What the new cross-border placement rules in Scotland mean
17/02/2026 In this expert analysis, Ellen Bond, MFMac’s Family Law team, outlines what the new Cross-border Placement of Children Regulations 2026 will mean for councils. |
Call for change after Sara Sharif murder
13/12/2024 Some 485 children in England died or were seriously harmed by abuse or neglect in a year, a report by the child safeguarding practice review panel has revealed, as experts called for change in the wake of the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif. |
Alcohol harm costs England £27.4bn a year
20/05/2024 Research has uncovered a £27.4bn annual bill for alcohol-related harm in England, prompting a call for local powers to control alcohol availability in the worst affected areas. |
Social workers’ concerns not addressed, union warns
02/04/2024 Welfare concerns raised by social workers are not being dealt with, putting vulnerable people at risk, a union has warned. |
Barriers to support impacting carers’ mental health
02/11/2023 Unpaid carers are not receiving adequate support from statutory services and their mental health is suffering as a result, Carers UK has found. |
Children referred to social services twice as likely to fail GCSEs
22/08/2023 Children who have been referred to social care are twice as likely to fail an English or Maths GCSE than their classmates, a children’s charity has found. |
Review identifies ‘missed opportunities’ in Baby Acer’s death
06/06/2023 The death of a five-month-old boy in his bouncer was part of a systemic failure of social services at Surrey County Council, review concludes. |
Facing up to historic child sex abuse
05/10/2022 Alan Collins, a partner in the abuse team at Hugh James Solicitors, calls on local government to step up and be accountable for child sexual exploitation. |
Child sexual exploitation inquiry clears council of cover up
20/06/2022 An inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham has found that there were serious failings in the handling of some cases but no cover up by the council. |
Welsh councils face £178m funding gap next year
19/04/2021 Welsh local authorities will face a funding gap of £178m next year due to post-pandemic pressures, a new report has found. |
Welfare state and social services had ‘serious weaknesses’ before COVID, study says
22/02/2021 A new study has revealed the extent to which the impact of COVID-19 has been exacerbated by pre-existing fault-lines in the welfare state and social services. |
Whitehall urged to adopt ‘social model’ for dealing with mental health issues
17/07/2019 MPs and social workers have called on the Government to recognise the role of social factors when treating people with mental illnesses. |
|
Over 1,000 children referred to social services every day
09/11/2018 Nearly 400,000 children in England were referred and assessed as in need of the support of social services in 2017/18, according to the latest figures. |
|
Number of social services staff in Wales drops for 11th year in a row
19/10/2018 The number of staff in council social services departments in Wales has fallen by almost a quarter in the last 11 years, according to the latest figures. |
|
Thousands of looked after children are treated as ‘pinball kids’, study finds
18/04/2017 A new report has revealed that thousands of in-care children are ‘pinging’ between schools, homes and social workers – a situation that has a negative impact on their future prospects. |
