Children's social care

• Essex appointed to improve Worcestershire CC children’s services

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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?

  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.