Supporting evidence-based policymaking
Andrew Carter explains how new guidance will help councils decide what services should be prioritised in the wake of swinging cuts.
Nottinghamshire councils apologise for ‘decades’ of child abuse
01/08/2019 Nottinghamshire councils have apologised for letting survivors ‘down in worst possible way’ after an inquiry found hundreds of children were abused in care. |
Council apologises for failing to protect girls from grooming gang
11/06/2019 Kirklees Council has apologised for failing to protect two girls from abuse, after an independent review found opportunities were lost to protect them from exploitation. |
Domestic abuse services ‘struggling’ due to budget cuts
01/04/2019 Nearly 60% of women accessing domestic abuse support services have children and one in 15 are pregnant, according to a new report. |
Child abuse costs taxpayers over £1bn
06/03/2019 Action must be taken to protect children from domestic abuse which is costing the nation millions of pounds, a welfare charity has demanded. |
Nine men convicted of child sexual exploitation
27/02/2019 Bradford council has insisted that safeguarding young people is its ‘top priority’ after nine men were convicted of child sexual exploitation. |
Police arrest 55 in connection with child sex abuse cases
15/01/2019 Police have arrested 55 men in connection with historical child sex abuse cases in West Yorkshire. |
Child cruelty and neglect crimes double in past five years
04/12/2018 The number of child cruelty and neglect cases recorded by police have doubled over the last five years, a children’s charity has warned. |
Council offers convicted sex offender access to victim’s child
28/11/2018 Rotherham Council has come under fire after offering a convicted sex offender access to the child of one of his victims. |
‘Lessons have been learned’ after child abuse case, council says
22/10/2018 Kirklees Council insists ‘lessons have been learned’ in the wake of what has been described as a seven-year campaign of rape and abuse in Huddersfield. |
Home Office announces £13m fund to support vulnerable children
22/08/2018 Councils have welcomed £13m of funding to help vulnerable children but warned cuts to children’s services are making it ‘difficult’ to help families. |
Brokenshire to end intervention at Rotherham Council
24/07/2018 Rotherham Council looks set to regain full control of its services, after communities secretary James Brokenshire said he was 'minded' to end intervention. |
Telford takes decisive action
07/06/2018 Clive Jones hits back at recent news coverage surrounding child sexual exploitation in Telford and Wrekin. |
Inquiry into child sexual abuse warns of ‘lack of transparency’
26/04/2018 There has been a ‘lack of transparency’ on the part of some leaders in relation to failures to protect children from sexual abuse, inquiry finds. |
Former council leader ‘lied’ about child sexual abuse, inquiry finds
13/04/2018 The inquiry into child sexual abuse in Rochdale has accused the former leader of the council of lying and said his refusal to accept responsibility was ‘shameful’. |
Council leader welcomes independent inquiry into child sexual abuse
27/03/2018 The leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies, has welcomed the decision to bring an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse to Telford. |
Councils join new alliance to help people report child abuse
16/03/2018 Local councils have joined forces with police chiefs, charities and the Government to help encourage the public to report suspicions of child abuse. |
Mandatory reporting calls rejected by Government
05/03/2018 Ministers today rejected calls for the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse – claiming an effective case for a new law has not been made. |
Rotherham's children's services rated 'good' in dramatic turnaround
29/01/2018 Rotherham Council’s children’s services have been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted, following three years of Government intervention in the aftermath of the child sexual exploitation scandal. |
Calls for independent panel to administer compensation for child abuse
12/12/2017 Compensation for survivors of child abuse in Lambeth should be decided by an independent panel rather than the council, a councillor has warned. |
Councils dealing with 500 child protection investigations every day
12/12/2017 The number of child protection investigations being started by councils has risen at an ‘alarming’ rate of more than 500 a day, according to new figures. |
Council to launch £100m scheme for sexual abuse survivors
08/12/2017 Lambeth LBC is set to launch a £100m redress scheme for survivors of historic sexual, physical and psychological abuse. |
Over 14,000 FGM cases recorded in two years, NHS reveals
06/12/2017 The NHS has recorded more than 14,000 new cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) over the past two years, new data reveals. |
Councils face child sex abuse compensation claims
28/11/2017 Two local authorities are facing a string of compensation claims following the exposure of historical sexual abuse linked to staff at council-run care homes. |
Child sexual exploitation case reveals ‘missed opportunities’ to intervene
03/11/2017 A serious case review into the sexual exploitation of teenage girls in Somerset has found ‘missed opportunities’ for earlier intervention by the council. |
Children’s charity report’s increase in domestic abuse
02/11/2017 Children’s charity providing financial support to children in crisis has reported grants awarded to families affected by domestic abuse rose by quarter. |
This issue of Local Government News explores how councils can tackle modern slavery and trafficking in their supply chains, finds out more about Cambridge's first cohousing scheme and the launch of a new project to build a shared service pattern library for local government.
This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.
