Thousands of children at risk due to funding cuts
Thousands of children are at risk of falling through the cracks as funding available for children’s services has plummeted by one third, leading charities have warned. Analysis of official figures…
Compulsory health education in schools from 2020
New guidance supporting schools how to teach pupils about mental health has been launched by the Department for Education. Education secretary Damian Hinds said the guidance will mean that from…
Ofsted: Cambridgeshire ‘requires improvement’
The quality and the timeliness of services remain less than good for too many children in Cambridgeshire, Ofsted has said. Since the last inspection, changes of senior leadership, restructuring of…
Councils’ spending on UAS children almost doubles in four years
Local authorities’ spending on supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children has risen by 95 per cent in four years, according to the latest figures. Councils spent £77 million supporting unaccompanied asylum…
Quality of services “too variable” in Somerset
The quality of service that children receive in Somerset is too variable across the county, Ofsted has warned. In the last inspection in November 2017, Somerset was judged to be…
Sandwell makes progress in front door services
Sandwell Children’s Trust is continuing to make progress in improving its ‘front door’ response to children and families, Ofsted has said. In the third monitoring visit since the local authority…
Tougher sentences needed for child cruelty offences
An MP has urged tougher sentences for perpetrators of child cruelty. Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling Tom Tugendhat has introduced a 10-minute rule bill in parliament which calls for…
One in four councils plan to reduce spending on children’s services
One in four local authorities are planning to reduce spending in children’s services, a report has warned. The State of Local Government Finance Survey 2019 found 24 per cent of…
Children in care in Southwark receive effective support
Children in care in Southwark receive effective support that helps many of them to achieve good outcomes, Ofsted has said. Since the last inspection in 2017, senior managers have made…
New model of practice in Leicester
Leicester children’s services is successfully implementing a new approach to working with children and families based on a recognised model of practice, Ofsted has said. Leicester children’s services were last…
