Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
David Phillips of the IFS tells LocalGov why England's regional finance reforms are modest by global comparison and what ministers still need to get right.
Human Rights committee calls for reform of social care system
26/08/2026 Over 84,000 children across England are currently being looked after by councils, research has found. |
Dudley heavily criticised by Ofsted
25/08/2026 Children's services provided by Dudley MBC have been heavily criticised by Ofsted. |
Government invests £25m in care leavers' housing programme
25/08/2026 The Government is investing £25m in a housing programme to provide support and connection for care leavers. |
Council launches petition to guarantee job interviews for care leavers
28/04/2026 Staffordshire CC has launched a petition calling on businesses with 50 plus employees, or a turnover above £5m, to guarantee job interviews to care leavers. |
Government to examine deaths of vulnerable care leavers
16/04/2026 The Government has announced a review into the deaths of vulnerable care leavers, aiming to improve protections for young people leaving the care system. |
Training the carers who champion care leavers
13/04/2026 Become's Personal Adviser Development Programme is giving Personal Advisers the skills and confidence to better support young people leaving care. |
Care-experienced young people face greater barriers to work, research finds
23/03/2026 Nearly 30% more care-experienced young people aged 19 to 21 are not in employment, education or training, versus their non-care-experienced peers, data has found. |
Council care leavers benefit from UTCs, study finds
13/03/2026 Delivering an unconditional cash transfer (UTC) to young people leaving council care could help them secure stable housing, research has revealed. |
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. |
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. |
Care system reform in Scotland held back by ‘confusion’
07/10/2025 Scotland’s efforts to reform its care system are being held back by a lack of clear planning, accountability, and defined roles, according to Audit Scotland. |
Call to boost physical activity for children in care
10/09/2025 Care-experienced children and young people are a ‘hidden group’ often overlooked in physical activity policy, according to a report launched today by the LGA. |
Councils must support care-experienced young people, says report
11/07/2025 More funding is required to improve early intervention services for children’s social care, says Education Committee. |
New social housing criteria to support vulnerable groups
20/06/2025 A change in housing rules is set to improve access to social housing for care leavers under 25 and domestic abuse survivors. |
LGA: Care leavers should get council tax exemption
04/11/2024 Care leavers should be exempt from paying council tax to help give them financial stability when they leave care, local authority leaders have said. |
Government falling 'woefully short' on supported housing
10/11/2023 Vulnerable people are increasingly provided with poor quality supported housing and suffer ‘significant, detrimental’ impacts due to inadequate support, a report has found. |
