Supreme Court ruling: Councils accountable for children in their care
A judge in the Supreme Court has ruled that councils are legally accountable for children in their care.
The move overrules a previous Court of Appeal decision last year where a mother and two children were subjected to antisocial behaviour and abuse from neighbours but which found that Poole Council was not at fault.
The claimants, who [...]
Prime minister launches mental health prevention measures
Schools, social workers, local authorities and healthcare services will receive extra support to make sure people know how to promote good mental health in the same way that they look after physical wellbeing, Theresa May has announced.
Every new teacher will be trained in how to spot the signs of mental health issues and the prime [...]
Steady progress at Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire children's services has made steady progress in improving the quality of intervention when children are first referred to the multi-agency safeguarding hub, Ofsted has said.
Most children are receiving helpful support when they are first referred to children’s social care, but variable practice remains evident within both the multi-agency safeguarding hub and assessment teams, said [...]
Ofsted sees deterioration of services at Sunderland
Since the last monitoring visit of Sunderland children's services, there has been a deterioration in the quality of some services, and not all children are being protected, Ofsted has warned.
Management oversight and quality assurance are not sufficiently robust in identifying and addressing weaknesses in practice. Information to the council and the quality improvement committee (QIC) [...]
Child survivors of domestic abuse should be seen as victims
Child witnesses of domestic abuse should be seen as victims with their needs appropriately met, a committee has warned.
The Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill has recommended changes to the Bill to ensure that all those affected by domestic abuse receive protection and a tailored response to their differing needs.
The committee was particularly [...]
Too many young people missing out on advocacy
Too many children and young people entitled to advocacy are not receiving high quality services, the children's commissioner for England has warned.
A review of advocacy services published by Anne Longfield's office found that too many services are inadequate: children and young people entitled to advocacy are not always able to access high quality information, advice [...]
