Record number of children in temporary accommodation
Hunger costs put severe strain on public services
Councils could be forbidden from using destructive pesticides in parks
Social workers warn of rising risk of unsafe housing
Why social care isn’t just a discharge service
Sean Harriss, Senior Advisor at PPL, talks about how viewing social care as a ‘hospital discharge service’ means the value of social care isn’t realised.
LGA: Children’s social care buckling under budget pressures
17/04/2025 Council chiefs have urged the Government to invest more into early intervention to support the children’s social care system as it reaches ‘crisis point’. |
Swindon barbers to help boost mental health support
16/04/2025 Swindon Borough Council urges local barbers to engage with a new training programme designed to improve and destigmatise mental health issues amongst men. |
Charity criticises 40% adoption funding cut
16/04/2025 Adoption experts have criticized the Government’s decision to cut funding for therapy for adopted children in England. |
NHS contract proposals pledge 'greater control' for ICBs
15/04/2025 New proposals by NHSE pledge to give ICBs greater control over NHS contract activity. |
Streeting: Care staff to be trained in ‘cutting-edge’ tech
09/04/2025 Social care workers will be trained to use the latest ‘cutting-edge technology’ to help improve the social care system, Wes Streeting has said. |
Councils spend £40m fighting ‘ratflation’
09/04/2025 Local authority pest control services made nearly 300,000 visits to people’s homes to deal with pest infestations last year at a cost of £40m. |
Council apologises for failing to assess carer’s needs
03/04/2025 Southend-on-Sea City Council has agreed to apologise to a mother for failing to assess her needs as a carer on two occasions. |
Local area partnership promises urgent improvements
03/04/2025 Bracknell Forest Council and NHS Frimley ICB have promised ‘urgent and sustained improvements’ following a critical Ofsted and CQC report. |
Council to pay family nearly £8k after education failure
03/04/2025 Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to pay £7,900 in compensation after council failures led to a child missing out on four terms of education. |
Croydon woman breaks back after care funding cut
28/03/2025 A woman in Croydon sustained a serious back injury using an NHS bed turning aid after the local authority cut funding for her night-time care. |
Exclusive: Ministers set to reject social care trust plans
27/03/2025 Ministers are likely to reject plans for children’s or adult social care trusts that come as part of local government reorganisation (LGR), The MJ understands |
Cuts to disability benefits could cost councils £1.2bn
24/03/2025 The Government's cuts to disability benefits could lead to £1.2bn of extra costs for social care services and the NHS, according to a think tank. |
Black country councils in £45m child protection pilot
19/03/2025 Walsall and Wolverhampton councils have announced they are continuing to work with Government on a £45m pilot programme aimed at improving child protection. |
New animation raises air quality awareness
17/03/2025 BCP Council is raising awareness of the dangers of air pollution among children across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole using the power of animation. |
Care home plans approved with £57m backing
14/03/2025 Gloucestershire councillors have approved plans to build three new care homes over the next four and a half years thanks to a £57m cash injection. |
Mental health services under resourced and overwhelmed
13/03/2025 A lack of support means people struggling with mental health issues are caught in a ‘damaging cycle’ of re-admittance to mental health services, says CQC. |
Rochdale apologises for 1,500 SEND plan backlog
13/03/2025 Rochdale BC has apologised after admitting it has a backlog of 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
Child sexual abuse identification at 30 year low
07/03/2025 Safeguarding professionals are protecting the lowest number of children at risk of sexual abuse in three decades despite a rise in convictions, data reveals. |
London’s Ulez delivers ‘substantial’ air quality improvements
07/03/2025 London's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) has led to ‘substantial improvements’ in air quality across the capital, new research reveals. |
Call for higher education providers to better support care experienced
06/03/2025 Higher education providers have been urged to work closely with local authorities to ensure people who have experienced children's social care are supported. |
Tameside children waiting too long for care reviews
27/02/2025 Tameside Council is taking too long to review children’s education, health and care (EHC) plans, an investigation has found. |
Care at home programme to save council £10m
27/02/2025 A programme designed to support people and carers to live healthier and more independent lives is on track to save Somerset Council over £10m. |
Hospices set to benefit from £100m boost
26/02/2025 Hospices across England are set to receive £25m of funding for facility upgrades and refurbishments, the Government has confirmed. |
Parliament rally calls on Government to tackle social care crisis
25/02/2025 Campaigners are gathering at Parliament today to call on the Government to address the social care crisis. |
Government announces 10-year study on youth vaping
19/02/2025 A £62m research project will provide ‘the most detailed picture yet’ of the the long-term health effects of vaping on children, ministers have announced. |
Data reveals council areas with most fast food outlets
12/02/2025 The London borough of Camden has more fast food outlets per resident than any other local authority area in England, according to new analysis. |
Council chiefs warn of ‘stark inequalities’ in oral health
11/02/2025 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to take urgent action to address ‘stark inequalities in oral health’. |
Report reveals SEND ‘blind spots’
11/02/2025 Research into the provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support in England has highlighted ‘inequalities’ and ‘blind spots.’ |
Hundreds of children forced ‘out of area’ for mental health care
10/02/2025 Hundreds of children are forced to travel out of their local area for mental health treatment, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP). |
Government told to ‘spend a penny’ on public toilets
10/02/2025 Campaigners have launched a new campaign to encourage the Government to invest in the delivery of public toilets. |
Government increases Public Health Grant by 5.4%
07/02/2025 A £200m boost to public health services has been announced by the Government. |
Councils 'deeply concerned' about trust's performance
06/02/2025 The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) of Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council has written to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting about concerns over the performance of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH). |
Alcohol-related deaths prompt health funding call
06/02/2025 The number of alcohol-related deaths hit record levels in 2023, prompting council chiefs to call for certainty over funding for public health services. |
Children stuck in limbo amid delays for mental health support
05/02/2025 Young people seeking mental health support are not getting the help they need, according to a new survey. |
Call for national health inequalities strategy
04/02/2025 A new Local Government Association report has called on the Government to introduce a national strategy to tackle health inequalities in England. |
Quarter of children need social care by 18, study finds
03/02/2025 One in four children in England require social care services by the time they turn 18, a new study has revealed. |
Children’s Services need support to deal with increasing complexity
03/02/2025 The Government must introduce long-term funding mechanisms for Children’s Services to address increasing complexity and rising demand, a new report says. |
Committee ‘disappointed’ after DHSC snubs ICB intervention request
31/01/2025 Oxfordshire's Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has said it is ‘disappointed’ at the DHSC’s decision not to intervene in the restructuring of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB. |
Disability benefit claimants miss out on £4bn
31/01/2025 Benefit claimants received over £4bn less than they were entitled to in 2023-24 increasing the risk of financial hardship for those losing out, watchdog says. |
‘More work to do’, councillor responds to SEND petition
29/01/2025 Nottinghamshire County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND, Cllr Ben Bradle, has acknowledged there is ‘more to do’ on SEND provision. |
Scotland scraps core element of National Care Service
24/01/2025 The Scottish Government has scrapped plans to deliver structural social care reform through a National Care Service. |
Knowsley leaving children 'being harmed or at risk'
21/01/2025 Regulator Ofsted has rated Knowsley MBC's children's services inadequate, warning the council was leaving young people being ‘harmed or at risk of harm'. |
Number of school children receiving SEN support surges 40%
21/01/2025 The number of British school children receiving support for special educational needs (SEN) has surged by 40% since 2016-2017, a new study has revealed. |
Social care delays leading to ‘dangerously long’ hospital stays
17/01/2025 One in seven hospital beds were occupied last week by patients who were medically fit to be released, but who were forced to wait for care packages. |
Committee chair 'shocked' by CQC shortfalls
16/01/2025 The chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran, has said she is ‘shocked’ at ongoing shortfalls at the Care Quality Commission (CQC). |
Ombudsman: Decision to move man in his final days caused ‘distress’
16/01/2025 Essex County Council’s decision to move a man with dementia away from his wife during the final weeks of his life caused ‘avoidable distress’, an ombudsman has said. |
ADCS: Cuts have led to poor safeguarding outcomes for children
14/01/2025 The combination of poor-quality housing and the cost-of-living crisis is contributing to ‘family distress and breakdown’, safeguarding report concludes. |
Councils to be 'accountable' for care improvements as commission launched
03/01/2025 The Government intends to hold councils ‘accountable' for improving care in their areas as part of its social care reforms. |
Tackle housing crisis to fix NHS and economy, ministers told
02/01/2025 The Government cannot hope to stabilise the NHS and grow the economy without tackling the crisis of poor-quality housing, a report has warned. |
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. |
