New social work body to take over as regulator
The regulation of social work is to be taken over by a new social work body, established by the government to drive up standards in social work.
Education secretary Nicky Morgan unveiled the plans for a new body for social work which will focus on raising the quality of social work, education, training and practice in [...]
Kinship care needs greater recognition, says former health secretary
The care system neither encourages nor sufficiently supports kinship care as an alternative to care arrangements, a former health secretary has said.
At a Commons backbench debate on children in care, Alan Johnson said while there is helpful guidance on kinship care, but there is no statutory duty that requires local authorities to explore the kinship [...]
Children’s home market suits providers rather than children
The market for children’s residential homes is operating under a system that suits the providers rather than the children, a Labour MP has warned.
In a Commons backbench debate on children in care, Ann Coffey highlighted that high numbers of young people are being placed in children’s homes miles away from where they live because it [...]
Special report: Social workers urge support in family court proceedings
Local authority social workers are crying out for specialist training to enable them to provide effective evidence to courts during family court proceedings following an increased reliance on them to fulfil this role, writes Clare Jerrom.
New rules introduced in the Children and Families Act following the Family Justice Review means that experts should only be [...]
Nottingham director named as 2017 ADCS president
The next vice president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services has been announced.
Corporate director of children and families at Nottingham Council Alison Michalska will become the vice president of ADCS in April.
Alison O'Sullivan is the current ADCS president and she will step down in April when current vice president Dave Hill, director of [...]
Children’s commissioner urges ‘stocktake’ of children’s services
Government should measure the impact of its decisions on young people, warns Anne Longfield
The government should carry out an “urgent stocktake” of its spending on children’s services to ascertain how cuts are impacting on children, Anne Longfield has urged.
Addressing the Education Select Committee, the children’s commissioner called on the government to extend its family test [...]
