BREAKING NEWS: Streeting agrees to 'simple asks' from Baroness Casey
BREAKING NEWS: Baroness Casey makes five 'simple asks' of Streeting
Councils’ wood burning campaign prompts stove industry backlash
Contract blunder left 400 children without therapy, ombudsman finds
Underfunding, Not Demand, Is Breaking SEND
Jack Lowman, Sense, says properly funding the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is vital for disabled children to get the best start.
Council could invest over £450k to boost smokefree service
03/03/2026 North Yorkshire Council is considering spending nearly £500,000 on e-cigarette procurement to help residents quit smoking. |
'Social care reform caught in political catch-22,' report finds
02/03/2026 Social care reform is caught in a political catch-22 with Government frightened to tackle the issue, according to a new report. |
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. |
Scottish IJBs at 'critical point', commission finds
26/02/2026 IJBs have reached a critical point in Scotland with a significant risk they will become financially unsustainable, according to Accounts Commission. |
Call for exclusion of adult social care premises from ‘Mansion Tax’
26/02/2026 Care England has called on the Government to exclude adult social care premises from the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, known as the ‘Mansion Tax.’ |
Manchester high schoolers to benefit from free gym classes
24/02/2026 Young people aged 11 to 16 could receive access to free gym and fitness services in Manchester. |
Released prisoners face severe mental health challenges, study finds
18/02/2026 A new study has revealed that people released from Scottish prisons experience a mental health and substance use crisis. |
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. |
Social care in Scotland receives £20m boost
13/02/2026 The Scottish Government has confirmed that social care will receive a £20m cash injection. |
Council fined after leaving a child without education for a year
12/02/2026 North Tyneside Council has agreed to pay £5,900 to a family after an investigation found it failed to provide suitable education for a child with SEND. |
Schools urged to act cautiously on pupil gender transition
12/02/2026 Schools will be required to take a careful, evidence-informed approach when a child asks to socially transition under new guidance. |
Think tank urges more support for unpaid carers
10/02/2026 One in three people from poorer backgrounds are unable to work due to their unpaid caring responsibilities, research has found. |
Council's SEND services improving but still inconsistent
09/02/2026 Improvements have been made to SEND services delivered by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council but services remain inconsistent, new report says. |
Council and ICB award preventative services contract
06/02/2026 A Preventative Services Contract for Adults has been awarded to three organisations by Shropshire Council and Shropshire ICB. |
Campaigners call for strengthened SEND protections ahead of reforms
04/02/2026 A joint statement has been sent to the Secretary of State, warning that legal protections for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must be preserved. |
Govt pledges to recruit 10,000 foster carers
03/02/2026 The Government has unveiled a plan to recruit up to 10,000 new foster carers in England this Parliament, aiming to reverse a sharp decline in approved carers. |
Leisure services facing ‘triple squeeze’
03/02/2026 UK leisure services are facing a ‘triple squeeze’ of rising demand, ageing facilities and growing public health expectations, according to an APSE report. |
Kent leader calls for child migrant cost support
03/02/2026 Kent CC has urged the Government to tackle costs tied to caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children after Ofsted downgraded its children’s services. |
Social care costs for asylum seekers up 148%
02/02/2026 Local authorities across the UK have seen a notable rise in spending on social care for people seeking asylum. |
Council chiefs concerned by loss of measles elimination status
28/01/2026 Local authority leaders have voiced their concerns after the World Health Organisation confirmed that the UK has lost its measles elimination status. |
Call for national standards to end social care lottery
27/01/2026 National standards of care could be the key to ending the stark variation in social care across England, according to a new report. |
Scottish social care undermined by ‘systemic underinvestment’
27/01/2026 Social care in Scotland is undermined by the ‘systemic underinvestment’ in prevention and early intervention delivered by social care services, report finds. |
Council tax relief launched for families facing terminal illness
26/01/2026 Newark & Sherwood DC has unveiled a new council tax relief scheme to ease pressures on households where a family member is living with a terminal illness. |
Scotland leads on damp and mould regulations
23/01/2026 Regulations to protect tenants from damp and mould have been announced in Scotland. |
MPs call for overhaul of early years' healthcare support
22/01/2026 MPs have called for an overall of early years’ healthcare support, including more health visitors and Family Hubs, and a new vaccines strategy. |
Children still overlooked as domestic abuse victims, report warns
21/01/2026 Children affected by domestic abuse are not being consistently recognised as victims by frontline services across England and Wales, joint report warns. |
Redcar and Cleveland BC pledges to become an Endometriosis Friendly Employer
20/01/2026 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has joined the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme. |
Combined authority to crackdown on junk food ads
19/01/2026 Liverpool City Region is set to clampdown on junk food and high sugar drink advertising across publicly owned assets. |
Call for 'national fee model' for care support
19/01/2026 Care Forum Wales (CFW) has called for a ‘national fee model’ to end the ‘postcode lottery’ of care funding. |
Teenagers with care experience at higher risk of mental health difficulties
15/01/2026 Research reveals that adolescents who have spent time in care face greater risks of serious mental health challenges than their peers without care experience. |
Study finds traces of harmful weedkiller in children’s playgrounds
15/01/2026 Eight UK playgrounds have been found to be contaminated with the weedkiller glyphosate, which is associated with serious health risks. |
Shared Lives charity supports almost 10,000 people in UK
14/01/2026 Home care charity, Shared Lives, supports 10,000 people through personalised, relationship-based care, new data has revealed. |
Threat to SEND rights could leave thousands of children without support
13/01/2026 The legal rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are under threat, according to an open letter. |
Illegal children’s homes cost councils over £350m in a year, report finds
12/01/2026 Councils have spent more than £350m on placing children in illegal accommodation over the past year, research has revealed. |
Government announces £50m boost to Disabled Facilities Grant
12/01/2026 An additional £50m for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) has been announced by the Government. |
Council held accountable for causing resident ‘significant distress’
08/01/2026 A council has agreed to apologise to a man whose complaints about a neighbour’s anti-social behaviour were ignored. |
Consistent approach needed on evaluating delayed discharge initiatives, says auditor
08/01/2026 A consistent approach is needed on evaluating and reporting on initiatives to improve delayed discharges, according to a new report. |
Trust reviews future of adult social care partnership
07/01/2026 Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is reviewing the future of its partnership with Torbay Council to deliver adult social care. |
Need for SEND support in London hits record levels
07/01/2026 The number of children in London requiring special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support has reached record levels, new analysis reveals. |
Six digital companies to share £1.5m WorkWell funding
06/01/2026 Six digital companies are to share £1.5m in WorkWell funding under an NHS and local government led programme. |
Council says 'more to be done' after SEND improvements
05/01/2026 Hertfordshire County Council has said there is still ‘more to be done’ after an inspection report noted improvements in SEND services. |
Council apologises for sign language failure
05/01/2026 A London council has apologised after failing to find a sign language interpreter for a deaf man receiving care. |
Families urged to be vigilant against fake Christmas toys
24/12/2025 A warning has been issued to remind families of the danger of counterfeit toys amid a rising number of fake Labubu dolls being seized at the border. |
Motor neurone disease patients dying before home adaptation grants approved
24/12/2025 Many people living with motor neurone disease (MND) are dying before essential grants to adapt their homes are approved, according to new research. |
Young care leavers to get free prescriptions
23/12/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed an announcement that care leavers will receive free prescriptions, dental and eyecare services up to the age of 25. |
LGA urges investment in 'vital' care leaver services
18/12/2025 The LGA has called for greater council funding to support care leavers following research which reveals that young people experience a ‘sharp decline’ in wellbeing after leaving care. |
Councils launch campaign to counter seasonal rise in domestic conflict
16/12/2025 Councils across Yorkshire and the Humber have linked up to launch a campaign to promote healthy relationships at Christmas among residents in their area. |
Councils to receive £19m to support 4,900 more households impacted by domestic abuse
16/12/2025 Councils are to receive a £19m funding boost from the Government to help deliver safe accommodation for those affected by domestic abuse. |
Redbridge agrees SEND improvement plan following inspectors’ criticism
15/12/2025 The London Borough of Redbridge has agreed a plan to improve its support for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) following a critical report by inspectors earlier this year. |
Councils to be handed free school money to deliver SEND places
12/12/2025 Councils will be given funding earmarked for the creation of free schools to deliver specialist places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
