New Joint Targeted Area Inspections to assess how different agencies are working together to support vulnerable children have just been launched. Joe Lepper explores how they work.
All children's services teams face the challenge of keeping staff turnover low against a landscape of tight budgets, so it is essential employers master the skills to retain, motivate and reward employees.
The NSPCC has analysed findings from hundreds of serious case reviews to assess key lessons for safeguarding practice. Here is a summary of the learnings for practice when working with deaf and disabled children.
A new social work practice model, low caseloads and joined-up services have helped two of the three councils in a merged children's services department become the first to be judged "outstanding" by Ofsted's inspection system.
One of the problems of democracy is that leaders have views on many issues, and citizens don't always agree with all of the policies of "their" party or their government. So, I find myself supporting the principle of the new national funding formula for schools while deeply opposing the academisation programme.
Plans to reverse a fall in the number of children being adopted include changes to prioritise adoption over other forms of care, increased post-adoption support and speeding up the process of finding prospective adopters.
In early 2014, the tri-borough councils in London became one of the first areas to benefit from the Department for Education's £100m, two-year Children's Social Care Innovation Fund.
Speech and language services ensure children keep up with their learning, but cuts have hit provision hard. Joe Lepper looks at how some councils and partners are managing to deliver successful services.
A guide by an education charity on how best to use teaching assistants recommends they should support all pupils, not just the most disadvantaged, so freeing up teachers to focus on aiding struggling children.
UK Youth has identified five key characteristics that underpin successful youth groups: a wide range of services, high-quality provision, young people's input, measurable outcomes and a sustainable business model.
If children's services are to deliver improved outcomes with declining resources, the sector must embrace technology, joint working and volunteers, says Pillars and Foundations, a radical paper from the ADCS.
An Ofsted report highlights the importance of schools and councils sharing information about excluded pupils with alternative providers, but experts warn the fragmentation of the education system has made this more difficult.