Increased demand on children’s services in England combined with a shortage of resources has led to significant challenges for local authorities in delivering fast and high-quality care to children, young people and families.
Analysis from the County Councils Network (CCN) shows that this demand has contributed to overspends across councils’ children’s services budgets, with four in five county councils being over budget last year – resulting in a total overspend of £317m across these local authority areas.
Despite these challenges – which according to councillor Keith Glazier, children’s services spokesperson for the CCN, illustrates the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on vulnerable families – the CCN’s County Spotlight: Children’s Servicesreport shows that councils are developing innovative ways to improve support for young people and families (see case studies).
EARLY INTERVENTION
Funding constraints mean it has been difficult for councils to invest in prevention, with Glazier saying that government cuts for vital services have led to a “vicious cycle where scarce funds are prioritised towards young people in crisis”.
He adds that local authorities have warned that this creates a false economy, the long-term effects of which are beginning to emerge, such as record numbers of children in care.
The network’s latest report finds that from 2015 to 2020 there was a £170m reduction in money spent on prevention among CCN members, on top of cuts in the five years prior.
Though the government’s strategy for reforming children’s social care puts an emphasis on early help and keeping families together where possible, Glazier warns that the £200m invested in reform “does not go far enough” to support early help and family services.
However, the latest CCN report reveals several initiatives undertaken by county councils to transform their preventative services, with Glazier saying authorities are being “creative within their limited means”.
This includes Northumberland Council, which is one of the local authorities selected as a “trailblazer” council to fast track the delivery of new family hubs, delivered as part of a national programme. Family hubs offer a range of support for families at all stages, from parents-to-be to those with teenage children.
County councils that were not selected for the family hubs trailblazer programme have prioritised early help using the resources available to them, including Staffordshire County Council, which supported more than 1,000 families to achieve successful outcomes by commissioning voluntary organisations and charities to provide targeted family help.
MANAGING DEMAND
County councils have been struggling to cope with increased amounts of safeguarding referrals, children in need, and looked-after children following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between 2020/21 and 2022/23, there was an increase of more than 20,000 referrals for children’s services across county councils – an increase of nine per cent when compared with the period 2018/19 and 2019/20.
The number of children in care increased by 1,079 over the same post-pandemic period, compared with the months preceding the pandemic in 2019/20, which saw the number of children in care decline by 140.
County council overspends have been largely attributed to this rising demand, but many local authorities have taken action to respond to the challenges posed by these pressures.
This includes taking direct action in their care markets and investing in additional capacity by building more children’s homes, an approach that Wiltshire Council has adopted. The authority created three new residential settings to provide places for up to 12 children, helping them to stay in Wiltshire near to local schools, friends and support networks.
Other councils have created multi-disciplinary teams that incorporate new methods of counselling and support, mixed with substance misuse experts, life coaches, and domestic violence services to provide wraparound support for young people and families.
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
Recruitment and retention of practitioners has long been an issue for children’s services, with a survey from the Association of Directors of Children’s Services finding that 19 per cent of social worker posts were unfilled last July.
In addition to national campaigns, individual councils are running initiatives to improve recruitment and retention, with some setting up training academies to support social workers in career progression.
There are also significant challenges facing councils attempting to recruit foster carers, with county areas reporting a 31 per cent decrease in foster care applications since 2020/21.
Though there are concerns the shortage may escalate due to the cost-of-living crisis, many county councils are working on initiatives to address this. For example, Hampshire County Council’s “You Can Foster” campaign from 2021 resulted in a 300 per cent increase in fostering enquiries, and the council is aiming to locate 150 new fostering households with its new “Open Your Door” campaign.
Similarly, Devon County Council has adopted a fostering recruitment campaign inspired by BBC TV programme The Apprentice, creating a video where two young people in foster care “interview” would-be foster carers. The campaign generated a 900 per cent increase in website traffic, after the video highlighted how fostering can change the lives of young people.
Though the sector has been faced with adversity over recent years due to rising demand and declining resource, many county councils have embarked on ambitious transformation strategies to improve the care provided to vulnerable young people and families.
Some of these councils were able to transform their services after receiving a negative Ofsted rating, using the judgment to reflect on their care and drive a significant culture change within the department. Councils have also employed collaborative working to improve their services, with some benefitting from peer support from neighbouring or high performing authorities.
Norfolk County Council’s children’s services was rated “good” in all areas by Ofsted in 2022 after inspectors found it had implemented “significant improvements” since it was judged “inadequate” in 2013. Inspectors noted its independent reviewing officers are “strong advocates for children” and praised its targeted youth support service for its work in diverting children and young people away from criminal exploitation.
Meanwhile, the quality of children’s services provision improved in good-rated Warwickshire County Council after it invested in early help teams.
CREATIVE WITHIN LIMITS
Despite ongoing challenges, county councils are innovating within their means to provide improved care and support to vulnerable families. Glazier praises councils for “being creative within the limits of their options” but acknowledges that national policies play a major role in addressing the challenges in the long-term.
“Local government needs to be properly resourced to effectively invest in preventative and early help within children’s services,” he says, adding that CCN will continue to advocate for improved resource for its member councils.
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS PREVENTION IN CORNWALL
Cornwall Council has supported almost 90,000 young people to manage their emotional health and wellbeing and prevent them from reaching crisis point. The £10.8m project – funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and run by Cornwall Council’s Together for Families service – explores new ways to improve the wellbeing of young people aged 10 to 16 and prevent more serious mental health issues from developing. More than 4,000 children and young people received targeted support as part of the programme, which was co-designed with young people. A further 7,000 professionals received mental health training, and more than 300 educational settings received a wellbeing toolkit.
FOCUS ON REUNIFICATION IN HERTFORDSHIRE
Hertfordshire County Council has invested £5.4m into a three-year pilot programme to reunite children in care with their families, where it is safe to do so. The initiative, which has been hailed by the government as an example of best practice, involves a multi-disciplinary team who are highly trained in motivational interviewing – a counselling method that effects confidence in parents to help them alter behaviours that are harmful to their children. Under the pilot scheme, mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse specialists and life coaches have been working together, and the council estimates that roughly 110 children will be able to return home safely over the three-year programme.
IMPROVING RETENTION IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Gloucestershire County Council launched a social work academy in 2019 as part of a drive to tackle recruitment and retention challenges in the area. The academy works alongside universities and students on placements and has developed an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment programme to provide progression opportunities to social workers. It also focused on the recruitment of overseas social workers, offering additional learning and support to help them integrate into the workforce. A 2022 Ofsted inspection noted that staff turnover had “greatly reduced”, adding that there was a higher percentage of permanent staff and a reduced reliance on agency social workers.
CHANGING WORKFORCE CULTURE IN EAST RIDING
East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s children’s services transformed its provision from “inadequate” to “good” in just three years, with inspectors praising its leadership team for implementing “significant and sustained changes” at its 2022 inspection. Inspectors said the team had created a culture in which staff feel valued and added that there are “timely and effective responses to concerns at the front door”, which had been previously flagged as an area of concern at the 2019 inspection. The council says that its 2019 inspection, where it was rated inadequate, gave it cause for reflection, and led it to collaborate with partners to accomplish systemic cultural change through an improved practice model.
