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Child Care Articles
Sexual abuse in the spotlight (25 November 2016)
Investigation into Metropolitan Police declares 'failings' inchild sexual abuse cases and football sexual abuse claims leads to creation of a new hotline for the NSPCC. Read more...
Government asks providers to register to accept Tax-Free Childcare customers (14 November 2016)
The government has published advice for childcare providers regarding Tax-Free Childcare. Read more...
Professor Alexis Jay refuses to ignore the past in child abuse inquiry (19 October 2016)
One of the UK’s most controversial inquiries has stated that there will be no reductions in their broad scope, and they will continue to investigate the past. Read more...
Peterborough Council appoints charity to run fostering and adoption services (10 October 2016)
Peterborough Council has agreed to appoint a charitable organisation to run the council’s new Permanency Service, which includes the current fostering and adoption service. Read more...
Welsh government launches Healthy Child Wales programme (28 September 2016)
The Welsh government has announced the launch of a universal child health programme. Read more...
Wirral Council invests £2m in children’s services to meet Ofsted recommendations (26 September 2016)
Wirral Council has announced a £2 million investment in children’s services to tackle issues identified in the latest Ofsted inspection. Read more...
Peterborough Council considers appointing TACT to run fostering and adoption services (12 September 2016)
Councillors in Peterborough are to discuss a recommendation to appoint a charitable organisation to operate the council’s new fostering and adoption service. Read more...
Rotherham to consider family-based placements rather than children’s homes for children in care (5 September 2016)
Rotherham City Council has announced that children in care are to benefit from family-based placements as the preferred option, as the council seeks to make Rotherham a child-centred borough. Read more...
West Midlands campaign to encourage young people to watch for signs of CSE among friends (15 August 2016)
Coventry City Council is encouraging young people to keep an eye on their friends and look out for signs of grooming and sexual exploitation, as part of a West Midlands digital media campaign. Read more...
Nottingham City Council launches August roadshow to advise parents of services (1 August 2016)
Nottingham City Council is using the summer school holidays to raise awareness among families of free services available to them. Read more...
Government announces more funding to help victims of child sexual abuse (27 July 2016)
The government has announced more funding to enable victims of sexual abuse to receive additional support. Read more...
Brighton and Hove praised for SEND services (25 July 2016)
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have praised services delivered by Brighton & Hove City Council and the local NHS for their “unwavering focus” on the overall needs of children and young people who have a special educational need or disability (SEND). Read more...
Trafford Council supports national report child abuse campaign (25 July 2016)
Trafford Council is supporting a national anti-child abuse campaign, in conjunction with the Trafford Safeguarding Children Board. Read more...
Birmingham City Council launches CSE campaign to highlight risks for boys and young men (18 July 2016)
Birmingham City Council has launched a campaign to tackle the grooming and sexual exploitation of boys and young men. Read more...
Hounslow Council hosts event to raise awareness of risks of FGM in summer months (18 July 2016)
Hounslow Council in Greater London and leading anti-FGM charity FORWARD have joined forces at a special free event in the fight against FGM, which was held on Saturday (16/07/16). Read more...
Portsmouth City Council to build on success of scheme to help care leavers prepare for independent living (18 July 2016)
Portsmouth City Council says it will build on the success of a new scheme to help to raise the expectations and aspirations of and outcomes for young people leaving care. Read more...
Greater Manchester launches plan to help all under-fives become “school ready” (11 July 2016)
The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Strategic Partnership has launched a plan to provide every child in Greater Manchester with the best start in life to enable them to fulfil their potential. Read more...
Hartlepool Council childcare service rated “outstanding” by Ofsted (6 July 2016)
A childcare service run by Hartlepool Council has been rated outstanding by Ofsted, following a visit by inspectors in April 2016. Read more...
Education Secretary sets out plans to reform children’s services (5 July 2016)
The Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan has set out her vision for children’s social care and social work, saying that social services are the backstop of society, offering early help to families in need and intervening where things go wrong. Read more...
Government calls for evidence in review of sharia law in Britain (5 July 2016)
The Home Office is calling for those with experience of sharia law to take part in an independent review examining whether the religious code is being misused within Britain. Read more...
Welsh government listens to parents over free childcare programme (4 July 2016)
Welsh Assembly Communities and Children’s Secretary Carl Sargeant has visited the Family Centre in Barry, South Wales, to see the benefits of the Welsh Government’s Flying Start programme. Read more...
FCO and charity highlight heightened summer risk of international parent-child abduction (4 July 2016)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK charity Reunite International are raising awareness of the impact of child abduction, which occurs more frequently during the summer when children may spend time with their non-resident parent. Read more...
The Art of Making the Perfect Bundle (30 June 2016)
Court bundles, although perhaps not the most titillating of topics, are a key component in litigation. If made properly, and available in good time, a bundle has the potential to imbue a Judge with confidence that you have considered and prepared your case with competence. Once the trial is over and all the submissions have been made, your bundle remains with the Judge as he/she considers their Judgment. If the Court fails to be impressed with your bundle, there is the potential for censure, the making of adverse costs orders against you, or your firm being named and shamed. Read more...
Effective leadership crucial to improving children’s services, says Ofsted (29 June 2016)
Ofsted’s third Social Care Annual Report published on Tuesday (28/06/16) has said that there are still too many inadequate children’s services departments across the country. Read more...
Frontline to train more children’s social workers in Birmingham (27 June 2016)
Birmingham City Council has announced that its partnership with Frontline will see the expansion of the Frontline programme in the West Midlands to recruit and develop children’s social workers. Read more...
Government urges new fathers to consider taking shared parental leave and pay (22 June 2016)
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is encouraging eligible fathers to take their share of up to 39 weeks of pay and 52 weeks of parental leave with their child’s mother in the first year of their baby’s life. Read more...
West Berkshire Council launches campaign to highlight Adult Safeguarding (16 June 2016)
West Berkshire Council is launching a new campaign to raise awareness of Adult Safeguarding, which will be rolled out over the next few months. Read more...
New legislation will speed up adoption (19 May 2016)
The Queen’s Speech has announced that a bill will be introduced to ensure that children can be adopted by new families without delay – as well as improving the standard of social work and opportunities for young people in care in England. Read more...
Sefton Council named SEN and Disability Champion 2015/16 (9 May 2016)
Sefton Council on Merseyside has been recognised for its support of young people with additional needs. Read more...
Northamptonshire children’s services “no longer rated inadequate” (6 May 2016)
Northamptonshire County Council has announced that, following a recent Ofsted inspection, children’s services in Northamptonshire have “improved across all areas” and are no longer rated inadequate. Read more...
Cambridgeshire meets adoption targets for looked after children (5 May 2016)
Cambridgeshire has announced that it is among just four local authorities to have met government timescales in placing children for adoption.
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£5,400 penalty for operating vehicle-breaking site without a permit (3 May 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted the operator of a waste facility, who ran an end-of-life vehicle treatment facility without the necessary environmental permit. Read more...
Cornwall Council takes “grow your own” approach to recruiting children’s services professionals (25 April 2016)
Cornwall Council says it has developed an innovative approach to the recruitment of more children’s services staff, involving training local people as social workers. Read more...
Council supports DfE campaign to prevent child abuse (18 April 2016)
Surrey County Council is supporting the national Together We Can Tackle Child Abuse campaign – which urges members of the public to report any concerns about a child’s welfare, so that support can be given to all children and families who need it. Read more...
Parents on Universal Credit given more childcare support when they move into work (12 April 2016)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that parents on Universal Credit will now be able to claim back 85% of their childcare costs when they move into work – an increase from 70%. Read more...
£200m package to transform children’s services through innovation (6 April 2016)
The Department for Education (DfE) and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan MP have announced a £200 million package to transform services for the most vulnerable children and young people. Read more...
DfE launches consultation on 30-hours of free childcare policy (5 April 2016)
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on the government’s 30-hour free childcare offer. Read more...
“Significant improvement” in Children’s Services in Cardiff, says report (4 April 2016)
The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) has found significant improvement in Children’s Services in Cardiff since its last inspection in 2014. Read more...
Staffordshire County Council launches campaign to warn teenagers of risks of grooming at parties (31 March 2016)
Staffordshire County Council is warning teenagers across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent about the risks of being invited to parties where they could be sexually exploited or groomed. Read more...
Nottingham children’s homes all rated “good” or “outstanding” (30 March 2016)
Nottingham City Council has announced that all children’s homes in the city have been rated “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted. Read more...
Government announces new blueprint for adoption (29 March 2016)
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced a new blueprint for adoption, which will see more children placed in stable homes, by ensuring adoption is always pursued where it is in a child’s best interest. Read more...
WePROTECT anti-child sexual exploitation alliance meets for the first time (29 March 2016)
The Home Secretary Theresa May and Baroness Shields have hosted the first meeting of the WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Online Child Sexual Exploitation Advisory Board. Read more...
Sheffield’s baby friendly children centres praised by Unicef and WHO (29 March 2016)
Sheffield has been fully accredited with the prestigious Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) Baby Friendly Initiative for Children’s Centres, after breastfeeding rates in Sheffield were found to be one of the highest in England and the highest in Yorkshire. Read more...
London Mayor praises Westminster Council initiative to tackle FGM as “ground-breaking” (21 March 2016)
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has hailed an innovative approach to tackling Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) – based on a model devised by Westminster City Council in 2014 – as a “ground-breaking initiative”. Read more...
Gateshead children’s services rated good by Ofsted (21 March 2016)
An inspection of Gateshead Council’s Children and Families services has given the rating of “good” to children’s services in Gateshead in a recent report. Read more...
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead marks CSE Awareness Day on 18 March (18 March 2016)
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is marking national CSE Awareness Day on Friday 18 March with a pop-up shop in Maidenhead from 9am-5pm. Read more...
New website encourages public to report suspicions about CSE (18 March 2016)
A new website encouraging people to recognise if a child might be at risk of abuse or is being subjected to abuse has revealed stories about victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) across the country. Read more...
London Assembly calls for government to expand childcare provision in London (15 March 2016)
The London Assembly Economy Committee has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan, about expanding childcare provision in London. Read more...
Kingston Council urges public to report suspicions of child abuse (14 March 2016)
Kingston Council and Achieving for Children (AfC) are urging residents of the borough to report any suspicions they might have about child abuse. Read more...
Welsh Government launches national action plan to tackle child sexual exploitation (8 March 2016)
The Welsh Government has launched the All-Wales National Action Plan to Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation – a comprehensive framework through which safeguarding partners “will demonstrate co-ordinated and cross-agency action to prevent and protect children from abuse and sexual exploitation”. Read more...
Chairman of Alzheimer’s Trust takes over as UK’s Dementia Envoy (7 March 2016)
The government has announced the appointment of a new Dementia Envoy to drive forward improvements in the care of those with dementia. Read more...
Essex parents prosecuted for non-attendance (7 March 2016)
Thurrock Council in Essex has prosecuted six parents who failed to ensure their children attended school regularly. Read more...
Councillors in West Sussex sign charter to oppose FGM (29 February 2016)
Councillors in West Sussex have voted unanimously to unite to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM). Read more...
Welsh Government launches helpline for survivors of child abuse and domestic violence (29 February 2016)
The Welsh Government is promoting a free helpline for survivors of domestic abuse, in a campaign to encourage people who have suffered sexual abuse to seek the help they need. Read more...
Government announces NSPCC child protection whistleblowing helpline for employees in children’s services (22 February 2016)
The Home Office minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime, Karen Bradley, has officially launched a new whistleblowing helpline for employees wishing to speak out about child protection failures.
Read more...
Oxfordshire County Council announces plans to streamline children’s services to protect the most vulnerable (19 February 2016)
Oxfordshire County Council is proposing to create a brand new £12 million service for children aged up to 19 years old and their families, in a bid to improve children’s services for the most vulnerable families. Read more...
Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset councils merge adoption services (18 February 2016)
Bournemouth’s Council’s Cabinet has agreed plans to merge adoption services in Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole along with those provided by a local voluntary adoption agency, Families for Children. Read more...
Wiltshire Council launched DadPad website to help new fathers (15 February 2016)
Wiltshire Council has developed a new online information resource to help new fathers bond with their babies and support their partners. Read more...
Shropshire Council holds special meeting for looked after children to question council (15 February 2016)
Shropshire Council is holding a special meeting on Tuesday 16 February to enable children and young adults discuss children’s services. Read more...
Government launches FGM prevention week of action (9 February 2016)
Public health minister Jane Ellison has launched an FGM prevention week of action from 8-12 February, to help prevent the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. Read more...
Employment Minister visits Newham school, after council is chosen to roll out free child care extension (8 February 2016)
Newham Council in east London is one of eight councils across England which will receive a share of £13 million, to pilot the government’s extension of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds later in 2016. Read more...
Liverpool City Region launches commission to address child poverty (5 February 2016)
The Liverpool City Region Child Poverty and Life Chances Commission has launched a new strategy setting out how it will address child poverty issues over the next three years. Read more...
Government’s free childcare scheme given £13m boost (3 February 2016)
Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah has announced £13 million in funding to enable local councils to deliver 30 hours of free childcare to parents of three- and four-year-olds one year ahead of schedule. Read more...
Buckinghamshire County Council votes in new measures to tackle child sexual exploitation (1 February 2016)
Buckinghamshire County Council has agreed a raft of new measures to tackle child sexual exploitation (CSE). Read more...
Ealing Council and police seize more than 47,000 counterfeit goods in one raid (25 January 2016)
Ealing Council in west London has seized thousands of potentially dangerous and counterfeit items – including hoverboards, toys and cosmetics – in a joint operation with the police. Read more...
Cambridgeshire responds to council’s selection for DfE Partners in Practice Innovation Programme (25 January 2016)
Cambridgeshire County Council has responded to the announcement that it has been selected as a pilot authority in the Department For Education’s (DfE) Partners in Practice Innovation Programme, saying that the news re-affirms the council’s position as one of the best-performing authorities for children’s services in the country. Read more...
Hartlepool Council calls special meeting with NHS trust over axing of fertility services (25 January 2016)
The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has been called to a special meeting in Hartlepool on 5 February, to explain why the trust is ceasing to provide key fertility services in the town. Read more...
Change in law to ensure courts and councils pursue adoption when in a child’s best interest (20 January 2016)
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has confirmed that a change in the law will mean courts and councils will always pursue adoption when it is considered in a child’s interest. Read more...
Ofsted asks service users and providers for feedback on children’s care services (20 January 2016)
Ofsted has launched point-in-time questionnaires for social care services, to enable users to give their views on children’s homes, fostering services, adoption agencies, adoption support agencies or residential family centres up to 3 April 2016. Read more...
Government set to transform children’s social work to improve standards (19 January 2016)
Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan MP has unveiled plans to transform children^s social work, including discussing plans for a new social work body to improve standards in the profession. Read more...
Wolverhampton campaigns to recruit more foster families (19 January 2016)
The City of Wolverhampton is launching a campaign to attract more foster carers, featuring a new Fostering for Wolverhampton bus as part of a road show which will tour different parts of the city between 25 January and 29 January. Read more...
Cornwall Council children’s home rated “outstanding” by Ofsted (18 January 2016)
A report by Ofsted inspectors has praised the standard of care given by staff at Cornwall’s Council’s Pathways children’s home, calling the children’s home “outstanding”. Read more...
Funding for relationship support doubled to £70m (13 January 2016)
The Prime Minister has pledged for support for families, including the doubling of government funding for relationship support to £70 million. Read more...
Calls for public involvement in consultation on Wolverhampton council’s child care proposals (11 January 2016)
The City of Wolverhampton Council is calling for comments on a consultation on children’s services due to end on 15 February. Read more...
Priory Group awarded Birmingham contract to run children’s homes (11 January 2016)
Birmingham City Council has announced that young people in Birmingham have helped decide who will run their children’s homes, after the council awarded a contract to Priory Group, a leading provider of behavioural care in the UK. Read more...
