Dozens of disadvantaged children and young people from across London were able to swim for free at an outdoor pool during the summer thanks to a scheme provided by the City of London Corporation.
Research highlights the link between a stable workforce and better outcomes for children. Ofsted’s Yvette Stanley tells Jo Stephenson how it is assessing workforce stability across children’s social care services
In the UK, children and young people who have been in care are significantly less likely to progress into higher education. Researchers from Cardiff University’s Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (Cascade) set out to explore the expectations of young people in care when it came to higher education and how expectations change over time.
I first started attending my local children’s centre when I became a mum in April 2015. I had health complications following the birth of my daughter, and because I have no family close by and at the time I was in an unstable marriage, I felt very unsupported and isolated. I was desperate for somewhere to go where I could find advice, support and comfort and where I could also feel safe.
A lack of appropriate fostering placements has meant unnecessary numbers of Lancashire children are cared for in residential homes, but the situation is improving with focused, sector-led effort.
Charity set up by members of a London youth theatre has developed a project that allows young people to record their experiences of life during the coronavirus lockdown.
Two programmes see disadvantaged young people hone their skills through work experience in the care sector, helping them gain qualifications and grow in confidence
How local authority children’s services commissioners ensure sufficient high-quality placements for vulnerable children while navigating a complex series of social, political and financial pressures
Ofsted’s national director for social care Yvette Stanley answers 10 key questions about what steps the regulator is taking to keep children and staff safe during the Covid-19 outbreak. By Jo Stephenson
Leaders are often under enormous pressure to do more with ever-dwindling resources, but taking a ‘heart-centred’ approach can help them to better support their staff through these challenging times
At its best, technology speeds up laborious inputting of information, enabling children’s services practitioners to spend more time with their clients, helps commissioners to identify trends so they can prioritise resources, and enable leaders to make informed choices on how services are structured.