Childrens social care
Information sharing tensions found in child harm review
Legal and ethical tensions between maintaining confidentiality and sharing information are continuing, a review of some of the most serious child protection cases in Scotland has found.
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.
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.
Turning around the turnover problem
The average length of tenure for directors of children’s services is four years. Lucy Butler asks why they stay in the sector for such a short time and if anything can be done to stem the flow of losses.
Trafford handed improvement notice
The Government has ordered Trafford MBC to improve its inadequate children’s care within 15 months.
Spending Review should put aside £3bn for children's services - MPs
The Government needs to release at least £3bn of non-ring-fenced funding to local authorities to save children’s services from the ‘crisis’ they are in, MPs have said.
Austerity holding back local government fight against knife crime
‘Inadequate’ Government leadership and funding is hindering local government in tackling knife crime, a former Whitehall tsar has said.
Call for clarity after children's service advice withdrawn
The Government needs to urgently clarify its guidance on the duties of councils regarding vulnerable children and young people, according to the Local Government Association.
Commissioner appointed to Blackpool
An Essex CC director has been drafted in as a commissioner to oversee Blackpool Council’s children’s services after an Ofsted report last year found it was ‘inadequate’.
MPs launch missing children inquiry
MPs have today launched an inquiry into the increasing number of children being placed in homes out of their boroughs.
New burdens funding to be reviewed
Hopes of increased funding for new burdens have been raised by ministers.
Worcestershire to transfer education services to company
Worcestershire CC is expected to give the green light to widen the scope of its children’s services company next week.
Hungry kids and foodbanks could become 'normal'
Children arriving at school hungry and families queuing up at foodbanks ‘could become part of the wallpaper’ of everyday life, the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has warned.
We need a national strategy to tackle knife crime
It's not just gangs and knives that need to be addressed when it comes to the basic social issues, says Heather Jameson. While home secretary Sajid Javid's plans for tackling the issue are admirable, they are not enough.
It’s time to act on child poverty
We are one of the richest countries in the world, yet poverty levels are rising. Councils must act now, says Stuart Gallimore - or we will look back in shame.
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.
NHS organisations label social care funding a 'national disgrace'
The state of social care has been branded a 'national scandal and disgrace’ by a coalition of medics.
Worcestershire children’s services improve
Ofsted has found Worcestershire CC has made progress in raising the standards of its children’s services.
Making changes and building evidence in children’s social care
Michael Sanders outlines how the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care is working with partner councils to gather evidence on the impacts of two projects - devolving budgets to social workers and co-locating social workers in schools.
Doncaster brought in to review Herefordshire children's services
Doncaster MBC will review Herefordshire Council’s children’s services following heavy criticism from a High Court judge.