Government threatened with legal action over 16 and 17-year-olds in unregulated accommodation
The government has been threatened with legal action in order to protect the rights of 16 and 17-year-olds children in care.
In February, following a consultation, the Department for Education confirmed that local authorities would be banned from placing children aged 15-years-old and younger in unregulated accommodation including bedsits, hostels and flats.
However, children's rights [...]
Social workers must document all decisions made during COVID to prevent future claims
Contemporaneous and comprehensive social care records evidencing all interactions with children and families outlining the decisions and steps taken are vital for social workers to protect against future claims, Plexus Law has warned.
In a briefing, Plexus Law highlighted that over the next one to three years, local authorities can expect to see more human rights [...]
Local Government Ombudsman urges local authorities to scrutinise services for children in care
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has urged local authorities to scrutinise the services they are providing for children in care.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Michael King has published a report highlighting the cases of children who have been let down by local authorities and the difficulties they have endured as a result.
Michael [...]
LGA urges chancellor to plug funding gap for local authorities in Spending Review
Local authorities need £10 billion to plug the funding gap and meet the increase in demand for services, the Local Government Association has warned.
Ahead of the Spending Review, the LGA says that councils in England will face a funding gap of more than £5 billion by 2024 to maintain services at current levels. This figure [...]
Ofsted resumes visits of children’s social care providers
Local authorities and children’s social care providers will be visited by Ofsted from September after inspections were halted due to COVID-19.
The visits by the inspectorate will provide assurance that vulnerable children are getting the help, care and protection that they need, amid concerns that some have fallen out of sight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yvette Stanley, [...]
How local authorities have managed during COVID-19
Report outlines how local authorities have managed during the pandemic, challenges they have faced, lessons they’ve learned and fears for a spike in referrals post lockdown
Children’s services departments received fewer referrals requiring a children’s social care response in the weeks immediately following the introduction of lockdown measures, although they increased as time in lockdown went [...]
