Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts.
Government publishes plan to overhaul of children's social care
21/05/2026 The Government has set out how it will implement the most significant reforms to children's social care and child protection in a generation. |
Government moves to cap profits of private children's care providers
21/05/2026 The Government has announced plans to crack down on profiteering by private companies providing services to councils. |
Children's social care providers show ‘pockets of vulnerability’
07/05/2026 A new analysis of England's largest children's social care placement providers has found significant variation in financial resilience across the sector. |
Sibling contact for children in care to be prioritised by councils
27/03/2026 New legislation will require councils to ensure siblings in care remain in contact. |
AAT helps Councils step up to address children’s social care
27/02/2026 As the Government announces a £555m fund for children’s social care reform, focusing on putting families first and providing early help, AAT is stepping up to help councils deliver in practice. |
Over £100m announced for kinship carers in seven council areas
27/02/2026 A new Government pilot scheme will see seven council areas provided with funding for kinship carers. |
CIPFA warning over profit capping reforms
23/02/2026 Financial oversight and profit capping reforms to the children's residential care market may fail to reduce costs for local authorities, CIPFA has warned. |
Social work leaders launch petition on settlement plans
18/02/2026 British Association of Social Workers has called on the Home Office to ensure overseas-qualified social workers remain on a five-year pathway to settlement. |
PAC: Hundreds of children failed by ‘dysfunctional’ care system
15/01/2026 Hundreds of vulnerable children in England are being placed for months in illegal, unregistered homes, according to a shocking new PAC report. |
Reform-led Derbyshire council eyes 5% council tax hike
06/01/2026 Reform-led Derbyshire County Council is considering a council tax increase of up to 5% as it seeks to close a significant budget gap. |
Festive display supports Dorset Council’s appeal for more foster carers
08/12/2025 Dorset Council has created a Christmas display to increase awareness about the need for additional foster carers in the region. |
Rising demand threatens early years support, LGA warns
24/11/2025 A new report reveals that councils and early-years practitioners are seeing a sharp rise in both the number and complexity of needs among under-fives. |
Without reform, no Budget can fix local government
24/11/2025 Joanne Pitt, CIPFA Senior Policy Manager, argues the Autumn Budget must pair funding decisions with long-term reform to secure local government’s future. |
Editor’s Comment: What local government wants from the Autumn Budget
17/11/2025 As councils face soaring pressures, the Autumn Budget Insights series outlines what local government leaders are calling on the Chancellor to deliver. |
Dozens of missing child asylum seekers unaccounted for in Kent
03/11/2025 More than 50 unaccompanied child asylum seekers who disappeared after arriving in the UK remain missing, according to data obtained through an FOI request. |
England’s councils face poorest finances since 2010
16/10/2025 Local authorities in England are set to be poorer by the end of this parliament than they were in 2010, according the Institute for Government (IfG). |
LADO reform proposed to safeguard vulnerable children
30/09/2025 The Children’s Commissioner has called for the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) role to be fully independent of local councils. |
Tackling Rising Costs in Children’s Social Care Through Procurement
20/08/2025 With rising care costs, councils must rethink procurement to secure better value, improve provision, and deliver stable homes for children in care. |
Council wrote to families about EHC plan reviews that never took place
13/08/2025 Stockton on Tees BC has apologised after an investigation revealed that nearly 100 young people with EHC plans have not had their support updated. |
Councils must support care-experienced young people, says report
11/07/2025 More funding is required to improve early intervention services for children’s social care, says Education Committee. |
Government announces ‘fairer funding’ reforms
20/06/2025 Local government funding will be overhauled to support left behind places, while competitive bidding for funding will be scrapped, Government announced. |
Council places boy in unregistered children’s home
19/06/2025 A High Court judge has condemned the Isle of Wight Council’s ‘inadequate’ placement of a boy in a £500,000 children’s home. |
Auditors call for action on delays to children’s care cases
21/05/2025 The proportion of children subject to care proceedings who have had to wait over a year to have their cases resolved has increased, report finds. |
Sure Start financial benefits could double costs, finds IFS
21/05/2025 The financial benefits of the Sure Start early years programme could be twice as high as its costs, according to new analysis. |
Social workers back smacking ban
30/04/2025 Social workers and other safeguarding professionals have called for an end to the physical punishment of children in England. |
Hunger costs put severe strain on public services
29/04/2025 Public services are under £13.7bn worth of pressure due to the Government’s negligence in addressing hunger and hardship, according to anti-poverty charity. |
Social workers warn of rising risk of unsafe housing
23/04/2025 Over 21% of social workers have had to remove a child from their family in the last three years due in part to unsafe housing conditions, new research reveals. |
Black country councils in £45m child protection pilot
19/03/2025 Walsall and Wolverhampton councils have announced they are continuing to work with Government on a £45m pilot programme aimed at improving child protection. |
Child sexual abuse identification at 30 year low
07/03/2025 Safeguarding professionals are protecting the lowest number of children at risk of sexual abuse in three decades despite a rise in convictions, data reveals. |
Call for higher education providers to better support care experienced
06/03/2025 Higher education providers have been urged to work closely with local authorities to ensure people who have experienced children's social care are supported. |
Quarter of children need social care by 18, study finds
03/02/2025 One in four children in England require social care services by the time they turn 18, a new study has revealed. |
Children's social care faces 'biggest overhaul in a generation'
18/11/2024 The Government has announced a slew of children's social care reforms, including new responsibilities for councils. |
A third of children in care placed 20 miles from home
11/11/2024 A third of young people in council care were placed in accommodation more than 20 miles from their local area last year, a new report has revealed. |
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. |
LGA: ‘Emergency cash injection’ needed to tackle child abuse
08/10/2024 Local authority leaders have called for emergency support for children’s social care as figures reveal councils investigate 600 child protection cases a day. |
Hampshire CC’s shortfall jumps to £175m
03/09/2024 Hampshire County Council’s projected overall financial shortfall has jumped from £132m to at least £175m. |
Thousands of children in care sent to live away from their communities
15/08/2024 Growing numbers of children in care are being moved to children’s homes and foster carers far from family, friends, school and community, new research shows. |
Leicester urged not to close half its family hubs
26/06/2024 Parents have launched a petition calling on Leicester City Council to drop plans to close six of its 12 children, young people and families centres. |
Children’s services in North face £25bn care burden
17/04/2024 Children’s services in the North face a £25bn care burden due to ‘deeply rooted social inequalities’ and the ‘North-South divide’, a new report has revealed. |
Social work development programme 'pulled' by Department for Education
16/04/2024 A Government decision to end a training and development programme for social work managers has been branded a ‘kick in the teeth’ for the sector. |
Over 700 vulnerable children placed in illegal homes
15/04/2024 Councils in England placed hundreds of vulnerable school-age children in unregulated homes last year due to the shortage of secure places. |
Lancashire plans to build 15 new children's homes
08/04/2024 Up to 15 new children’s homes, which aim to provide the 'right care in the right place at the right time', could be created across Lancashire. |
Vulnerable children face ‘huge regional variations’ in support
05/03/2024 Children on social service plans face a lottery of support with ‘huge regional variations’ dictating their level of protection, says Children’s Commissioner. |
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’. |
Bronson Battersby: Review launched after toddler’s death
18/01/2024 Lincolnshire County Council has launched a review after the tragic death of two-year-old Bronson Battersby. |
Systemic practice to better support families
17/01/2024 Max Stanford, head of Impact and Evaluation at Coram, discusses a new pilot study looking at systemic practice as part of the Supporting Families Programme. |
Cash-strapped councils struggling to reunite families
17/01/2024 Children in care are unable to reunite with their families due to the financial pressures local authorities are currently facing, survey of councils reveals. |
Bradford warns of possible s114
15/12/2023 Bradford Council has warned that it will have to issue an s114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy, unless the Government provides ‘exceptional’ support. |
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. |
Nottingham issues section 114 notice
29/11/2023 Cash-strapped Nottingham City Council has been forced to issue a section 114 notice after revealing it faces a significant in-year deficit. |
Councils ‘pushed to the brink’ by children’s social care pressures
20/11/2023 A ‘perfect storm’ of financial pressures and rising numbers of children needing support are putting local authorities at risk of bankruptcy, councils warn. |
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. |
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. |
Hampshire County Council on ‘financial cliff edge’
05/10/2023 Hampshire CC has warned that cuts to services and job losses are inevitable as the council is facing ‘one of the biggest budget shortfalls in its history’. |
‘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. |
Stoke-on-Trent Council at risk of bankruptcy
05/09/2023 Stoke-on-Trent Council has warned that it is on the verge of bankruptcy and called for a ‘national overhaul’ of social care funding. |
Scandal-hit firm reports losses
14/08/2023 A firm at the centre of a residential care abuse scandal has reported operating losses of £5.8m for the year to June 2022. |
Auditor finds ‘significant weaknesses’ in Bristol's finances
10/08/2023 ‘Significant weaknesses’ in reducing overspends are threatening Bristol City Council’s financial sustainability, according to its external auditor. |
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. |
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. |
Outsourcing children’s care linked to worse outcomes
30/05/2023 Children in care are being moved between short-term, unstable placements far away from their families because of ‘corporate takeover’ of sector, study says. |
Independent review into baby murder case
18/04/2023 The case of a 10-month-old baby murdered by his parents just 39 days after being placed back into their care is to be independently reviewed. |
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. |
‘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. |
Call for 'full reset' of children's care
15/03/2023 The Government’s approach to children’s social care will not solve the issues within the system, experts have said. |
Lancashire County Council is set to pass its first £1bn budget
10/02/2023 Members have been told that the current financial outlook was ‘generally positive thanks to careful management’. |
DfE supports proposals to help vulnerable children
03/02/2023 Local authorities might soon be able to draw on the support of regional bodies to help them find suitable placements for children, the DfE says. |
Children’s social care reform fails to address £1.6bn shortfall
02/02/2023 Local government organisations have welcomed a new strategy for children’s social services but warned the proposed £200m of funding falls short. |
Top awards for sector in King Charles III's Honours list
03/01/2023 Local government figures from across the sector have been recognised in the first New Year's Honours list under King Charles III. |
'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. |
Minister accepts early intervention is 'critical'
09/12/2022 Early intervention is ‘critical,’ minister concedes as Government told to publish its delayed plan for implementing children’s social care recommendations. |
Council chiefs welcome call to embed ‘culture of evaluation in social care’
23/11/2022 Council leaders have welcomed a call to embed a 'culture of evaluation in social care’ and to build on the the children’s social care innovation programme. |
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. |
Shropshire Council facing £18.8m overspend
01/09/2022 Shropshire Council has warned that it is facing a predicted overspend of up to £18.8m due to inflation, rising energy costs, and the demand for services. |
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. |
Over a fifth of children in care see family too little, research shows
05/07/2022 A 'significant' number of young people and children in care are unhappy with the contact arrangements with their families, a new report has shown. |
Evaluation of children’s social care projects ‘encouraging’, auditors say
24/06/2022 Auditors have praised the Department for Education’s ‘encouraging work’ when it comes to evaluating innovation in children’s social care. |
York council set to share children’s social care action plan
22/06/2022 York Council will share a plan outlining how the council will improve its services for children after an inspection said the services ‘required improvement’. |
Study links child poverty to rise in number of children entering care system
06/06/2022 Child poverty contributed to more than 10,000 young people entering care over the course of five years, a new study has found. |
Children ‘bounced around’ care system
06/05/2022 Research by the charity Barnardo’s has found young people are facing frequent changes of home, school and social workers. |
New funding to help councils drive down parental conflict
13/04/2022 Councils will receive £33m to help resolve conflict between parents and and improve children’s life chances. |
Court finds in favour of councils over child placements
30/03/2022 The High Court has found in favour of four local authorities after campaigners challenged the councils for placing children in care outside of their areas. |
High Court rules no discrimination in legal protection for children in care
17/03/2022 High Court yesterday ruled that legislation allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to be placed in unregulated accommodation did not count as age-based discrimination. |
Thousands of children missing out on vital early years help, charity finds
28/02/2022 Hundreds of thousands of children who missed out on early help services are being re-referred to social care within a year, new research has found. |
Children left 'at unknown risk' in Solihull
21/02/2022 A report was commissioned in December following the conviction of a father and stepmother for the murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. |
Wales to trial Basic Income pilot for care leavers
16/02/2022 A Basic Income pilot for all young people leaving care will be piloted across Wales. |
Teenagers should not be placed in unregulated accommodation, PM told
01/02/2022 The Prime Minister has been urged to reverse a law that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to be placed in unregulated accommodation. |
More children in care – the causes, issues, and solution
31/01/2022 Danny Wilson outlines how local authorities could help prevent the rapid increase in the number of children in care. |
Care system putting teenagers in 'danger' report warns
04/01/2022 The care system is 'unfit for purpose' and is putting vulnerable teenagers at risk of exploitation and crime, a new report has warned. |
Council chiefs welcome new measures to improve children’s social care
16/12/2021 Local authority leaders have welcomed new measures aimed at stopping poor quality supported accommodation providers and rooting out bad practice. |
Number of children in care set to rise to 100,000
22/11/2021 County leaders call for an ‘unrelenting’ focus on keeping families together as figures reveal that the number of children in care could reach 100,000 by 2025. |
Southwark first council to back Fund the Hubs campaign
17/11/2021 Southwark Council is calling on the Government to fund a network of early mental hubs for young people across the country. |
Peers reveal COVID's impact on children's mental health
05/11/2021 The mental health issues of vulnerable children already receiving support have become more severe due to the pandemic, councils have warned in a new survey. |
Councils warn children’s social care costs will soar by £600m a year
25/10/2021 The cost of children's social care in England will increase by £600m each year due to soaring demand, councils leaders have warned. |
Study raises concern over availability and price of children’s care
22/10/2021 Local authorities are being forced to put children in unsuitable accommodation due to a shortage of suitable placements, a study has found. |
Calls for more funding as child abuse increases
20/08/2021 Incidents involving death or serious harm to a child have risen in the past year, leading to calls for further funding. |
