Childrens services
Promising findings from social work pilots
Devolving budgets to frontline workers to directly support families could reduce the likelihood of children going into care, pilots have found.
Working with you, for you
By engaging with and seeking the guidance of its young people, Blackpool Council has been able to secure both funds and a new co-production ethic to improve the lives of its residents. Diane Booth explains
Prevention is the key to ensuring our children’s future
Rachel Dickinson encourages Boris Johnson to ensure children are central to the policy decisions of his new regime.
Rising care staff numbers fail to keep pace with demand
Adult social care has the second largest percentage of job vacancies across the public sector after the NHS, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Moray warned time is running out
Audit Scotland has told a council that it has 'limited time' to curb spending before its reserves run out.
New directors add to improvement pace
Croydon LBC’s new executive director and director of early help and children’s social care have quickly made improvements to the council’s inadequate children’s services, Ofsted has said.
Derby spending clampdown to close budget gap
Officers at Derby City Council have been told to clamp down on spending as the authority heads for a budget overspend this year.
Chiefs criticised over lack of leadership on abuse
Chief executives of Nottinghamshire CC and Nottingham City Council over several decades have been criticised after failing to prevent ‘widespread’ child sexual abuse.
Children's services, adult social care top list of complaints
Most complaints about councils received by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) in 2018/19 concerned education, children’s services and adult social care.
Government response to youth violence ‘inadequate’
The Government has been urged to back councils to tackle the rise in youth violence.
Children's care in Northamptonshire remains inadequate
Children’s social care in Northamptonshire has failed to improve on its inadequate Ofsted rating following a visit by inspectors.
Improvements for Worcestershire children's services
Worcestershire CC’s children’s services have improved since they were rated inadequate three years ago, with families better cared for now, Ofsted has said.
It’s time to get to work
Heather Jameson assesses the growing to-do list facing the sector as a new government takes shape, with Brexit still looming in the background.
Government: Brum no longer requires children's commissioner
Birmingham City Council no longer requires a Government-appointed commissioner to run its children’s services, the Department for Education (DfE) had announced.
We will not rest on our laurels
Waltham Forest Council won Local Authority of the Year in the MJ Awards 2019. Martin Esom and Cllr Clare Coghill believe the achievement is the result of ‘nearly a decade of relentless focus and grip’.
Children's services progress 'slow and uneven'
Ofsted has described the progress of Reading BC to improve its children’s services as ‘slow, uneven and not always sustained’.
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.
Financial risk for children's services across London is 'unsustainable'
Children’s services across London are facing an unsustainable level of financial risk, a new report commissioned by London Councils has warned.
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.
Planning amid the certainty of uncertainty
John Hewitt says finance directors and their teams have been working ‘minor miracles’ in signing off balanced budgets for the last 10 years. He outlines a number of steps Government could take to help local authorities plan more effectively.