CYP Now - Doncaster U-turn on independent trust raises questions over model

The first children’s services trust to be established is to be scrapped with children’s social care reverting to council control - leaders in Doncaster say it offers important lessons on the benefits and drawbacks of the trust model.

A desire to better integrate education services with children’s social care is a key part of the decision to move back to council control. Picture: Adobe Stock

On 1 September, children’s social care services in Doncaster will transfer back to council control after spending eight years being run by Doncaster Children’s Services Trust (DCST).

The move is significant because Doncaster was the first council in England to have children’s social care removed and placed into the hands of an independent trust in response to failings in the department. It is also a measure that has been subsequently used in other areas in response to poor Ofsted judgments.

Former Education Secretary Michael Gove was a keen advocate of the trust model and the approach gathered momentum in 2015 when former Prime Minister David Cameron challenged “poorly performing local authorities” to “improve or be taken over” when announcing wide-ranging reforms to children’s services to tackle underperformance.

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