Children's social care

• What does local government want from the next Government?

  William Eichler explores what local government organisations hope to see from the next Government.

  

• Children’s services face £2bn funding gap by 2020

  Council leaders have warned that children’s services are rapidly becoming unsustainable and are facing a funding gap of £2bn by 2020.

  

• Sunderland completes transfer of children's services to new company

  A new company to deliver children’s services has been set up by Sunderland City Council following an ‘inadequate’ rating by Ofsted back in July 2015.

  

• Funding for children’s services failing to keep up with demand, MPs warn

  Nearly 90% of directors of children’s services find it increasingly difficult to fulfil their duties to children ‘in need’, report reveals.

  

• Whitehall announces £36m of funding to support vulnerable children

  Projects supporting vulnerable children will be awarded £36m as part of the Government’s social care innovation programme for children.

  

• Council finance chiefs warn demand for social care is putting other services at risk

  Adult and children's social care are the areas hardest hit by pressure on council budgets, according to finance experts.

  

• Autumn Statement: Councillors 'furious' at failure to address social care funding crisis

  Local government has reacted with fury after the chancellor failed to address cross-sector calls to plug the soaring social care funding gap.

  

• Social workers reject 'unsafe' reforms

  Plans to allow councils to set up social work trusts could prove dangerous for children, according to a new report from Unison.

  

• Birmingham faces £712m health and social care ‘funding black hole’

  Birmingham health bosses have drawn up a plan to transform the city's health and social care system in a bid to avoid an estimated £712m funding black hole in the next five years.

  

• Social care faces £2.6bn funding crisis

  Social care for the elderly and disabled could be facing a potential funding gap of at least £2.6bn by the end of the decade, council chiefs warn.