Category: News

The Department for Education has launched a fresh consultation over plans to further extend controversial changes to children’s social care legislation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Read full piece at source: DfE launches fresh consultation over extending children’s social care exemptions

Here’s a question for anyone involved in any sort of activity that is trying to change the culture of an organisation.Do you actually understand what contributes to the existing culture? If the people who’s culture you are trying to change don’t know why they themselves do certain things in the first place, how are you … Continue reading Because, that’s the way we’ve always done things around here …

By Harry Ferguson, Sarah Pink and Laura Kelly The Covid-19 pandemic is presenting governments, social work leaders, managers and frontline practitioners with unique challenges. Our Economic and Social Research Council-funded research explores its impact on children, families and child protection social work. Since April 2020, we have interviewed 48 social workers, family support workers and … Continue reading 12 lessons for children’s social work from practising under Covid

Adopted children are amongst the most vulnerable in UK society. Their traumatic start in life can cast long shadows over their mental health. Fifty years of experience tells us that the answer is to give these children and their families the right support at the right time, from before they are even placed for adoption. … Continue reading Giving adopted children an equal chance of good mental health

By Harry Ferguson, Sarah Pink and Laura Kelly The Covid-19 pandemic is presenting governments, social work leaders, managers and frontline practitioners with unique challenges. Our Economic and Social Research Council-funded research explores its impact on children, families and child protection social work. Since April 2020, we have interviewed 48 social workers, family support workers and … Continue reading 12 lessons for children’s social work from practising under Covid

Jack will be spending the next few weeks in a newly-launched therapeutic care centre to equip him to tackle his emotional and behavioural challenges and bring him closer to finding a permanent family home. The centre is a partnership between Blackpool Council and social work and psychology provider Innovate Services, and Jack’s placement is the … Continue reading How social work expertise is helping children find stable homes 

Almost half of Black safeguarding professionals (BSPs) say they lack fair and equal opportunities to progress in the workplace, with the problem particularly acute in children’s social care. That was a key finding from a survey of 100 BSPs, which also found that almost two-thirds felt their ethnicity had resulted in barriers being imposed upon … Continue reading Almost half of Black safeguarding professionals report lack of equal opportunity to progress at work

An influential group of MPs is set to investigate the success of government efforts to improve mental health services for children and young people, it has been announced ... Read full epiece at source:  MPs to examine progress in children’s mental health services

The Care Review is an opportunity to look at the entire system and to consolidate the learning we have done since the Children Act 1989. It’s a daunting, but exciting task for Josh and his team. The lived experience of children, young people and adults must be put at the heart of caring systems, systems … Continue reading Care Review must focus on whole systems | CYP Now

Story updated 28 January 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog says it is considering investigating the children’s social care market after the recently-appointed chair of the care review wrote to it urging it to do so. Frontline chief executive Josh MacAlister – appointed by government this month to head an independent review into children’s social care … Continue reading Competition watchdog mulling probe into children’s social care market