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.
Necessity is the mother of invention, so the saying goes. It is a maxim that could be applied to most of the services for children and young people today - being able to do more with less is a key requirement for any chief executive, middle manager or frontline practitioner.
The announcement last month of the consultation into the widescale outsourcing of children's services would have surprised few in the sector. Controversial though it may be, the government has been laying the groundwork for the creation of a children's social care "market" for the past year. But although the direction of travel has been clear for some time, the ramifications of such a move are only now starting to be thought through.
At an event in parliament last week, young people and MPs gathered to discuss the challenge of youth unemployment. Organised by youth initiative the 99% Campaign, the panel concluded that unless speedy solutions are found to help the near one million young people not in education, employment or training (Neet), the problem could blight a generation for decades.