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.
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. |
