Childrens services
Council finding it 'harder to identify and deliver savings'
Knowsley MBC is finding it ‘harder to identify and deliver savings’ given the scale of Government funding cuts, senior councillors will be told next week.
Wakefield orders new IT following 'serious problems'
Wakefield Council has ordered the immediate procurement of a new IT system following criticism from a watchdog.
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.
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.
'We've broken the social contract with people'
Former Society of Local Authority Chief Executives president Jo Miller is leaving her chief executive role at Doncaster MBC to take up a new local government post in New Zealand. She talks to Heather Jameson about her legacy.
Can SIBs still make an impact?
Essex’s five-year experiment with a social impact bond (SIB) has concluded, with conflicting perspectives on its success and value for money. Dan Peters reports
Let austerity end for the children first
Rachel Dickinson says a host of conflicting policy initiatives are making it harder for councils to give children and young people the help they need.
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
'Lessons learnt' from Essex social impact bond
Investors behind the first council social impact bond (SIB) in the world have said what has been learnt from the project will be implemented elsewhere.
'Slow progress' two years after inadequate judgement
Gloucestershire CC is making ‘slow progress’ in improving its services for its children and young people two years after it was judged inadequate, Ofsted has found.
The biggest challenge in local government
Last week, James Brokenshire announced the reorganisation of Northamptonshire CC – a year later than was originally planned. Heather Jameson speaks to chief executive Theresa Grant and her commissioners on progress at the crisis-hit county.
Hull commits £2m to improve ‘inadequate’ children’s services
Hull City Council has promised to ‘accelerate’ its improvement plans and invest an extra £2m into its children’s services after they were rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.
‘Significant areas of weakness’ found in Stockton’s SEND provision
Watchdogs have criticised the pace of improvements in provision for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) in Stockton-on-Tees.
Recruiting for Liverpool’s future
Liverpool City Council is recruiting more social workers to cut workloads and improve outcomes for children in an unprecedented investment, says Steve Reddy
Delay to Northamptonshire reorganisation welcomed
Council leaders have welcomed the year-long delay to plans to create two new unitaries in Northamptonshire.
Elvery: Improving children's outcomes is top priority after Ofsted blow
West Sussex CC’s boss Nathan Elvery has said improving outcomes for the most vulnerable children is the council’s ‘top priority’ after Ofsted rated services inadequate.
Inspectors criticise council's pace of improvement
The overall pace of improvement in Reading Council’s children’s services has ‘not been sufficient’ three years since the authority was judged inadequate, Ofsted inspectors have said.
Children's services chief challenges SEND plans threshold
A children’s services director has suggested too many children are being assessed for special educational needs plans.
MPs criticise council chiefs for ‘stonewalling’ select committee
The chief executives of two councils have been accused of showing a ‘lack of leadership’ for not attending a meeting of the Education Committee.
Investment in children's centres helps deliver real results
Leeds has become the first UK city to lower its childhood obesity rate - and the role played by children's centres vindicates the council's decision to protect funding despite heavy cuts to overall grant funding, says Judith Blake.