EHCPs jump up 11% in a year
Call for proactive social care to support pensioners
Scrap council tax for terminally ill people, charity says
Number of family hubs down by a third
Why social care isn’t just a discharge service
Sean Harriss, Senior Advisor at PPL, talks about how viewing social care as a ‘hospital discharge service’ means the value of social care isn’t realised.
Council chiefs welcome home cervical cancer screening kits
24/06/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Government’s announcement that self-sampling kits used to check for cervical cancer will soon be available. |
Scale not key to social care disaggregation
23/06/2025 Adult social care disaggregation should not focus on scale, according to research published today. |
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. |
Social care commission shelves cross-party talks
17/06/2025 Leader of the Government’s social care review of social care, Baroness Casey, has shelved plans for cross-party talks, it has been reported. |
Council seeks advice after Botox hospitalisations
16/06/2025 Fourteen people who received cosmetic injections in County Durham and Darlington were recently admitted to hospital following ‘adverse reactions’. |
Spending Review: Silence on SEND reform
11/06/2025 Councils will have to wait until the autumn for details of reforms to services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). |
Council chiefs call for boost to occupational therapist workforce
09/06/2025 Council leaders have called on the Government to invest in occupational therapists (OTs) to improve health, care, and prevention strategy outcomes. |
‘Urgent’ call for sustainable homecare funding
06/06/2025 New research reveals local authorities are ‘consistently failing to fund homecare’, with 27% of contracts falling below minimum wage. |
'Burning platform' warning on early years' services
05/06/2025 Early years’ services are on a ‘burning platform’ with UK outcomes among the ‘worst in the civilized world’, a leader has warned. |
Council told to apologise for mishandling of school transport
05/06/2025 Derby City Council has been told to apologise to three families for mishandling their school transport applications. |
Call for 10-year sexual health strategy
03/06/2025 The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for a 10-year sexual health strategy as services face unprecedented pressure. |
Abuse audit delayed
03/06/2025 A nationwide audit of child abuse has been delayed, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has confirmed. |
School meals posing ‘worrying’ health risks, charity warns
29/05/2025 Schools must do more to support children’s long-term health by reducing the quantity of processed meat served at mealtimes, charity says. |
Children face ‘catastrophic’ care waiting times
22/05/2025 Hundreds of thousands of children are being left waiting for vital community care services, children’s health care professionals warn. |
Care coalition calls for significant social care funding in Spending Review
22/05/2025 A coalition of stakeholders has called for significant investment in social care in the Spending Review on 11 June. |
Public health officials ‘disappointed’ by junk food ad ban delay
22/05/2025 Local authority directors of public health have voiced their disappointment in response to the Government’s decision to delay the ban on junk food advertising. |
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. |
NHS and local government partner on gonorrhoea vaccine
21/05/2025 The NHS and local government have partnered on the roll-out of a world-first vaccine programme to prevent gonorrhoea. |
Rise in drug-related deaths reveals ‘stark’ inequalities
20/05/2025 A recent study by the Health Foundation reveals a drastic increase in the number of drug-related deaths in the UK and striking geographical inequalities. |
Think tank calls for early intervention for children’s mental health issues
19/05/2025 Children with mental health issues are facing long-term health conditions and employment barriers, says new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). |
Health organisations call for smacking ban
16/05/2025 An open letter signed by 13 leading health organisations has been sent to Government demanding that the ‘reasonable’ defense of physically punishing children is abolished. |
EXCLUSIVE: Family decision making model keeps children out of care
15/05/2025 A new charity report highlights how an evidence-based model of family-led decision making can help keep children out of care. |
International recruitment of care workers to end
12/05/2025 The Government is set to end the recruitment of care workers from overseas to bring down the migration figures, but critics call the move a ‘crushing blow’. |
Blueprint document sets out changes to ICB functions
08/05/2025 A blueprint document has set out changes to integrated care board (ICB) functions with a number being transferred to neighbourhood providers and NHS regions. |
NHS backlog not driven by surge in benefit claims
02/05/2025 The increase in NHS waiting lists is unlikely to be connected to the recent surge in health-related benefits claims, according to the IFS. |
Casey Commission: 2036 deadline for social care reform ‘too late’
02/05/2025 The terms of reference for the Casey Commission’s review of adult social care have been published, but critics remain concerned care is 'back of the queue’. |
Record number of children in temporary accommodation
30/04/2025 A record 165,510 children are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation, according to the latest homelessness figures. |
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. |
Councils could be forbidden from using destructive pesticides in parks
25/04/2025 MPs will today debate a proposal that could see the use of 'toxic' weedkillers by councils banned. |
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. |
LGA: Children’s social care buckling under budget pressures
17/04/2025 Council chiefs have urged the Government to invest more into early intervention to support the children’s social care system as it reaches ‘crisis point’. |
Swindon barbers to help boost mental health support
16/04/2025 Swindon Borough Council urges local barbers to engage with a new training programme designed to improve and destigmatise mental health issues amongst men. |
Charity criticises 40% adoption funding cut
16/04/2025 Adoption experts have criticized the Government’s decision to cut funding for therapy for adopted children in England. |
NHS contract proposals pledge 'greater control' for ICBs
15/04/2025 New proposals by NHSE pledge to give ICBs greater control over NHS contract activity. |
Streeting: Care staff to be trained in ‘cutting-edge’ tech
09/04/2025 Social care workers will be trained to use the latest ‘cutting-edge technology’ to help improve the social care system, Wes Streeting has said. |
Councils spend £40m fighting ‘ratflation’
09/04/2025 Local authority pest control services made nearly 300,000 visits to people’s homes to deal with pest infestations last year at a cost of £40m. |
Council apologises for failing to assess carer’s needs
03/04/2025 Southend-on-Sea City Council has agreed to apologise to a mother for failing to assess her needs as a carer on two occasions. |
Local area partnership promises urgent improvements
03/04/2025 Bracknell Forest Council and NHS Frimley ICB have promised ‘urgent and sustained improvements’ following a critical Ofsted and CQC report. |
Council to pay family nearly £8k after education failure
03/04/2025 Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to pay £7,900 in compensation after council failures led to a child missing out on four terms of education. |
Croydon woman breaks back after care funding cut
28/03/2025 A woman in Croydon sustained a serious back injury using an NHS bed turning aid after the local authority cut funding for her night-time care. |
Exclusive: Ministers set to reject social care trust plans
27/03/2025 Ministers are likely to reject plans for children’s or adult social care trusts that come as part of local government reorganisation (LGR), The MJ understands |
Cuts to disability benefits could cost councils £1.2bn
24/03/2025 The Government's cuts to disability benefits could lead to £1.2bn of extra costs for social care services and the NHS, according to a think tank. |
‘High’ air pollution alert in London
19/03/2025 City Hall has issued a ‘high’ air pollution alert in London on Thursday due to an increase in air pollution from mainland Europe. |
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. |
New animation raises air quality awareness
17/03/2025 BCP Council is raising awareness of the dangers of air pollution among children across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole using the power of animation. |
Care home plans approved with £57m backing
14/03/2025 Gloucestershire councillors have approved plans to build three new care homes over the next four and a half years thanks to a £57m cash injection. |
Mental health services under resourced and overwhelmed
13/03/2025 A lack of support means people struggling with mental health issues are caught in a ‘damaging cycle’ of re-admittance to mental health services, says CQC. |
Rochdale apologises for 1,500 SEND plan backlog
13/03/2025 Rochdale BC has apologised after admitting it has a backlog of 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
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. |
