Campaigners call for strengthened SEND protections ahead of reforms
Govt pledges to recruit 10,000 foster carers
Leisure services facing ‘triple squeeze’
Kent leader calls for child migrant cost support
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.
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). |
Regulators call for NHSE to offer greater SEND support to local area partnerships
11/12/2025 NHS England and the Department for Education should provide local area partnerships with access to resources and training so they can support schools to take a needs-led approach to supporting children with SEND, according to a new report. |
Most vulnerable families missing out on benefits of council run holiday schemes
09/12/2025 Councils are concerned that the most vulnerable families are missing out on benefits of their holiday activity and food (HAF) schemes for low-income families. |
Councils face hurdles housing low-income applicants, charity warns
09/12/2025 Almost a quarter (24%) of housing associations in England have confirmed that local social housing registers can sometimes see low-income households ruled out, research has found. |
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. |
Councils must tell schools and GPs about homeless children, says Government strategy
05/12/2025 The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy includes a new legal duty on councils to ensure they notify schools, GPs and health visitors when a child’s family is made homeless and placed in temporary accommodation. |
Councils set for winter surge in demand for food bank support
03/12/2025 Councils are set for a surge in demand from residents for information about food bank support this winter, latest figures from the charity Trussell indicate. |
Call to end ‘shadow market’ of unregistered children’s homes
03/12/2025 Almost nine in 10 councils placed children in unregistered homes this year due to limited registered options, research has found. |
SEND campaign to prioritise local voices
02/12/2025 A public engagement campaign on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has been launched to include local families in decisions about reforms. |
Council takes action against ‘unacceptable’ street staining
01/12/2025 Brent Council has announced its ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to paan spitting on streets, which is costing the local authority more than £30,000 annually to clean up. |
National HIV Action Plan will remove barriers to care, Government says
01/12/2025 Councils are to help the Government introduce its new HIV Action Plan, aimed to improve access to HIV testing and treatment, while combatting stigma around seeking support. |
Sport England announces 27 new ‘Place Partnerships’
28/11/2025 Sport England has unveiled 27 additional ‘Place Partnerships,’ expanding its drive to tackle inactivity across England. |
Budget: Over 100 neighbourhood health centres to launch by 2030
26/11/2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that 120 of 250 new neighbourhood health centres will be operational by 2030. |
Complex care needs drive up social care costs for young people
25/11/2025 The growing complexity of care and support needs have increased social care costs by almost a third in 2025, according to a new survey. |
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. |
LGA: Councils face ‘huge pressures’ to deliver children’s services
20/11/2025 Over 80,000 children are being looked after by councils across England, figures have revealed. |
Call for interim funding for early support hubs
20/11/2025 A termination of funding could leave mental health support hubs vulnerable to closure, a youth organsiation has warned. |
SEND debt set to hit £18bn
14/11/2025 England’s councils have warned that the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is ‘on course for total collapse’ without urgent reform. |
Council staff visited wrong house before Sara Sharif’s murder
13/11/2025 A safeguarding practice review has found that children’s services in Surrey failed to identify abuse suffered by 10-year-old Sara Sharif. |
