The children’s services sector is anticipating a range of new policy announcements that will affect roles and training following the election of a new Labour government in July.
A Crime and Policing Bill, announced in the recent King’s Speech, includes a Young Futures programme to support children at risk of involvement in crime.
This includes a £95mn investment in local youth work hubs offering young people support from professionals including youth workers, mental health practitioners and careers advisers.
Other commitments include placing youth workers in A&E departments and pupil referral units and ensuring there are mental health professionals in every school to support children and young people with early signs of emotional or mental distress.
The new government has promised £450mn to recruit 6,500 more teachers, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools. An expansion of vocational education is also planned for 18- to 21-year-olds.
When it comes to the early years sector, Labour plans to create 3,000 new nurseries in primary schools and wants to improve the quality of maths teaching in early years settings.
The party’s manifesto promised better support for kinship, foster and adoptive families and tighter regulation of the children’s social care sector.
A Children’s Wellbeing Bill will strengthen multi-agency child protection and safeguarding arrangements for vulnerable children.
Meanwhile, former Conservative government policies are still being rolled out, including £200mn of social care improvements by 2025 set out in the Stable Homes, Built on Love strategy.
