Children
Court ruling defends council but warns others
A crucial Supreme Court judgment has dismissed a family’s claim against a council for housing them next to an abusive household, but stressed authorities may still have a duty of care in other circumstances.
Spending Review should put aside £3bn for children's services - MPs
The Government needs to release at least £3bn of non-ring-fenced funding to local authorities to save children’s services from the ‘crisis’ they are in, MPs have said.
A system ‘that’s failing children and young people’
What lies behind the upward trend in the number of youngsters being moved to live a long way from home, and what can be done to keep more of them in their own communities? Ann McGauran reports.
Council vows to challenge Government's data sharing rules
A Scottish council has vowed to challenge the Government’s restrictive rules on information sharing with local authorities.
Commissioner appointed to Blackpool
An Essex CC director has been drafted in as a commissioner to oversee Blackpool Council’s children’s services after an Ofsted report last year found it was ‘inadequate’.
MPs launch missing children inquiry
MPs have today launched an inquiry into the increasing number of children being placed in homes out of their boroughs.
Hungry kids and foodbanks could become 'normal'
Children arriving at school hungry and families queuing up at foodbanks ‘could become part of the wallpaper’ of everyday life, the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has warned.
Refocusing on the right interventions
National policy has moved towards the importance of integrated, targeted responses – and Norfolk has developed its new Early Childhood and Family Service with this in mind, says Sara Tough
Councils ‘failing’ children exploited by gangs, report reveals
The same mistakes that led to child sexual exploitation failings are being repeated with gangs, the children’s commissioner has warned.
Nine out of ten councils blow the budget on children's care
Nearly ninety percent of councils overspent on children’s social care last year, according to figures released by the Local Government Association.
Ofsted boost for Calderdale children
Calderdale Council’s children’s services has been rated as good with outstanding features in its latest Ofsted inspection.
Pressure piled on children's secretary over funding
Councils have increased pressure on children and families secretary Nadhim Zahawi to secure more funding from the Government’s spending review.
The trouble with troubled families
In the melee of the adult social care cash crisis, rising children’s services pressures and pothole funding chasms, Troubled Families budgets have been low down the list of priorities, writes Heather Jameson
The risk from cuts
Children’s social care has become more efficient since 2010, but Graham Atkins argues this will be difficult to push further and cuts to wider services risk increasing demand
Ofsted success driven by a team approach
A cross-directorate approach to supporting children’s services has been crucial to North Yorkshire CC achieving an outstanding rating by Ofsted across all the outcome judgements, says Stuart Carlton
Kid’s care on a cliff edge
Following a report by ADCS that initial contacts made to children’s social care have increased by 78% over 10 years, Martin Ford finds out how council specialists are addressing the pressures to keep delivering as budgets dwindle
More than 1,000 children referred to social services every day
Nearly 400,000 children in England were referred and assessed as in need of social services support in 2017/18, according to the latest figures.
Outcome-focused alliances should be the only show in town
Steve Kay says the challenges we face are never simply down to money alone - and in North East Lincolnshire Council 'where we are successful it is because we have put outcomes for children and families at the very heart of what we are doing'.
Councils await outcomes of SEND judicial reviews
Councils are awaiting the outcomes of judicial reviews into plans to reduce spending on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Children's services under pressure at embattled council
Powys CC’s children’s services remain ‘under considerable pressure’ as the council attempts to improve from a damning inspection verdict.