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Sector heads urge rethink on child protection commissioning
Social care sector leaders are lobbying the Department of Health to include specific child protection amendments to health secretary Andrew Lansley's (pictured) White Paper going through parliament, Community Care has learned.
16 March 2011
Experts find no evidence of Labour schemes' success
It is impossible to assess the effectiveness of many recent initiatives aiming to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people according to a research review. (Picture: Rex)
28 January 2011
Children’s services in England
The Children Act 1989 was the first piece of legislation to set out the duty of councils in regard to child protection. Lord Laming's inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié, published in January 2003, led to an overhaul of children's services in England in the form of the Labour government's Every Child Matters white paper also published in 2003, and the subsequent Children Act 2004.
20 December 2010
Children's Trusts
The government’s overhaul of children’s services stemmed from Lord Laming’s inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie. The key message to come out of Laming’s inquiry report was the need to improve accountability; and the need for better communication and joint working between agencies involved with children and young people. Better outcomes Alongside the government’s response to his inquiry report, it also published the green paper Every Child Matters which led to the Children Act 2004 . Children’s trusts were one of the main initiatives to emerge from the new Children Act. Their aim is to ensure that all services for children and young people in one ar
13 May 2008
Are social care functions safe in a health body?
Leading social care figures ponder the pros and cons of the transfer of GSCC functions to the Health Professions Council
03 August 2010
GSCC to be scrapped
The General Social Care Council is to be scrapped as part of a government review of quangos.
27 July 2010
Childrens trusts to be downgraded, states Gove
Children's Trusts will be radically reformed in the Autumn, the government announced today. Following up from hints made before the election, education secretary Michael Gove (pictured) said a forthcoming Education Bill would mean local authorities would no longer have to set up children's trust boards or publish a joint children and young people's plan. (Pic credit Rex)
22 July 2010
Risk assessment in council social work
Research by Community Care has shown that many English councils do not have risk assessments designed specifically for social care staff. Paul Durkin offers...
02 July 2010
Gloucestershire council freezes grant-funded services
Gloucestershire council has decided to freeze spending on grant-funded children's services in anticipation of government cuts. Head...
07 June 2010
Loughton takes responsibility for social work reform
Tim Loughton, children's minister, will take on responsibility for the majority of the social care remit, the Department for Education has confirmed.
03 June 2010
Ofsted rates Leeds Council's child safeguarding as 'inadequate'
Leeds Council's safeguarding and looked-after children services have been rated as "inadequate" by Ofsted. The inspectorate found that the cost of...
01 February 2010
Taskforce: Tories and Lib Dems 'would go further'
The main opposition parties have backed the Social Work Task Force's recommendations, but say they would go even further if they win next year's general election. However, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats remain vague as to how the recommendations should be funded.
02 December 2009
DCSF produces consultation on children's trust guidance
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published its long-awaited consultation on children's trust guidance and the new Children and Young People's Plan regulations (CYPP).
16 November 2009
DCSF committed to budget holding professionals despite report
The government is pressing ahead with plans for professionals working with children in need to hold budgets, despite pilot schemes being rated as ineffective.
03 November 2009
Councils not using CAF because of increased referrals
Councils are shying away from implementing the common assessment framework (CAF) because in some areas it has resulted in increased referrals to already beleagued care services it has emerged.
29 October 2009
Children Act 20 years on: The Lord Laming verdict
By any standard the Children Act 1989 was a landmark piece of legislation. It continues to be a credit to the parliamentarians and officials who successfully negotiated it on to the statute book
28 October 2009
Adoption placements down by 11% this year
The number of looked-after children being placed for adoption has fallen by 11% since March 2008, according to statistics published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
15 October 2009
CWDC consults on common core of children's services skills
The Children’s Workforce Development Council has launched a review of the common core of skills for people working with children and young people.
04 August 2009
Ofsted's tips for supporting care leavers
A recent Ofsted study of council care leavers' services has pointed the way to best practice in key areas of young people's lives.
24 July 2009
Children's trusts
Announced by the then Health Secretary, Alan Milburn in October 2002, the idea of children’s trusts is to offer an integrated service for children. They would draw in social services, health, education, housing and other agencies to create a child-focussed service to meet children’s needs rather than parents having to negotiate fragmented services.
Trusts have the ability jointly to plan, commission, finance and deliver services for children.
The Department of Health is adamant that it does not want to dictate the shape of trusts. But while the original impression was that trusts would offer a comprehensive service for children, it is now the case that trusts can be set up to offer services for special group of children, for example those who are disabled, have special education needs, are in need of protection or are at risk, or require speech o
22 July 2009
