Safeguarding
‘There can be and will be no complacency’
Joanne Roney says that while addressing past failures is ‘very necessary’, we must not lose sight of ‘how radically our approach to tackling child sexual exploitation has been strengthened’ since Operation Augusta.
An efficient collaboration
Victoria Gould of Warwickshire CC’s award-winning Young People Legal Service team (YPLS) explains how it is working collaboratively with other local authorities to minimise legal costs in times of increasing demand.
ONS data will help councils tackle child abuse
The ONS has undertaken the mammoth task of attempting to map child abuse nationally, says Heather Jameson - 'and collating the data will help the sector gain an understanding of where the major problems are and where resources are needed most'.
Councils urged to improve information sharing
Local authorities have been urged to improve information sharing following two serious case reviews (SCRs) into horrific child deaths.
Designing out rough sleeping
Homeless people die young. Kalvinder Kohli says stopping this trend requires a focus on enabling people to live independently within their own communities and on solutions ‘rooted far more upstream where we can prevent it’.
Serious case review launched after double murder verdict
A serious case review has been launched after a woman and her partner were sentenced for murdering her two teenage sons.
Spielman in fresh illegal schools warning
Ofsted’s chief inspector has made a fresh call for the Department for Education (DfE) to crack down on unregistered or illegal schools.
Who’s in charge?
Changes to an organisation’s management structure are attractive, argues Blair Mcpherson - but not at the expense of clarity about who’s in charge.
Reaping the benefits of a whole-service approach
Leigh Zywek describes how a programme of long-term support for a young mother is making a vital difference.
All-round safety for our children
Dez Holmes explains the role of the recently-launched programme to support children’s services to tackle child exploitation in all its forms.
No time to waste in boosting early intervention
Cllr Nickie Aiken says early intervention programmes across London are creating higher quality, responsive provisions that prevent needs from escalating, and helping to manage costs.
The use of child spies ‘needs urgently reviewing as a priority’
Stuart Carlton says the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and the Department for Education need to know which children are being used as spies - and jointly assure themselves that the risks are acceptable.
How London delivers safeguarding
London’s adult safeguarding partnership was set up to unite a plethora of agencies in the capital to develop a single policy and set of procedures and drive learning and improvement. Dawn Wakeling explains,
Evidence emerges for the effectiveness of Intensive Family Preservation Services
A review has found evidence of the effectiveness of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) in reducing the risk of care entry to children for up to two years after the delivery of the interventions.
Call for leader to quit after 'repeated failures'
Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has called for Northamptonshire CC leader, Matt Golby, to quit after ‘repeated failures’ in the council’s children’s services.
Tackling child exploitation together
A programme to support areas battling child exploitation has been launched by the Department for Education. Ann McGauran reports on how the £2m scheme will work with councils
Making progress in Powys
An inspection revealing child protection processes at Powys CC were not good enough came as a ‘hard knock’, says leader Rosemarie Harris. She talks to Dan Peters about the council’s continuing improvement journey.
Don’t let children’s services become ‘black box’ of council
Chief executive Merran McRae has warned her colleagues not to let 'insular' children’s services become the 'black box' of their council.
Children ‘not being protected’ by Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Children’s social care services are ‘inadequate’ at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, according to the findings of a new Ofsted inspection.
Rebuilding lives lost to slavery
Local authorities must do more than meet the ‘bare minimum of the Modern Slavery Act’, writes Paul Gerrard. With councils spending more than £40bn a year, there is leverage that can and should be used for social good