CYP Now - Social Services: Children in need not a high priority

Children and families in need are a low priority when it comes to allocating social workers, according to a report by the Social Services Inspectorate.

The document summarises inspections of children's services in England and councils' Victoria Climbie self audits.

Andrew Cozens, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services, said the problem was the consequence of "the focus of services on the child protection agenda". Cozens said children in need, who are defined as being not at immediate risk but having problems that may potentially lead to higher risk, were "being screened out or are being dealt with as lower priority".

According to the report, some children in need are allocated to unqualified social workers.

But Cozens said it was wrong to call them social workers. "They are unqualified childcare staff who work in social services children's teams," he added. "Even when children are allocated to unqualified staff, they are supervised by qualified staff."

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included