Children's social care


Repairing children’s services is an investment worth making 12/09/2019 Spending more on services to stop the rising costs of taking children into care must be worth the investment, says Heather Jameson.
Commissioner appointed to oversee council’s ‘inadequate’ children’s services 27/08/2019 The Government has appointed a commissioner to improve Medway Council’s children’s services after Ofsted rated them ‘inadequate’.
Councils exceed children’s social care budget by £800m 27/08/2019 Funding shortages and demand pressures forced local authorities to overspend on their children’s social care budgets by nearly £800m last year, LGA warns.
More children being cared for in failing council services, says think tank 12/08/2019 Nearly 50,000 children are being cared for in areas where council services are failing, a think tank has warned today.
Foster carers need ‘more support’ to look after LGBTQ young people 30/07/2019 More support is needed for foster carers looking after LGBTQ young people, new study says.
Stop 'criminalisation' of children in care homes, council chiefs say 09/07/2019 More must be done to stop the 'criminalisation' of children in care homes, according to local government leaders.
Adoptive families ‘fighting losing battle’ for support 02/07/2019 Adopted children are twice as likely not to be in employment, education or training as their peers, according to the first ever UK-wide assessment of adoption.
Charity calls for protected funding for children’s hospices 20/06/2019 NHS England is being urged to keep its promise to protect and increase funding for children’s hospices by charity Together for Short Lives.
Councils warn of national 'special needs emergency' 06/06/2019 Councils are supporting more than 130 extra children and young people with special education needs every day, new figures have revealed.
Sure Start had ‘major benefits’ for disadvantaged children, think tank says 04/06/2019 The twenty-year-old childcare programme has had major health benefits for children in poorer neighbourhoods, a new analysis reveals.
Council funding system ‘unsustainable’, financial experts warn 29/05/2019 Spending on local services has fallen over the last decade and the funding available to councils will become ‘inadequate’, according to financial experts.
Hancock pledges review of every patient in long term segregation or seclusion 21/05/2019 Health secretary Matt Hancock today ordered a review of the care that patients in long term segregation or seclusion receive.
What I've learnt from reading my social services file 16/05/2019 Louise Hughes explains what impact reading her care file had on her, and calls on social workers to write their case notes with young people in mind.
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.
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 social care ‘not financially sustainable’, MPs warn 22/03/2019 MPs have criticised the Department for Education for what they describe as ‘slow progress’ in improving children’s social care.
Thousands of babies at risk due to children’s services cuts 17/10/2018 There are nearly 16,000 babies growing up in households where they are at risk from harm, the commission that monitors the care of children has warned.
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.
An 'outstanding' example for children's services 09/08/2018 A county in the north of England provides a shining example of how to run children's care services, writes Mark Whitehead.
County first to be rated 'outstanding' in all areas of children's social care 06/08/2018 North Yorkshire County Council has become the first authority to receive an ‘outstanding’ grade in every category under the new social care inspection framework.
Care leavers exempt from paying council tax in Manchester 26/07/2018 Manchester City Council has announced care leavers will be exempt from paying council tax until they are 25.
North Tyneside saves over £100,000 thanks to children’s charity 13/06/2018 A local authority has saved more than £100,000 and reduced the flow of children into care by 16% thanks to its partnership with an ‘innovative’ charity.
Commissioner’s report on children in care ‘disappointing’, say council chiefs 01/06/2018 Local government leaders have branded a report warning of the dangers of children being shifted around the care system as 'disappointing'.
Whitehall announces £1,000 apprenticeship bursary for care leavers 18/05/2018 Care leavers who choose to start an apprenticeship are to receive a £1,000 bursary to help the transition into the workplace, the Government announced yesterday.
Minister releases £17m for children’s services 16/03/2018 The children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi has today announced a package of support worth £17m to help local authorities support vulnerable children.
Council chiefs warn of children’s social care crisis in the north west 07/03/2018 Local government leaders in the north west have warned of a ‘growing’ children’s social care crisis in their area.
Should councils be launching their own charities? 21/02/2018 Mark Whitehead explores why Barnet has become the first council to set up a charity to support children in care.
Council launches apps for children in care to share views 29/11/2017 Norfolk County Council has launched two new apps designed to help vulnerable children and young people in Norfolk share their views and feelings.
Research partner chosen for children's social care project 15/11/2017 Cardiff University has been named as the research partner for a new centre to find out what works best in children's social care.
Young people surveyed about care experiences 30/10/2017 Young people leaving care will be asked for their views on their experiences in a survey being sent to local authorities.
Councils awarded £20m to improve children's services 13/10/2017 A multi-million pound government initiative aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable children and families has been announced.
Childhood in care linked to mums who have babies removed by courts 05/10/2017 A new study has revealed that 40% of women who lose children into public care or adoption because of child protection concerns have been in care themselves.
Essex appointed to improve Worcestershire CC children’s services 20/09/2017 Essex CC will work alongside Worcestershire County Council’s children's services team after county criticised for ‘serious failures’.
Children placed in homes outside their borough ‘soars’ 80%, figures reveal 18/09/2017 MP ‘disappointed’ after new figures revealed number of children being sent to live in children’s homes outside their own borough increased 80% in four years.
Making life easier for care leavers 13/09/2017 Local authorities have been urged to make care leavers exempt from paying council tax until the age of 25. Tom Redfearn explains why.
Council criticised after reducing care for autistic brothers without consulting mother 07/09/2017 A London council has been criticised for reducing the care and support packages of two autistic brothers without involving their mother in the decision.
Vulnerable youngsters ‘left in limbo’ due to underfunding of social services 14/08/2017 Local government children and young people's leader Richard Watts has backed a report showing vulnerable youngsters are being 'left in limbo'.
What does local government want from the next Government? 05/06/2017 William Eichler explores what local government organisations hope to see from the next Government.
Children’s services face £2bn funding gap by 2020 11/05/2017 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 03/04/2017 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 21/03/2017 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 20/03/2017 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 13/12/2016 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 23/11/2016 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 03/11/2016 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’ 28/10/2016 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 27/10/2016 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.
Care budgets at 'breaking point' warns report 13/10/2016 The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) has today raised concerns that social care is approaching a ‘tipping point’.
Child protection services judged 'unsatisfactory' by watchdog 12/10/2016 Six years of reforms to child protection services have failed to make significant improvements, a damning report from the National Audit Office has said.
Sandwell’s children’s services to be transferred to a trust 06/10/2016 Sandwell Council’s children’s social care services are to be run by a trust despite Ofsted reporting ‘positive progress’ had been made.
Research claims councils could save £186m a year through 'quick-wins' in care services 29/09/2016 Councils could save at least £186m a year by transforming the way they deliver care services, according to new research published today.
Social work in Scotland at ‘watershed’ moment 22/09/2016 Public service users must play a more active role in shaping the future of social work in Scotland, report says.
Burnham calls for care services to be handed to NHS 21/09/2016 The ‘only answer’ to the problems facing adult social care is to bring care services into the NHS, Greater Manchester’s mayoral hopeful Andy Burnham has argued.
Judge warns child care cases pushing family courts to crisis 21/09/2016 Family courts are facing an imminent crisis due to the ‘relentless’ rise in the number of child care cases they deal with, a senior judge has warned.
Council apologises for deaths of two teenagers in their care 15/09/2016 Sunderland Council has apologised ‘strongly and unreservedly’ after an independent review discovered it failed two teenage girls who died in 2013.
School nurses ‘unhappy’ with local authority children’s services 12/09/2016 More than a third of school nurses are dissatisfied with council children’s services' responses on at least half of referrals, according to a new report.
Sunderland children’s services makes 'significant progress' 02/09/2016 Children's services in Sunderland have made 'significant progress' since being judged inadequate last year, Ofsted inspectors have said.
Vulnerable children ‘re-traumatised’ by services, charity says 18/07/2016 Vulnerable children risk being ‘re-traumatised’ by services designed to help them, charity warns.
Vulnerable children need better protection from harm, finds report 08/07/2016 Healthcare services are failing to identify and protect children at risk of abuse and exploitation, a new report has warned today.
Children’s care homes often ‘underestimated', review finds 05/07/2016 Children’s care homes are too often viewed as an ‘anachronism’ and they are frequently ‘underestimated’, but improvements can still be made, report concluded.
New care roles are a distraction warn experts 30/06/2016 New integrated care jobs are not necessarily the best way of bringing services together, a leading think tank has warned.
Report calls for new health and care department 28/06/2016 A new Whitehall department should be set up to manage an integrated health and social care budget, a new report has said.
Weak leadership is letting children down says Ofsted 28/06/2016 Vulnerable children are being let down by weak leadership in too many local authorities, inspectors have claimed.
Sunderland Council to transfer children's services to new company 23/06/2016 Sunderland has decided to set up a new organisation to deliver its children's services.
Council duties to young people under threat 14/06/2016 Hundreds of local authority duties to young people could be removed as the Government seeks to ‘radically alter children’s social care’, according to industry professionals.
Sandwell children’s services facing move to voluntary trust 10/06/2016 Children’s social care services at Sandwell Council could be transferred to a voluntary trust, after being rated as 'inadequate' by inspectors last year.
Birmingham’s children’s services to face more revelations 25/05/2016 Birmingham City Council’s under-fire children’s services department is to face fresh revelations in a documentary to be broadcast tomorrow night (26 May).
Half of children in custody have been in care system, report finds 23/05/2016 Action is needed to keep children in care out of prison, a review chaired by crossbench peer Lord Laming has demanded.
Cameron outlines reforms for social workers 16/05/2016 David Cameron has pledged to change the way local authorities help children in care with a new regulator and further reforms.
Lack of funding forces councils to ‘turn away’ children with mental health issues 28/04/2016 A significant number of local authorities and health services are failing to identify mental health issues when children enter care, select committee reports.
Agile working in social care 15/04/2016 Agile working in social care is all about working smart, taking costs out of the system and being more efficient. Michael White reports.
Former health secretary to head up Birmingham and Solihull health reforms 06/04/2016 Former health secretary Stephen Dorrell has been appointed to oversee the transformation of health and social care in Birmingham and Solihull.
Council’s children's services ‘inadequate’, Ofsted warn 06/04/2016 A council’s children’s services are suffering from ‘serious and widespread failures’, says Ofsted report.
Millions invested by Whitehall into helping vulnerable children 04/04/2016 Hundreds of millions will be invested to support vulnerable children and families, the education secretary announced yesterday.
Report: Teenagers criminalised due to children’s homes failures 30/03/2016 Children’s homes too often resort to involving police rather than offering teenagers in their care the support they need, according to a new report.
Chancellor attacked for ‘ignoring’ social care in Budget 17/03/2016 Chancellor George Osborne has been criticised for failing to address the subject of social care in yesterday's Budget announcement.
Reform of health and social care under threat, warns watchdog 10/03/2016 A lack of national leadership and clear planning is holding up urgent changes needed for health and social care services, Scottish government watchdogs have warned.
Number of missing children at risk of sexual exploitation doubled in a year, West Yorkshire police say 05/02/2016 The majority of missing children flagged as at risk from sexual exploitation in West Yorkshire were girls in local authority care, The Yorkshire Post has revealed.
Inquiry launched into children's social care services 04/02/2016 An inquiry into local authority run children's social care is to be conducted following several high profile cases of child abuse and neglect.
Government supports children’s services at ‘combined level’ 15/01/2016 Government plans to overhaul children’s services have indicated support for delivery of social care at a combined authority level.
Government to introduce joint inspections to identify vulnerable youth 14/01/2016 New inspections to assess how agencies work together in particular areas to protect and support vulnerable young people and children will be launched by the Government this year.
Campaigners call for health and social care commission 11/01/2016 David Cameron has been urged to set up a commission on the future of health and care systems to help to tackle the UK’s ‘monumental demographic challenges’.
Rehab company to run children’s homes in Birmingham 07/01/2016 Birmingham City Council has selected the Priory Group to run five of its residential children’s homes.
Only 18 FGM protection orders issued in three months despite thousands facing the illegal practice 22/12/2015 Only 18 of the new specialist protection orders designed to shield young girls from female genital mutilation (FGM) have been issued since they were introduced three months ago, according to Government figures.
'Radical' health devolution deal unveiled in London 15/12/2015 A radical devolution deal to 'reshape' health and social care in the capital has been unveiled today.
Failing children’s services to be taken over warns Cameron 14/12/2015 Control of failing children’s services will be taken away from councils under radical reforms announced today by the prime minister.
Better Care Fund struggling with red tape warns report 08/12/2015 The government’s project to integrate health and social care services is being held back by too much red tape, a new report is warning.
Integration of health and social care in Scotland faces ‘significant risks’ 03/12/2015 The integration of health and social care in Scotland faces ‘significant risks’ which need to be overcome, according to a new report.
County pledges improvement work following 'inadequate' Ofsted rating 30/11/2015 Lancashire County Council has unveiled steps it is taking to improve its services for children and young people after a critical Ofsted report.
Thousands of child sexual abuse cases not detected 24/11/2015 Only one in eight cases of child sexual abuse are being detected by professionals, according to a new report published by the Children’s Commissioner.
New data reveals 40,000 children hit by death of a parent each year 19/11/2015 Nearly 40,000 children faced the death of a parent last year, according to new analysis of local authority data.
Think tank warns disabled children facing care crisis 17/11/2015 Disabled children are being let down by ‘shaky and often non-existent’ public services, a new report has warned.
Councils urged to 'step up' and help young carers 16/11/2015 Councils have been urged to ‘step up their game’ and ensure young unpaid carers are being assessed for their needs by a charity.
Young care leavers being ‘cut adrift’ warn MPs 30/10/2015 Vulnerable young people leaving local authority care are not receiving the help and support they need, a new report from the Public Accounts Committee has warned.
Government announces 'root-and-branch' review of children’s residential care 29/10/2015 David Cameron and education secretary Nicky Morgan have launched what they claim will be a comprehensive review with the aim of ending the disadvantages many vulnerable children in care face.
Councils dealing with nearly 2,000 cases following closure of Kids Company 29/10/2015 Local authorities are reviewing 1,900 cases passed to them by the now defunct Kids Company, according to an investigation into its funding.
New duty to ensure professionals report cases of FGM to police 21/10/2015 The Government has confirmed that teachers, health and social care workers will be legally required to report cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) from the end of this month.
Budget cuts hitting children's centres finds charity 19/10/2015 The majority of children's centre managers have reported budget cuts for the forth year running, according to to a new survey by the charity 4Children.
Hampshire to implement social care sharing software 16/10/2015 New software to make it easier for social care workers to view information on vulnerable children has been developed for Hampshire County Council.
Report: asylum seeking children face ‘hostile’ and ‘confusing’ reception in UK 28/09/2015 Just seven local authorities look after 43% of lone children seeking asylum in England, according to new research.

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Local Government News

This issue of Local Government News explores how councils can tackle modern slavery and trafficking in their supply chains, finds out more about Cambridge's first cohousing scheme and the launch of a new project to build a shared service pattern library for local government.

This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.