Social Work Reform: Councils welcome decision to scrap costly Laming recommendation

In his report into child protection last year, Laming suggested that all referrals to children's social care teams should lead to a full initial assessment, including direct involvement with the child or young person and their family.

But the LGA warned the suggestion would incur massive costs and require at least an extra 2,000 social workers to implement the changes on the ground.

Revised Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance, published as part of the government's response to Laming one year on, now appears to have dropped the recommendation.

The guidance states: "It is the local authority's responsibility to decide whether to undertake an initial assessment based on the information provided by the referrer, other professionals involved with the child and family, and that held in existing children's social care records."

Shireen Ritchie, chair of the LGA's children and young people board, said councils would be relieved that the recommendation had been scrapped.

"Every right-minded person wants to know everything possible is being done to keep children safe from harm, but spending millions on unnecessary bureaucracy could have diverted funds from the frontline," she said.

"Only last week the LGA published a report that this recommendation would have cost local authorities £75m, which would have had to be diverted from other child protection duties."