“Significantly” more victims of historical child abuse have come forward in a London borough than expected, forcing the council to request additional financing flexibilities from the government to...
Children in care remain at risk of gang exploitation unless the government develops a clear plan to effectively regulate private care providers – a plan missing from its new strategy – an expert has...
Proposals to improve oversight and transparency in the children’s care market are unlikely to significantly reduce costs without action on profiteering, experts have warned.
Councils have no room for cuts in children’s care budgets, and soaring demand means the sector will need three quarters of a billion pounds just to “stay still” this year, a senior officer has warned.
The children’s care sector needs a workforce strategy to improve services and conditions for staff, with the regulator labelling the situation “more urgent than ever”.
Government work evaluating innovative programmes in children’s social care has been praised as exemplary, with the National Audit Office saying it “will be of value to other departments”.
Local authorities in England should be mandated to work more collaboratively as part of a system reset aimed at reducing profiteering in children’s care, according to an independent review.
The upcoming national care review has been tipped as a “once-in-a-generation” chance to reform how councils support vulnerable children at risk of harm, after rising demand caused costs to increase...
Sheffield City Council expects social care pressures to make up more than 70% of a £43m funding gap this year, with further government support needed to ensure medium-term viability.
Somerset County Council has approved plans to develop a £70m strategic partnership to provide 10 children care and foster homes, in a bid to reduce reliance on private operators.
Almost half of councils overspent on their adult social care budget in 2018/19, while 82% of councils overspent exceeding their financial plans for children’s social care, according to research from...
Local authorities have overspent on children’s social care by £3.2bn in the last five years as the try to offset cuts from central government, analysis has found.
The number of children in care has increased by nearly a third in the last decade leaving the system under pressure, the Local Government Association has said.
Ten per cent of services for those with learning disabilities and autism were rated as inadequate up to September this year compared to just 1% in 2018, according to the Care Quality Commission.
Council leaders have warned of a child mental health crisis after the number of disorders recorded in England increased by more than half in just four years.
The rising number of children in care places “huge demand” on councils and reinforces the need for greater funding for children’s services, council leaders have said.
CIPFA has called for urgent action on children’s social care as a survey out today revealed the duty has become the chief concern of upper tier council finance heads.
