Local government organisations have welcomed a new long-term strategy for children’s social services but warned the proposed extra £200m of funding falls far short of what is needed.
In its Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy the Government says it wants to put families at the heart of reform with better support for vulnerable children to stay with their families.
Children's minister Claire Coutinho said the Government was setting out ‘an ambitious set of packages to start a transformation in children's social care.’
The report follows a review into the murders of two children in 2020 which highlighted the inadequacies of a system meant to protect children at risk.
The new strategy includes pilots in 12 local authorities to provide more early support for families struggling with challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse and poor mental health.
There will be more family-type placements for children in care, with relatives, friends or foster families, a recruitment drive and above-inflation rise for foster carers.
Local Government Association (LGA) chairman James Jamieson said much of the strategy was positive but there was urgent need for immediate action. He said the funding announced fell short of addressing the current £1.6bn shortfall needed each year to maintain current service levels.
‘Many of these are longer term measures, which while important, will not tackle the crisis that children’s social care faces right now.’
Steve Crocker, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, welcomed the strategy but added: ‘The level of funding beyond the next two years remains unclear. Getting change right for children requires proper, equitable resourcing.’
Keith Glazier of the County Councils Network said the emphasis on preventative services and keeping families together was key, but the funding fell short and the pilots were only taking place in ‘a select few areas’.
Anne Longfield, chair of the Commission on Young Lives and former children’s commissioner for England, said the review was a ‘bold and ambitious plan’ but the proposed funding was ‘not yet ambitious enough to meet the enormous scale of the challenges facing the system.’
