VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Think tank calls for early intervention for children’s mental health issues
19/05/2025 Children with mental health issues are facing long-term health conditions and employment barriers, says new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). |
200k children risk being trapped in temporary accommodation
29/04/2025 Over 200,000 children could be in temporary accommodation by the end of this Parliament if more isn’t done to build social housing, homelessness charity warns. |
LGA: Children’s social care buckling under budget pressures
17/04/2025 Council chiefs have urged the Government to invest more into early intervention to support the children’s social care system as it reaches ‘crisis point’. |
Early intervention spending down 40%
08/04/2025 Spending on early intervention children's services has plummeted by more than 40% since the onset of austerity, research has found. |
Leicester takes issue with watchdog's criticism
31/01/2025 Leicester City Council has said a newly-published Ofsted report ‘does not accurately reflect' its children's services. |
Knowsley leaving children 'being harmed or at risk'
21/01/2025 Regulator Ofsted has rated Knowsley MBC's children's services inadequate, warning the council was leaving young people being ‘harmed or at risk of harm'. |
Children’s care based on capacity not need, commissioner warns
05/11/2024 Decisions about the care of vulnerable children are often driven by local capacity and resource rather than need, the children’s commissioner has warned. |
Council to celebrate children’s successes
29/10/2024 Medway Council has launched a new initiative to celebrate the achievements of local children. |
Spend on residential care placements hits £2.4bn
04/09/2024 For the first time, more is being spent on residential care placements for children than on early intervention services, leading charities warn. |
Warrington BC faces £29m overspend
03/09/2024 Warrington Borough Council could be facing a £29m overspend by the end of the financial year, the cabinet member for corporate finance has warned. |
West Midlands councils warn region will be ‘financially unsustainable’
02/09/2024 Seven council leaders in the West Midlands have warned there is a risk the region will have to declare itself as ‘financially unsustainable.’ |
Council issues s114 warning due to SEND crisis
13/08/2024 North Somerset Council has warned that it might declare effective bankruptcy unless it receives support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Council failing to respond to children at risk of ‘harm’
29/07/2024 Sefton Council is failing to respond in a timely manner to cases where children are at risk of ‘significant harm’, an Ofsted monitoring report concludes. |
Council launches ‘urgent review’ after Harehills riot
22/07/2024 Leeds City Council has launched an ‘urgent review’ of the case that saw children removed from a family and put into care after riots broke out last week. |
Lone asylum-seeking child arrivals to Kent up 87%
15/07/2024 The number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking (UAS) children arriving in the UK along Kent’s shoreline has risen by 87%. |
Council introduces DBS checks for members
11/07/2024 West Northamptonshire Council will require all members to receive Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. |
Inquiry call over asylum hotel use
17/06/2024 A charity has called for a statutory independent inquiry into the use of hotels for unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children. |
UNISON: To whoever forms the next government…
14/06/2024 Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, tells LocalGov.co.uk what the sector’s biggest union hopes to see from the next government. |
Abandoned Baby Elsa in council care
05/06/2024 A DNA test has confirmed that a baby found abandoned in a shopping bag in Newham is biologically related to two other babies found in the London borough. |
Judge: Kent cannot wriggle out of asylum duties
05/06/2024 Kent CC has been told by a judge it cannot wriggle out of its duties to ‘accommodate and look after’ all unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children. |
NextGov: What the next government should do for children’s services
05/06/2024 Andy Smith, president of the ADCS, looks at what the priorities for the next government should be when it comes to children’s services. |
Government acknowledges Blackpool children's services improvements
05/06/2024 Blackpool Council has welcomed the lifting of a government directive requiring the local authority to improve its children’s services social care. |
Twelve Leicester children’s centres ‘under threat’
04/06/2024 Twelve children, young people and families centres in Leicester are ‘under threat’, warns UNISON. |
Council staff 'live in fear of abuse, assault or worse'
03/06/2024 Council staff and members often live ‘in fear of abuse, assault or worse,’ experts have warned. |
Council bosses call on next government to deliver ‘fundamental reform’
30/05/2024 Local services could reach ‘breaking point’ if the next government fails to deliver long-term funding and ‘fundamental reform’, a cross-party group of council leaders has argued. |
MacAlister: Not enough has changed on children's social care
23/05/2024 The author of the Government’s independent review of children’s care has warned ‘not enough has changed’ since he proposed reforms two years ago. |
Reform required to unleash preventative approach, says report
21/05/2024 Central government reforms are needed to help innovation in preventative services at a local level, a report has found. |
Auditor issues qualified opinion on Stoke-on-Trent accounts
15/05/2024 Concerns over finances and children’s services have resulted in auditors issuing a qualified opinion on Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s accounts. |
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. |
IFS: £2.5bn Sure Start delivered ‘substantial benefits’
09/04/2024 Children eligible for free school meals who grew up near a Sure Start centre performed up to three grades better at GCSEs than those further away, IFS finds. |
Finley Boden: Council apologises for ‘missed opportunities’
28/03/2024 Derbyshire CC has apologised for the ‘missed opportunities’ to do more to safeguard 10-month-old Finley Boden who was murdered on Christmas Day in 2020. |
CCN: Two-thirds of council budgets spent on care
18/03/2024 Council chiefs have called for an ‘honest discussion’ about services as new research reveals local authorities spend two-thirds of their budgets on care. |
Budget: Boost for preventative services
06/03/2024 Funding for preventative services has been announced as part of the Spring Budget in an attempt to relieve local government’s demand pressures. |
Bradford issued Best Value Notice
01/03/2024 The Government has issued a Best Value Notice to City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council over concerns about its financial resilience and children’s services. |
Stoke-on-Trent warns services may be ‘stripped to the bone’
26/02/2024 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has warned its budget plans rest on a bid to secure an extra £42.2m in Government funding. |
Children’s needs not prioritised, service leaders warn
21/02/2024 Children’s services directors have raised concerns that government policy does not prioritise children, while their previous asks of Whitehall ‘remain unaddressed’. |
Ofsted rates Havering's children's services inadequate
16/02/2024 Havering LBC’s children’s services have been rated inadequate by Government regulator Ofsted after a two-week on-site inspection. |
New £4.9m bonus scheme amid childcare expansion concerns
02/02/2024 The Government has launched a recruitment drive ahead of its free childcare expansion, but a major early years organisation has warned it will do little to boost staff numbers before rollout. |
More than 1,000 child refugees placed in adult accommodation
23/01/2024 Child refugees arriving in the UK alone are exposed to harm and abuse in adult accommodation because of the Home Office’s flawed age assessment system, according to a new report. |
The new Centre for Young Lives
22/01/2024 Anne Longfield CBE, the chair of the Commission on Young Lives, discusses the launch of the Centre for Young Lives this month. |
Council bosses back data use to improve care
07/12/2023 An increased use of data in children’s social care could improve outcomes and deliver much-needed savings, the County Councils Network (CCN) has said. |
Wraparound childcare: what do parents want?
29/11/2023 Ellen Broomé, managing director of Coram Family and Childcare, shares what must be done to make sure families can access the provision they need. |
LGA lays bare ‘astronomical’ care costs
29/11/2023 There has been a 1,000% rise over five years in the number of children’s social care placements that cost councils £10,000 or more a week, the Local Government Association (LGA) has found. |
Plan for schools needs local government ‘at its heart’
29/11/2023 England’s children’s services chiefs have set out a future vision to fix an ‘incoherent and fragmented’ education system. |
MPs warn local services on ‘knife edge’
28/11/2023 MPs have warned that key local services are on a ‘knife edge’ due to the poor financial health of councils in England. |
How the Autumn Statement failed children’s services
24/11/2023 Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton, chair of Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA), looks at what the Autumn Statement meant for children’s services. |
Homeless children left without care
16/11/2023 Almost 6,500 16- and 17-year-olds presented as homeless to their local authority in England last year, according to new data. |
Young carers let down by system, 'damning' report says
14/11/2023 The first ever parliamentary inquiry on young carers has revealed the ‘devastating impact’ of care responsibilities on their education, wellbeing and prospects. |
South Gloucestershire families not getting agreed respite
08/11/2023 Almost a third of families with children with special needs in South Gloucestershire have not been receiving sufficient respite care, an investigation has found. |
Lack of capacity hindering early help
07/11/2023 A lack of capacity is hindering early help services for children and families, a joint report by three watchdogs has found. |
Call for curbs on agency staff
03/11/2023 Curbs on social care agencies have been put forward as solutions to Bradford Council’s soaring staffing costs. |
Concern over hotel use for care leavers
02/11/2023 Too many care leavers live in hotels or other unsuitable accommodation in Devon but oversight at the county council has improved, Ofsted has found. |
Children's services 'absolute carnage'
02/11/2023 The state of children’s services has been described as ‘absolute carnage’ after years of underfunding. |
One in 10 county councils facing effective bankruptcy
01/11/2023 England’s county and unitary authorities are ‘running out of road’ to prevent insolvency, with one in 10 not sure they can balance their budget this year. |
Biggest children’s care providers make £300m profit
30/10/2023 The largest independent providers of children’s social care brought in profits of more than £300m last year, a report has found. |
Child abuse inquiry chair criticises Government response
23/10/2023 The chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has warned ministers’ response to her recommendations has been ‘weak’. |
Blackburn with Darwen struggles with £18.6m funding gap
09/10/2023 Blackburn with Darwen BC must prioritise savings to fill a potential £18.6m funding gap by 2027 while improving children’s care services, a peer review warns. |
Children’s services hindered by ‘systemic challenges’
09/10/2023 Children’s services are doing ‘inspiring work’ but find themselves held back by ‘wider, systemic challenges’, a council chiefs say. |
The case for regulating childcare placement costs
05/10/2023 Cllr Christopher Carubia, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Wirral Council makes the case for Government regulation of childcare placement costs. |
Cumberland working to reduce ‘escalating costs’
26/09/2023 Cumberland Council says it is working hard to control ‘escalating costs’, but it is facing a potential overspend of £17.5m. |
Concern over Bristol schools’ app use to monitor children
22/09/2023 Campaign groups have accused Bristol schools who use an app to monitor pupils and their families of ‘intrusive monitoring’. |
‘Shockingly high’ justice system involvement among care-experienced children
21/09/2023 A third of care-experienced children born from 1996-99 received a youth justice caution or conviction – a finding described as a ‘terrible indictment of the failure of local authorities’. |
Mental health top reason for social care absences
20/09/2023 New research has claimed mental health and stress is the most common reason for social care staff sickness and absence in more than 77% of councils. |
Cuts see ‘children’s services run like A&E’, charities warn
14/09/2023 Councils are spending more on crisis intervention in children’s services, a group of leading charities has warned today. |
Swindon children's services 'inadequate'
11/09/2023 Swindon BC’s children’s services have been judged inadequate by Ofsted. |
Nine councils in section 114 warning
25/08/2023 Nine councils within the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (Sigoma) have warned they could issue a section 114 notice by 2025. |
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. |
Asylum ‘perma-backlog’ to impact councils
22/08/2023 Reforms to the UK’s asylum system are likely to pile more pressure on councils struggling to support unaccompanied children, a new report has found. |
Service costs ‘unmanageable’, city council warns
21/08/2023 Coventry City Council has projected a £12.1m overspend in its budget and warned that service costs are becoming ‘unmanageable’. |
Deprivation of liberty applications surge
07/08/2023 The number of applications seeking authorisation to deprive children of their liberty has increased following the launch of a dedicated court. |
Peterborough City Council issued with improvement notice
04/08/2023 Peterborough City Council has been issued with an improvement notice following an Ofsted report that raised concerns about the council's children’s services. |
Progress at Herefordshire’s children’s services
03/08/2023 Ofsted has found improvements at Herefordshire’s children’s services but said more should be done to ensure consistent progress. |
Education and children's services top complaints to Ombudsman
26/07/2023 The Ombudsman’s annual complaints statistics have revealed education and children’s services as the key areas of concern, making up a quarter of the workload. |
Councils look to end children's services partnership
21/07/2023 The strategic partnership for children’s services between Hampshire CC and Isle of Wight Council could end after a decade of work between the two. |
Investigation reveals complaints backlog in Kent
06/07/2023 Kent County Council has a backlog of 170 unanswered children’s services and education complaints, an investigation has revealed. |
Increased referrals causing children’s services overspend
06/07/2023 Four in five of England’s largest councils overspent on their children’s services budget last year because of more young people requiring care since pandemic. |
'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. |
Ofsted chief apologises after Doncaster abuse and neglect
13/06/2023 Chief inspector Amanda Spielman has apologised after Ofsted failed to uncover ‘very serious’ abuse and neglect at three residential settings in Doncaster. |
Vulnerable youngsters failed by care system
24/05/2023 ‘Vulnerable young people are being failed’ by the children’s social care system, a former education secretary has warned. |
‘Shocking’ number of children in care far from home
25/04/2023 A ‘shocking’ number of children are being moved into care far from their communities, according to a campaigning charity. |
Kent receives improvement notice for SEND failings
06/04/2023 An improvement notice has been issued to Kent CC after it failed to turn around its special educational needs and disability (SEND) services. |
Trust for children's services at Star Hobson council goes live
03/04/2023 The Trust tasked with running Bradford Council’s children’s services following the tragic death of 16-month-old Star Hobson has gone live. |
Councils lack skills in deal-making, says commissioner
30/03/2023 Children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, suggested support should be provided to negotiate the market for placements for children in care. |
East Riding children's services rated ‘good’
28/03/2023 East Riding of Yorkshire Council's children's services have been rated good, less than three years after being told by inspectors they were inadequate. |
‘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. |
Government accused of eroding local support services for children
10/03/2023 The leader of the school and college leaders’ union has accused the Government of eroding local support services for children. |
Herefordshire Council to retain control of children’s services
02/03/2023 Herefordshire Council will be able to retain control over its troubled children's services department for now but it will have to demonstrate improvements. |
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. |
Commissioner warns children's services could be removed from Sefton
07/02/2023 A Government-appointed commissioner has warned Sefton Council’s children’s services are still in ‘severe difficulties’ and could be removed from local control. |
Council calls for review into missing children
30/01/2023 Brighton & Hove City Council has called for a safeguarding review after dozens of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children went missing from a hotel in the city. |
SEND advice service requires 'drastic' overhaul
13/01/2023 A SEND advice service has been savaged in an independent report that found it had contributed to a £10m tribunals bill for Birmingham City Council. |
'Shocking' findings on children in care
03/01/2023 A charity campaigning for children in care is calling on the Government to address the instability faced by many children in the care system. |
Children’s services deal with nearly 220,000 urgent referrals
14/12/2022 Children’s services dealt with 217,800 of the most urgent referrals – those in which significant abuse or harm is suspected – during 2021-22, study reveals. |
Warning of 'last minute dash' to find care placements for children
18/11/2022 Local authorities are being forced to make a ‘last minute dash’ to find homes for children coming into care due to a lack of suitable accommodation, a report has warned today. |
Number of children in care will soar to nearly 100,000 without reform, councils warn
28/10/2022 Almost 100,000 children will enter care in the next three years if the Government fails to deliver social care reforms, council leaders have warned today. |
Improvement notice for Nottingham's children's services
25/10/2022 An improvement notice has been handed to Nottingham City Council over its children’s services. |
Councils criticised for ‘inadequate’ responses to murders
19/10/2022 Solihull and Bradford councils have faced further criticism due to their ‘inadequate’ responses to murders of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. |
Notts council children’s service ‘Inadequate’
05/09/2022 Nottingham City Council has expressed regret that its children’s service is ‘not where it should be’ after Ofsted rated them as ‘Inadequate’. |
Low-income parents struggle to access early years services
23/08/2022 Over a third of low-income parents are struggling to access pre-school child development and parenting support, charity reveals. |
Council’s children’s services ‘improved in all areas’
15/08/2022 Coventry City Council’s children's services have been rated as ‘good’ following its latest Ofsted inspection. |
