Child Care Solicitors

Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan MP has unveiled plans to transform children's social work, including discussing plans for a new social work body to improve standards in the profession.

Ms Morgan revealed the plans for the creation of a brand new body for social work, which would drive up standards and put social workers on par with high-status professions, such as surgeons or lawyers.

The announcement on Thursday (14/01/16) follows a keynote speech by the Prime Minister, in which he described the government’s children’s social care reforms as the “landmark reforms of the next five years”.

The government says frontline children’s social work will also be bolstered by the recruitment of thousands of top graduates from across the country, as a result of the expansion of high-quality entry routes into the profession, backed by £100 million of government funding.

The cash injection will see the expansion of the Frontline programme across the country, as well as a further cohort of the government’s Step Up to Social Work scheme.

The funding will result in more than 3,000 of the brightest graduates training to be social workers over the next five years – meaning by 2018, one in four newly qualified social workers will have joined child and family social work via exemplary fast-track programmes.

To ensure social workers are empowered and supported to do the job they came into the profession to do – making change happen for the families they serve – the government has outlined a new vision for all child and family social workers, to be assessed against the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families knowledge and skills statements by the end of this Parliament.

To further harness the innovation and excellence of the very best local authorities in frontline children’s services, a further three councils will be given academy-style freedoms to develop new systems of delivering social care –and trial new ways of working with families and children.

The new councils – Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Islington – will join the six areas currently pioneering this approach, announced by the Prime Minister in December 2015.

The existing councils taking part in the scheme are North Yorkshire, the tri-borough authorities (Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea), Leeds, Durham and Richmond and Kingston.

Nicky Morgan said:

“Excellent social workers transform lives – these hard working, dedicated professionals have the ability not just to improve the circumstances of vulnerable children, but to change them entirely.

“That is why supporting social workers and giving them the tools they need is a priority for this government – and a personal priority for me as Secretary of State.

“Our reforms are big and bold, because we need the best people on the frontline, armed with the knowledge and skills to change lives.

“These reforms are about getting it right for social workers, so that social workers can get it right for our most vulnerable children and families.”
Duncan Lewis Children Lawyers
Duncan Lewis children lawyers can advise on a wide range of child care matters, including care proceedings and children taken into Local Authority care, Court of Protection cases – and child care arrangements following separation, divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership.
Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of Legal Aid solicitors and can advise on child care and family law under UK law and Islamic law.

For expert legal advice on child care and dealing with social services or children taken into Local Authority care, call Duncan Lewis children lawyers on 0333 772 0409.