The Local Government Association and Solace have slammed Ofsted for locking councils into inadequate ratings for their children’s services, and said proposed changes don’t go far enough...
The Department for Education is unable to track the effectiveness of £2.7bn being spent on a flagship free childcare programme, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
Full local retention of business rates will not provide sufficient funds to allow councils to maintain early intervention services at current levels, a poll of councillors has found.
Charities are coming under increasing scrutiny over their governance and fundraising tactics, just as they are taking on more vital work once performed by public organisations
Six councils from across England are to be given £13m to pilot the government’s extension of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds later this year, ministers have announced.
An “extraordinary catalogue of failures” by both government and regulators led to the collapse of high-profile charity Kids Company last year, MPs said today.
The ability to anticipate demands will improve planning and financial efficiency, and collecting and analysing data will enable the public sector to look ahead
Four public sector watchdogs have confirmed that they will undertake joint inspections of services for vulnerable children this year in order to better assess provision in local areas.
Two parliamentary select committees have launched a rare joint-inquiry to scrutinise the government’s life chances strategy and the impact of early years intervention.
Councils with poorly performing children’s social services will have the departments taken over by other authorities or charities under plans set out by David Cameron today.
The Public Accounts Committee has concluded that government funding of the closed charity Kids Company was a “failed and expensive experiment” that must never be repeated.
Council adoption services are to be merged into regional bodies so children can be matched with potential adopters more quickly, David Cameron has announced today.
The current system of support for young people leaving care is failing some of the country’s most vulnerable people, the Public Accounts Committee has concluded today.
Bankrupt charity Kids Company received at least £46m in public funding over the last 15 years despite evidence that officials raised concerns about its financial management and sustainability...
Government plans to double the amount of free childcare available for three- and four-year-old children could be underfunded by as much as £1bn, according to a analysis by the Institute for...
The National Audit Office has announced it is to investigate the grounds for government funding awards to the closed charity Kids Company, and how the grants were monitored by Whitehall.
Proposed in-year cuts to the funding for youth offending teams in England and Wales will undermine early intervention work and are likely lead to higher costs in the future, the government has been...
Using data to predict risks can sound like science fiction, but it has the potential to help the public sector manage demand more effectively and improve targeting of scarce resources.
MPs have launched an inquiry into the relationship between successive governments and the closed Kids Company charity after concerns were raised about the appropriateness of public funding for the...
The Youth Justice Board has launched a consultation on how it can make £13.5m of in-year saving following the announcement of additional cuts to government departments.
Councils and other providers are being asked to come forward with “innovative and flexible” ideas on how they can deliver 30 hours of free childcare a week, which will take effect in September 2016.