The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have done much in recent times to raise awareness of mental health and dispel the stigma attached to it, by speaking about their own personal experiences. Is this enough to provide reassurances to parents with mental illness whose children are the subject of care proceedings? Read more...
Warwickshire County Council has launched three free online guides for parents, funded by the council’s Smart Start Programme Read more...
Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire has said that an Ofsted inspection found looked after children who are waiting for a new family were well supported by Calderdale Council’s Children’s Services team Read more...
Oxfordshire’s Children in Care Council (CiCC) has said a conference to highlight issues affecting looked-after children and those leaving care has enabled the council to hear the viewpoints from young people in the care of other councils Read more...
Bradford Council has secured government funding to build a new social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) special free school Read more...
Staffordshire County Council says that it has eight million free childcare hours on offer to working parents of three- and four-year-olds from 1 September Read more...
Bradford Council has said that a major education conference held in Bradford focusing on serving the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND) has been a success Read more...
Barnet Council in northwest London has launched an innovative “academy” aimed at recruiting, developing and helping retain social workers Read more...
Buckinghamshire County Council is calling for feedback in a ten-week consultation on a proposed new approach to supporting children and families with early help Read more...
Minister for Children and Families Robert Goodwill has announced funding for 24 projects as part of the Children's Social Care Innovation Programme Read more...
Welsh Assembly (WA) Communities and Children’s Secretary, Carl Sargeant, has said a whole government approach to tackling inequality is essential to alleviating child poverty Read more...
Bradford Council is to consider new model for supporting children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and will consider new proposals to improve outcomes for SEND children across the district Read more...
Parents and carers of young children with autism in the Wolverhampton area are being encouraged to find out more about a national programme designed to improve their understanding of the condition Read more...
Dudley Council in the West Midlands has said that the number of children being looked after in care has fallen by nearly 9% in Dudley over the last two years, according to new figures Read more...
Dudley Council in the West Midlands is expanding an existing children’s centre at Coseley, to help more vulnerable children and their families Read more...
Southwark Council have asked local residents to take part in a survey to find out how much the general public know and understand about child sexual exploitation. The aim of the survey is to collate information so they know how to effectively target their campaign, making it as effective as possible Read more...
Telford & Wrekin Council has announced it will proceed to the next stage of procurement of a new Children’s and Adults case management ICT system, subject to Cabinet approval Read more...
Sheffield City Council has prosecuted 17 people for Blue Badge fraud, after they wrongfully used parking badges issued to disabled relatives to park free of charge in Sheffield Read more...
Barnet Council in Greater London has entered into a three-year partnership with Unicef – and is the first London authority to do so Read more...
Medway Council in Kent has said that a decision made on 9 May about children’s centres in the borough has been “called in” by the Medway Labour Group and will now go to the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 30th May Read more...
Welsh Assembly (WA) Education Secretary Kirsty Williams has said that children in care must have the same educational opportunities as their peers Read more...
Buckinghamshire County Council is holding a further fostering session in May to mark Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from 8 to 21 May Read more...
Welsh Assembly (WA) Education Secretary Kirsty Williams has said that children in care must have the same educational opportunities as their peers Read more...
Residents in Bracknell Forest, Berkshire are being encouraged to get involved in Foster Care Fortnight, which launched on 8th May Read more...
Tax-Free Childcare for children under the age of four has been launched from this week, meaning that working parents can start applying for two new government childcare schemes launching this year: Tax-Free Childcare, which begins immediately – and 30 hours of free childcare, which starts in September Read more...
Darlington Borough Council in County Durham, northeast England, is inviting families who use SureStart children’s centres in Darlington to comment on proposed changes to the way the services are offered Read more...
Essex County Council has welcomed approval from the Department for Education (DfE) for special needs free schools in Essex Read more...
City of Wolverhampton Council has announced that Ofsted has judged its children’s services to be Good with the help and support available to vulnerable children, young people and families in the City ranked in the top 20% nationally Read more...
Bexley Council in Kent is seeking the experiences of parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities in an online survey available until 14 May Read more...
Reading Borough Council is to introduce training on child safeguarding issues before taxi drivers and minicab drivers are awarded a licence Read more...
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced new plans to help workless families break the cycle of disadvantage Read more...
Cornwall Council has announced that its “One Vision” Partnership Plan, which aims to change the way services work together to improve the lives of children, young people and their families in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has been formally approved by the council’s Cabinet Read more...
The City of Wolverhampton Council is inviting the public to find out more about fostering children in care at an event on Friday, 7 April Read more...
Dorset County Council has said it will work with its partners to continue to improve support for children and young people in Dorset who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Read more...
Hillingdon Council in Greater London has agreed to introduce new arrangements for the delivery of its children's centre programme Read more...
Peterborough City Council is to pilot a new Family Safeguarding Service after being awarded £2.8 million in funding from the Department for Education Read more...
Bracknell Forest Council in Berkshire has been awarded a share of £11.6 million by the Department for Education (DfE) to support vulnerable families Read more...
The City of Cardiff Council has launched a Disability Index, which details services available for disabled children and young people in Cardiff Read more...
Hillingdon Council in Greater London has said that future plans for a children's centre programme will be decided at Hillingdon Council's Cabinet meeting on Thursday, 16 March Read more...
Swansea Council has announced that seven communities in Swansea have been chosen for a free childcare trial, with families set to benefit from 30 hours a week of free early years education and childcare, under a pilot programme that could be extended city-wide Read more...
Barnsley Council has announced that it is teaming up with Sheffield Futures and Barnardos to talk to town centre businesses and Barnsley residents about child sexual exploitation (CSE) during national CSE Awareness Week Read more...
Bath & North East Somerset Council says it is currently exploring the best way to commission its Children’s Centre services as efficiently as possible, to ensure that the service is sustainable in the future Read more...
The news today that the Government are scrapping time limits for obtaining appropriate written evidence of domestic abuse victims is a victory for all those who have been victims of domestic abuse. This will go a long way in ensuring that vulnerable persons are eligible for legal aid, particularly in cases involving children in which a period of time has passed since incidents of domestic abuse Read more...
The news today that the Government are scrapping time limits for obtaining appropriate written evidence of domestic abuse victims is a victory for all those who have been victims of domestic abuse. This will go a long way in ensuring that vulnerable persons are eligible for legal aid, particularly in cases involving children in which a period of time has passed since incidents of domestic abuse Read more...
Welsh Assembly Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children, Carl Sargeant, has announced funding of £1 million to local authorities across Wales to help young people who have been through the care system. Read more...
A pilot scheme took place between June and October 2016 in selected courts across the UK, introducing the concept of ‘settlement conferences’ in both public and private law child matters and testing their use and effectiveness over these 5 months. Read more...
Hillingdon Council has been praised by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for its work with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Read more...
Islington Council in north London says that identifying violent behaviour in schoolchildren may help stop the cycle of domestic violence Read more...
Somerset Council is urging more people to consider becoming foster parents as part of Somerset’s first county-wide fostering awareness week being held from 23 January to 29 January. Read more...
A new Gateshead project helping young people at risk has secured extra funding from the Gateshead Community Safety Team. Read more...