Nearly one in five councils do not have policies to support kinship carers, study finds
Study by the Family Rights Group finds 17% of authorities have not published policies, despite legal duty to do so since 2011
Nearly one in five local authorities do not have a published policy on supporting the needs of children living with family and friend carers, the Family Rights Group has found.
According to the charity’s research, [...]
First ever substance misuse framework for social workers launches
Newly qualified social workers should be able to identify substance misuse, understand why people might misuse substances, recognise the impact on others such as children or other dependents and refer people on to other services, according to new guidance.
The national framework, funded by Public Health England, lays out for the first time the skills social [...]
Adoptions at highest since 1992
Adoptions of looked after children rose by 26% in year to March 2014
There were 5,050 looked after children adopted during the year ending 31 March 2014, an increase of 26% from 2013 and an increase of 58% from 2010. These figures were revealed in a statistical release by the Department for Education. Although the number [...]
Child trafficking victims let down by legal aid cuts
Vulnerable children and families have been among the hardest hit by cuts to legal aid, according to a critical report by MPs.
Legal aid to support child trafficking victims' cases has been removed
The justice select committee report found that the government failed to provide financial assistance for those most in need as it axed £2bn [...]
Adoptions by same-sex couples quadruple since law change
The number of children adopted by same sex couples has risen four-fold since 2007, analysis by an adoption and fostering support group reveals.
Official statistics collated by New Family Social (NFS), a support network for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) adopters and foster carers, shows that 370 children were adopted by same-sex couples in 2014, [...]
Specialist support set to benefit 3,000 adopter families
More than 3,000 families that have adopted a child are set to benefit from the government’s £19.3m Adoption Support Fund, latest figures suggest.
The Department for Education has revealed that in the 10 areas piloting the fund – which pays for specialist therapeutic services to help children settle into adoption placements – 160 families have been [...]
