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Chief Social Worker for Children and Families
Michael Gove has announced that former assistant director of children’s services in Hackney, Isabelle Trowler, has been appointed to become the first chief social worker for children and families. Trowler,…
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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Fast-track social work programme to recruit top graduates
Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced a new "Frontline" training scheme to recruit the “highest-achieving graduates” and train them as social workers. Two pilot projects in London and Manchester will…
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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Funding for foster care recruitment boost unveiled
The government has today unveiled a new package of support to help local authorities attract and retain more foster carers from a wider range of backgrounds. Speaking at the National…
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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Troubled families initiative misses first-year target
Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) show that local authorities missed the first-year target for the number of families they worked with under the government’s…
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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Interface and Family Rights Group one day training course
Interface and Family Rights Group have collaborated to deliver a one day training course on 'Using Family Group Conferences to address the needs of 'Troubled Families' This will be held…
Monday 13 May 2013
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Illegal school exclusions
Evidence about the scale of the problem, published by the commissioner today, found that schools have been illegally excluding pupils because they do not know the law. The Children’s commissioner's…
Monday 13 May 2013
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Liverpool reassesses child poverty plan
A cross-city body that aims to tackle child poverty in Liverpool is to speed up reforms amid concerns that economic and social conditions for families are deteriorating. Liverpool's regional cabinet…
Thursday 02 May 2013
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Early Intervention Foundation chief appointed
Carey Oppenheim, has been appointed as chief executive of Early Intervention Foundation. She was a special adviser to Blair at the Number 10 policy unit when he was Prime Minister.…
Thursday 02 May 2013
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New advice to help schools set performance-related pay
The Department for Education has published advice helping schools decide how to pay their teachers. Advice helping schools decide how to pay their teachers is today published by the Department…
Wednesday 01 May 2013
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Treat 17-year-olds in police custody as children
The High Court has ruled that 17-year-olds who are arrested and taken into police custody should be treated as children. In a landmark judgment, judges Lord Justice Moses and Mr…
Wednesday 01 May 2013
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Interface Troubled Families Event
Interface are holding one day Troubled Family training events on 'Whole family working and intensive family support' and 'Effective engagement and communication with families'. The first sessions will be held…
Thursday 18 April 2013
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DfE stops funding Children's Improvement Board
Just 2 years after it was set up the government has announced that it is to stop funding the Children’s Improvement Board. Established in 2011, the board is a partnership…
Thursday 18 April 2013
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More kinship care needed to help teens
Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) have carried out research into provision for looked-after adolescents following criticism from the education select committee stating that the care system is failing…
Thursday 18 April 2013
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Joint inspection plans deferred
Plans for joint child protection inspections involving regulators across social care, health and youth justice have been deferred. Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said “following discussions with local government…
Friday 12 April 2013
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Bite-sized skills for troubled families practitioners
Short films from Interface and emoquo address troubled families skills gaps Interface and Emoquo have partnered to launch Troubled Families Skillsbites a series of short films and how-to guides equipping…
Friday 12 April 2013
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Teach First expands into early years
The government has announced that the teacher training charity Teach First will be opened up to would-be early educators from September. The move will see the charity, which trains would-be…
Thursday 11 April 2013
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Online adoption gateway opens
The government today launched an online portal that will act as a national “gateway” for prospective adopters. The First4Adoption website brings together information about the adoption process in a single…
Thursday 11 April 2013
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Care applications at a record high
Figures for the 12 months between April 2012 and March 2013 show that CAFCASS received a total of 11,055 applications – the highest recorded in a single year. The figure…
Tuesday 09 April 2013
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Early education profile pilot results
The new Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) was introduced in September 2012. This made changes to the way children are assessed at the end of the EYFS (the end…
Thursday 04 April 2013
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Tackle conduct disorders to prevent offending, say health experts
Support for parents of children at risk of developing conduct disorders could prevent them becoming young offenders, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has said. See the…
Wednesday 03 April 2013
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Call to change to law on 17-year-olds in custody
50,000 people have backed a petition urging the government to provide support to 17-year-olds in police custody. It was launched earlier this month by the families of two 17-year-olds who…
Wednesday 03 April 2013
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Delivery agreement: putting troubled families on the path to work
Commitments by Jobcentre Plus and local authorities to establish a new network of 150 Troubled Families Employment Advisers has been put into a new agreement. The Department for Work &…
Monday 25 March 2013
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Majority of councils have a principal social worker in place
More than two thirds of local authority children’s services have appointed a principal social worker as recommended in the Munro review two years ago. A survey by The College of…
Monday 25 March 2013
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Working together to safeguard children
Revised guidance published by the Government clarifies the responsibilities of professionals towards safeguarding children, and strengthens the focus away from processes and onto the needs of the child. In response…
Monday 25 March 2013
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Families – Where are they in probation reforms?
There are fears that government proposals to reform probation services will damage the quality of work to improve the lives of children that have a parent in prison. The government’s…
Monday 25 March 2013
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Catastrophic neglect behind child deaths often overlooked
Neglect is not being taken seriously enough and should be treated with the same urgency as physical or sexual abuse, the NSPCC children's charity warned today following the publication of…
Monday 25 March 2013
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NSPCC say that social workers must take neglect more seriously
Neglect is not being taken seriously enough and should be treated with the same urgency as physical or sexual abuse, the NSPCC children's charity warned today following the publication of…
Thursday 14 March 2013
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Foster Carer’s relieved at changes to Bedroom Tax
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has announced that approved foster carers would be allowed to receive the same level of housing benefit in the future if they had…
Thursday 14 March 2013
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Funding stages confirmed for troubled families scheme
The 152 top tier LAs working on the troubled families’ initiative are to be split into three groups next month depending on their success in supporting their allocated quota of…
Monday 18 February 2013
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Tackling Troubled Families - Get behind the Costs
by Wendy Weal Eric Pickles in his report - 'cutting human and financial costs' states that results from the cross-government Troubled Families Programme indicate that effective intervention can save councils substantial…
Monday 18 February 2013
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Looked-after children – numbers falling in London
London Councils commissioned a study to consider the factors influencing the reduction of numbers of looked after children (LAC) in London. Department for Education (DfE) figures indicate that the number…
Friday 15 February 2013
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Reform for Child protection guidance
The government is to overhaul “confusing” information sharing and child protection guidance for health professionals. The move comes after ministers admitted that the current advice fails to allow professionals to…
Friday 15 February 2013
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Professionals feel ‘powerless’ when faced with neglect
Nine out of ten teachers, police officers and social workers are regularly coming into contact with children they suspect to be suffering from neglect, but up to 40 per cent…
Thursday 07 February 2013
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School-based psychological interventions reduce risk of alcohol misuse
Research commissioned by Action on Addiction suggests a mental health approach to teenage drinking is successful stating that targeted psychological interventions aimed at teenagers at risk of emotional and behavioural…
Friday 25 January 2013
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Debate over the two-year-old free entitlement
Naomi Eisenstadt, former director of the Sure Start programme spoke at the first evidence session of the education select committee’s inquiry into Sure Start children’s centres, stating that the idea…
Thursday 24 January 2013
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Government uses Early Intervention Grant to fund adoption reform
The government has cut £150m from the Early Intervention Grant. They will give this to Councils councils as a one-year “adoption reform grant”. £50m will be ringfenced to “incentivise” local…
Thursday 24 January 2013
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Troubled families - 'cutting human and financial costs'
Eric Pickles states that results from the cross-government Troubled Families Programme indicate that effective intervention can save councils substantial sums. A report published by the DCLG show costs and savings…
Wednesday 23 January 2013
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Councils blame government red tape for slow adoption progress
The coalition government outlined proposals to reduce red tape in the adoption system more than a year ago.
But the LGA's Children and Young People Board chair David Simmonds, said plans…
Tuesday 22 January 2013
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Handbook for care leavers
Handbook for care leavers The Who Cares? Trust has published a handbook for care leavers detailing the range of support offered to them by universities and colleges. The guide shows…
Tuesday 22 January 2013
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Youth contract to help more young people
An additional 15,000 16- and 17-year-olds are to receive help to find work or training through the Youth Contract. The £1bn Youth Contract scheme is largely aimed at getting…
Tuesday 22 January 2013
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A further £49m cut for early intervention
Analysis of figures in the autumn statement conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed that an additional £17m will be cut from council funding in 2013/14, followed by…
Tuesday 22 January 2013
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Family Justice System calls for swifter action
The Family Justice System Young People’s Board has released its top five wishes for the family justice system for the New Year. The Board, established by Cafcass and now working…
Wednesday 16 January 2013
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Pledge to retain visibility of early intervention spending
The Government's decision to compel local authorities to reveal their early intervention expenditure by publishing a funding profile has been attacked as a "meaningless exercise". The move intends to help…
Tuesday 08 January 2013
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Benefits cap ‘will undo work to tackle child poverty’
Plans to “uprate” the majority of benefits and tax credits by just one per cent for the next three years were announced in the Chancellor’s autumn statement last month. According…
Tuesday 08 January 2013
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Increase in criminal convictions for truants parents
Figures released today by the Ministry of Justice suggest that record numbers of parents are gaining criminal records for allowing their children to play truant, figures reveal, suggesting that the…
Tuesday 08 January 2013
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Welfare reforms will penalise working families
Barnardo’s is concerned that childcare costs could mean that some parents have to pay to go to work accuse the new Universal Credit system, to be launched this year, will…
Tuesday 08 January 2013
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Free Breakfasts for children
Up to 5,000 disadvantaged children in London are to be given free breakfasts as part of a new scheme to tackle child poverty and improve educational outcomes. The scheme will…
Tuesday 08 January 2013
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Troubled Families Payment by Results Deadline
Troubled Families Coordinators need to claim the Troubled Families results payments by 21 January 2013. The first claim is for this position as at 31 December 2012 - accounting for…
Monday 07 January 2013
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Free school meals to all children in poverty
The Children’s Society’s Fair and Square campaign is calling for all children in poverty to receive free school meals stating that currently in England, 1.2 million school age children in…
Friday 21 December 2012
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Health services neglected under SEN reforms
Government proposals to reform the special educational needs (SEN) system will fail unless health services are placed under a legal duty to support children, MPs have warned. Legislation, contained in…
Friday 21 December 2012
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BBC Radio 5 live interview
An interview with Wendy Weal on BBC Radio 5, responding to the call from the head of the Government's Troubled Families programme.
Monday 17 December 2012
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Troubled Families call for Family Intervention approach
Wendy Weal responds on BBC Radio 5 live to the call from the head of the Government's Troubled Families programme who has endorsed family intervention as the most effective way to…
Monday 17 December 2012
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Ofsted to inspect councils that fail to improve schools
Using a new regional network of directors, Ofsted hopes to address inequalities in education provision and hold local authorities to account for their role in challenging schools to improve. …
Tuesday 04 December 2012
