If you are looking for evidence of just how tough a job it is to be a director of children's services (DCS) at the moment, the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) conference provided it.
As the curtain comes down on this Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, it is worth reflecting on what we've learnt from the past five years - as it looks increasingly likely that the future holds more of the same.
A number of reports over the past few weeks have highlighted the extent of the problem facing children's services departments in recruiting experienced social workers. Latest Department for Education figures show that over the past year, children's social worker vacancies have risen nearly 20 per cent so that on average, each English authority now has almost 30 full-time posts unfilled.
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.
After a slow start, Labour seems to be finding its feet in opposition. But with a general election a little over a year away, time is running out for the party to produce a coherent policy vision for children, young people and families.
Last Friday, the Reading Post published a story about how children's services in the town received only one application for each of the three senior social worker jobs it advertised. On the same day, the Coventry Telegraph reported that 30 demonstrators had gathered outside the city's town hall calling for more action to be taken against the agencies involved in the Daniel Pelka case.
The government's proposals to transfer responsibility for children's social services in Doncaster from the local council to an independent trust have come under attack from Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones in her detailed response to the plans.
In what ended up as an explosive exit interview, Tim Loughton lifted the lid on the inner workings of the Department for Education at a select committee hearing last week with the department's former ministers.
Like a piercing, bitter English winter, Chancellor George Osbourne's "autumn statement" was eye-wateringly harsh. It is, without doubt, children and young people growing up in the most deprived households who are being asked to bear the brunt.
The country might be out of recession (again), but with the size of the deficit still enormous, public spending shows no sign of returning to growth. In our special report, we examine the long-term challenges and consequences of children's services spend continuing to fall during this decade.