Children and Families Minister has today announced a package
of support worth £17 million to improve outcomes for vulnerable
children.
More than £15 million will go to eight new Partners in Practice,
to expand a peer support programme between local authorities to
improve children’s services.
The government is also announcing £2 million to improve
leadership in children’s social care services, which will be
delivered through the Local Government Association (LGA).
The funding is part of the Government’s £20 million improvement
strategy for children’s social care, and will see the Partners in
Practice Programme – children’s services which are rated ‘good’
by Ofsted – develop and share strong practice, and deliver
hands-on peer support to other councils, to help improve outcomes
for more children and their families across the country.
Minister for Children and Families said:
Social workers do an incredible job providing some of our most
vulnerable children in our society with life-changing care and
support.
This investment for our Partners in Practice Programme will
help the fantastic work councils are doing to deliver
high-quality services and make a real difference to children’s
lives.
I am also pleased to support the Local Government Association
to drive good leadership, which is crucial if we want to
support and encourage frontline staff to deliver excellent care
for children and young people.
This investment comes from £20 million announced at the National
Children’s and Adults Services (NCAS) conference last year
(October 2017), to provide additional support for councils at
risk of service failure and to help create a system of continuous
improvement. Through the funding, the LGA will create a package
of support to ensure lead council members have the skills they
need to scrutinise performance and drive improvement in
children’s services.
Cllr , Chair of the Local
Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
We are pleased that the Minister has backed the LGA’s call for
children’s improvement funding. This will help to deliver an
enhanced programme of sector-led support to councils, offering
everything from regular ‘health checks’ and training for lead
members and senior officers.
The achievements of councils through the sector-led improvement
approach demonstrate its success and shows what councils can
achieve by working together and supporting one another.
Phil Norrey, the Solace spokesperson for Children and Families
and Chief Executive of Devon County Council, said:
This is welcome investment for children’s services, good news
for the children and families we serve and a vote of confidence
in local government as a whole. Sector led improvement has
proven itself effective in other areas and we are pleased by
the recognition that chief executives and whole council
leadership is needed to drive meaningful change.
Solace looks forward to working with our partners on this bid –
the Local Government Association, Association of Directors of
Children’s Services and Department for Education – to challenge
and support our colleagues across the country.
The new Partners in Practice are Ealing, Camden, North Tyneside
and South Tyneside in partnership, Essex, Stockport, Hackney,
East Riding of Yorkshire and Doncaster Trust. The Partners in
Practice Programme and the Innovation Programme are part of the
government’s ambitious reforms to children’s social care, backed
by to up to £250 million.
