Latest News
'Sarah's Law' to be rolled out after trial
Ministers announce plans to extend ‘Sarah’s Law’ to all police forces in England and Wales after trials in four counties
Cost of Laming recommendations highlighted
One proposal alone could cost councils £250m a year and require 6,300 more social workers, researchers say
Sandwell suspends 10 over safeguarding
Action from the Midlands council follows a damning Ofsted inspection of children’s services
Balls warning to Birmingham over child death
The education secretary Ed Balls says officials face serious questions about how a seven-year-old starved to death
Consultation on special needs provision
Parents are to be consulted over advanced teacher training to help schools respond better to children with special needs
Ministers urged to redraw social care laws
The Law Commission launches proposals for a single new care statute saying current laws cause “confusion, delay and inconsistency”
Ofsted: School improvement should be devolved
The inspectorate calls for greater focus on locally-tailored, ‘demonstrably effective’ programmes
More pupils to get cycling lessons
The Government announces a £12.5m plan to get more schoolchildren cycling safely
LGA concern at new safeguarding guidance
Government proposals are said to be too long for hard-pressed staff to read and will not compensate for a shortage of social workers
Councils 'judge and fail families'
Local authorities are criticised by families for failing to meet their needs and for judging their lives
Mental health services for looked-after kids 'patchy'
Ofsted says over-16s in care get inconsistent access to help
Young 'not prepared for the workplace'
Many young people say they do not believe their education has prepared them for the world of work
Children & Education Events
Views in LGC
The continuing struggle to do more with less
In West Sussex we are in the middle of a transformational journey which will eventually save 20% of our non-schools budget
A director of children's services' view
“We have faced an increase in referrals of 2,000 over the past 12 months and the number of children with a protection plan has doubled”
Families in the news
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Mutuals could run social care and housing
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Rural poor 'hit hardest by recession'
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Balls hints nursery plans could be scaled back
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Nursery closures feared amid funding shake-up
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Councils' homeless total down 26%
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Councils complain at packaging costs
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Private pupils 'switch to state'
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Advice needed by families
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Foster shortage risks 'crisis'
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Social worker shortage fear
Communities
A cause worth championing
Stasi snoops, surveillance society, secret policemen on every corner - our plans to recruit a network of volunteers to help keep our streets clean have excited keen media debate
Fearing the suburbs
Politicans have devoted huge efforts to urban and rural problems, but rarely to the suburban zones between
