating based on ‘short inspection visit’ 16/03/2020 A local authority in Yorkshire has said it is ‘disappointed’ by an Ofsted rating of its children’s social care services which concluded they were ‘inadequate’.
Council first outside London to transform flagging children’s services to ‘outstanding’ 03/03/2020 A Midlands council has become the first outside of London to transform children’s services from ‘requires improvement to be good’ to ‘outstanding’.
Consultation on dedicated school leaders launched 25/02/2020 The Government today launched a consultation on plans to place a dedicated school leader in every school to help vulnerable children achieve more and ensure they attend lessons.
Councils overspent £3bn on children's social care in five years 21/02/2020 Demand and funding pressures have forced councils to overspend on children’s social care budgets by more than £3bn in the past five years, new analysis has revealed.
Cuts will lead to tragedy, health visitors warn 20/02/2020 Nearly half of health visitors in England worry a tragedy is waiting to happen where they work due to cuts to public health budgets.
Government to ban unregulated children's homes 12/02/2020 Children aged under 16 will no longer be placed in unregulated accommodation under proposals announced by the Government.
Council announces £4.4m for ‘significantly declined’ children’s services 07/02/2020 Hull City Council has announced a series of measures to improve children’s services after Ofsted concluded that the experiences of children in care had ‘significantly declined.’
Council offers pioneering family therapy to reduce gang crime 31/01/2020 Redbridge Council has become the first in the UK to deliver a ground-breaking family therapy service for young people at risk of joining gangs.
'Chasm' exists in children's mental health services, Commissioner warns 30/01/2020 There is a ‘chasm’ between what mental health services children need and what is available, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned today.
Revolutionising mental health 22/01/2020 Cllr Jasmine Ali explains how Southwark Council is putting plans into action to revolutionise children’s mental health in Southwark.
Norfolk conducts major review to improve safeguarding practices 22/01/2020 A new task force will be set up in Norfolk to improve safeguarding across the county.
Child sexual exploitation cases in Greater Manchester ‘reopened’ 14/01/2020 Victims of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester are having their cases newly investigated as a result of a review commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Council apologises for ‘significant failings’ in SEND provision 14/01/2020 Richmond council has acknowledged that there were ‘significant failings’ in its provision of special educational needs and disability services after a critical Ombudsman report.
Parents forced to wait 18 months for autism diagnosis 14/01/2020 Parents are facing a wait of more than 18 months to find out if their child has autism, a new poll has revealed.
Lack of joint working in the fight against ‘county lines’ puts children at risk 10/01/2020 Local authorities don’t always tell the police when they move ‘at risk’ children into their areas, a new report has warned.
A quarter of children rejected for mental health support, report finds 10/01/2020 More than a quarter of young people referred for mental health treatment are being turned away from help, a new report has revealed.
Cuts drive up the number of children in care by nearly 30% 09/01/2020 Council chiefs have warned that the care system is ‘reaching breaking point’ as figures reveal that the number of children in care has risen by more than a quarter over the past decade.
Parents of children with mental health issues left to ‘fend for themselves’ 03/01/2020 Seven out of 10 parents with children who suffer from mental health problems say they fear for their children due to poor quality of mental health services.
‘Inadequate’ West Sussex children’s services moved to trust 18/12/2019 West Sussex County Council’s children’s services have been moved into an independent trust after Ofsted found they were ‘inadequate’.
In a nutshell: What the election result means for local government 13/12/2019 With the Conservative party securing its biggest majority since the 1980s, what does this mean for local government?
Number of children in care nearly hits 80,000 06/12/2019 A charity has called on the next Government to invest more in the care system as new figures reveal the number of children in care has risen to nearly 80,000.
Charity warns child cruelty is rising every year 28/11/2019 The number of child cruelty and neglect offences have risen every year for the past five years, new analysis has shown.
Councils call for more investment in early intervention 21/11/2019 Council leaders are calling for extra funding in children’s services to ensure they can fulfil the ambitions of the Children’s Act.

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This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.

The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.