CYP Now - We can’t walk away at night

I am sat writing this blog recovering from a bout of Covid, a sharp reminder that it hasn’t gone and the impact it can have. It’s been miserable and has allowed me to dwell, perhaps too much, on the number of difficulties we all face as we head into winter:

Stuart Carlton is director of children and young people at North Yorkshire County Council. Picture: North Yorkshire County Council

Demand – due to a combination of factors (we all know them) demand has risen and continues to rise. For example, referrals to the front door are up 20 per cent from a year ago. Other areas of demand continue to rise – early help, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), school support, exclusions, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) – it is on all fronts.

Recruitment – Recruitment issues have intensified across the entire workforce. Rising demand means we require more staff and the market is just not there to meet demand. This isn’t just specialist roles such as social workers and educational psychologists. The care market is suffering as much as our adult services colleagues are finding. That means not only we cannot recruit enough care staff but neither can many of the independent providers across both social care and SEND.

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