Children's services | LocalGov


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.
Ofsted calls for social care workforce strategy 27/07/2022 The watchdog the need is ‘more urgent than ever’ as it published a report looking at the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on children’s social care.
Councils call for overhaul of providing secure children’s homes 22/07/2022 The number of children waiting for a place in a secure children’s home has doubled in the past year, new figures have shown today.
Only a quarter of local authorities have enough holiday childcare this summer 19/07/2022 Just over a quarter (27%) of local authorities in England have enough holiday childcare available to meet the demand of parents working full-time in their area, new research has shown today.
Early intervention cuts trigger crisis interventions 18/07/2022 Councils, young people and families are trapped in a ‘vicious cycle’ due to the halving of investment in early intervention over the last decade, the largest children’s charities have warned.

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