Children
Judgment day
Kent and Home Office face growing pressure over asylum-seeking children.
Reducing infant mortality in Sheffield
No one element made the difference when it came to reducing Sheffield’s disproportionately high infant mortality rates, says Greg Fell – instead a 20-year commitment reaped incredible rewards.
Children’s needs not prioritised, service leaders warn
Children’s services directors have raised concerns that Government policy does not prioritise children.
Warwickshire probe over councillor SEND comments
Warwickshire CC has launched an investigation after a video showed councillors making disparaging remarks about children with special educational needs.
This is not a slow burning threat
We urgently need the Government to develop a national strategy to tackle the root causes of poverty, not just the symptoms, says John Pearce.
Plan to fight poverty
Adrian Dougherty sets out lessons from a joined-up approach to addressing child poverty at North of Tyne Combined Authority.
What Choice? Your Choice
Director of practice at the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance Dr Karla Goodman says the Your Choice programme aimed at supporting change in young people at greatest risk of involvement in violence represents a promising development.
National children's placement strategy required to remove 'profiteering'
The president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services has called for a national placement strategy to remove the risks posed by some ‘clearly profiteering’ large providers.
Remove the risk from large private providers
Local authorities are the sole purchasers of children’s care placements, yet are often held to ransom by private providers. John Pearce examines the case for a comprehensive national placement strategy.
Regional working is here to stay
John Copps says regional working in children’s services can no longer be something that can be seen as a side show and local authorities need to engage now or risk getting left behind.
From merger to milestone: a year in reflection
Dr Jo Casebourne says Foundations has been delivering on its mission in its first year – generating and championing evidence that improves services to support family relationships.
Using data to make better decisions for our children
Dominic Luscombe and Debbie Barnes look at how an approach to capturing and tracking children’s needs over time, while connecting it with the cost of their care, has worked in five councils.
NCASC: 'Watch this space' on spiralling cost of children's placements
The sector should ‘watch this space’ for an announcement from the Government on the spiralling costs of private placements for children, a minister said today.
Surge in costly care placements
The number of children’s care placements costing £10,000 or more per week has soared by more than 1,000%, a new survey has revealed.
Councils call for emergency school transport funding
‘Spiralling’ transport costs for children with special educational needs are threatening the financial stability of England’s largest councils, according to a report.
Councils hit by improvement notices
Oldham MBC and Oxfordshire CC have received improvement notices for their services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Cutting through the stigma
Amanda Hill-Dixon gives her analysis of the findings of a report into poverty and social exclusion.
Stuttering Home Office needs to act for asylum children
The National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is clearly overwhlemed and with little sign of improvement, the system needs a rethink, writes Heather Jameson.
Home Office under fresh asylum pressure
The Home Office came under fresh pressure this week to overhaul the mandatory National Transfer Scheme (NTS) for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).
The road to recovery
As we see more local authorities going into intervention, Heather Jameson talks to Rotherham MBC leader Chris Read and chief executive Sharon Kemp about what it is like to work with commissioners – and come out the other side.