Foster and adoption placements must be right first time
The Department for Education cannot show it is meeting its objectives for children in foster and residential care. That was the worrying conclusion from the National Audit Office report on children in care. The consequences of this are poorer care for children and a greater cost. There were also concerns about getting foster and adoption [...]
Principal social workers question need for new practice leader role
Principal social workers (PSWs) have questioned the purpose of the practice leader role announced by education minister Nicky Morgan last month, saying it is unclear how it differs from their role.
Chair of the network for children’s PSWs, Marion Russell said an address to the network on Friday by chief social worker Isabelle Trowler had left [...]
Children’s outcomes ‘compromised’ as commissioners focus on balancing budgets
Commissioning teams often feel conflicted when trying to balance their annual budgets or meet long-term goals for children, the Children’s Services Taskforce has found.
Published this week, Collaborating for better outcomes: the final report from the Children’s Services Taskforce, revealed that longer-term strategies in children’s services are often compromised by the need to balance budgets.
It stated: [...]
Crown Prosecution Service chief attacks 'witch hunts' against social workers
Sir Keir Starmer has attacked the national culture of ‘witch hunting’ that follows child protection tragedies and is, he warned, harming social work.
Speaking to a packed crowd of social workers at Community Care Live, the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service criticised the national culture that blames public servants for child protection tragedies, allowing [...]
Legal aid cuts "not thought through"
The Ministry of Justice is on track to meet its main objective of significantly reducing in a short timeframe spending on civil legal aid. However, it is less clear to what extent it has met its other objectives of reducing unnecessary litigation and targeting legal aid at those who need it most, according to today’s [...]
Initial contacts to children’s services up 65%
Local authorities are approaching ‘the limits of their capacity’ as child safeguarding pressures continue to rise, directors of children’s services have warned.
Figures published this week by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) show pressure on already-stretched child safeguarding services [...]
