Charity, civil service and council representatives have said the damning Pressures on Children's Social Care report, published today by the NAO, highlights a mismatch between government policy, funding levels and local decision-making.
Central government policy needs to work to eradicate the "postcode lottery" currently faced by the most vulnerable, commentators said.
The NAO report states that government has "not yet done the work to tie together available sources of information" and therefore it is unlikely to achieve its target of giving all vulnerable children access to high-quality support, "no matter where they live", by 2022.
Jonathan Stanley, chief executive of the Independent Children's Homes Association, said that "devolving powers and practice to local authorities" had created problems.
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