Safeguarding
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
A charter to tackle County Lines
Islington LBC’s first report on the local implementaton of the Charter Against Modern Slavery shows it has led to progress in earlier identification of children at risk of exploitation through County Lines. Ann McGauran reports
Norfolk has the systems in place to combat domestic abuse
Dr Louise Smith is confident that with strong direction, a multi-agency strategic board, and excellent collaborative working within Norfolk, the council and its partners can make a 'substantial, long-term impact on domestic abuse'.
Local areas must face up to the scale of child criminal exploitation
Children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield says her recent report on improving the safeguarding response to gang violence and criminal exploitation shows many local areas are not facing up to the scale of the issue.
Lessons from Croydon's review into the causes of youth violence and exploitation are also relevant to other areas
The learning points from Croydon's independent in-depth review into the root causes of serious youth violence and exploitation are relevant to communities everywhere, says Di Smith.
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.
Council denies ‘litany of failures’ in Shamima Begum case
Tower Hamlets LBC has denied claims it was responsible for a ‘litany of failures’ leading up to teenager Shamima Begum's decision to join Daesh.
Meeting the needs of looked after children in Oxfordshire
The use of iMPOWER’s Valuing Care needs measurement approach in Oxfordshire has led to a better appreciation of the needs of looked-after children, says Lara Patel.
The secret of success
Dave Hill outlines Surrey CC’s transformation plans, including a restructure of 2,500 staff from April and a new model based on relationship-based practice and family resilience.
Tackling unauthorised encampments
Jan Britton describes how Sandwell MBC is leading the way in tackling unauthorised encampments. Working with West Midlands Police, the council has established a fast-track approach to dealing with groups with caravans as soon as they arrive.
FoI and the hidden side of safeguarding
FOI responses show more than half of the councils approached had reported incidents in the last three years of staff not following safeguarding guidance. But context is crucial to understanding what the data may be saying
‘We can’t go on as we are’
Investing in strategies that reduce childhood poverty is an efficient economic policy as well as the right thing to do, says president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services Stuart Gallimore