Education secretary Nicky Morgan has today unveiled new measures to prioritise permanence and therapeutic care in placement decisions for vulnerable children. “Every single day a child spends waiting in care is a further delay to a life full of love and stability – and this simply isn’t good enough. We have a responsibility to transform … Continue reading Law will be changed to increase adoptions, government announces
Each year Ofsted asks children and young people, parents, carers, foster carers, adopters, staff and other professionals for their views about children’s social care services. For the 2015 questionnaires there are 2 slide presentations and a spreadsheet with the numbers of responses to the questions. The material is also available in PDF format. These resources … Continue reading What children told Ofsted about their experiences of being in care
Keeping children safe in education is statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. In December the government announced that all schools will be required to put in place strengthened measures to protect children from harm online - including cyber bullying, … Continue reading Package of online safety measures announced
This is a helpful briefing note by Research in Practice. The briefing considers some of the challenges practitioners face when making judgements and important decisions with and on behalf of children and young people about where and with whom they will live. Acknowledgement is given to the careful balancing of priorities, benefits and risks necessary to avoid delay … Continue reading Matching a child with a foster carer or adopter
Views are being sought on proposed revisions to existing statutory guidance for schools on keeping children safe. These include: Increasing the focus on the importance of a child centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding; Emphasising further the role that individual staff play in safeguarding and the fact it is everyone’s responsibility; Highlighting the importance of early help … Continue reading Keeping children safe in education
#Suicideprevention begins early: 1st report from @NCISH_UK national study of suicide in young people out in May 2016 https://t.co/zn3m5EczEp — NCISH (@NCISH_UK) January 5, 2016  The UK’s first national investigation into suicide in children and young people is being set up by The University of Manchester to examine causes and recommend prevention strategies. "Suicide is … Continue reading National investigation into child suicide launched
A reminder of the 'Early Bird' offer we have running throughout December. For details:Â Click hereÂ
Qualitative case file analysis commissioned by the Department for Education looked into the effect of the 26-week time limit for standard care cases and court judgements on the use of special guardianship. Read the findings from analysis of local authority case files here:Â Special guardianship: qualitative case file analysis The government has also used a Call … Continue reading Research and analysis Investigating special guardianship
Effective leadership of children's services Ofsted have identified the common characteristics of successful leaders in children's services. See a summary below. The full report has been added to our library. Read the full report: Joining the dots... Effective leadership of children’s services
A group of lawyers has produced guidance after identifying a number of councils not fully understanding the law around recording child protection meetings. The National IRO Managers Partnership has notified the Department for Education of the need for updates to the IRO Handbook. We hope it will be a priority for 2016. Read guidance by the Transparency Project (December … Continue reading Parents who record child protection meetings: what social workers need to know
