Five ways social care can build on the foundations of the last parliament

Debates raged largely around funding and pace. Whatever the general election result, that will not get any easier to resolve. We’ll need a grown-up conversation about funding, regulation and the performance of services.

1.  Recognise that children and families need real join up across health, local government, social care, justice, education and more. Social workers can’t do it alone. Leaders need to energise a guiding coalition to scale and spread change. A coalition embracing central and local government, the voluntary and charity sector, the NHS, justice, schools and people with lived experience. Harness the collaboration we saw during Covid. Some of this is already coalescing around care leavers and families. Build on that.

2. Fix the whole system whilst also driving change where it will make most difference to both lives and budgets. First, invest in prevention. Barnardo’s and the Institute for Government recently highlighted the longstanding challenge of making this a reality. Second, address the paucity of support for children with the most complex needs which results in too many deprivation of liberty orders and “out of area” placements. Third, take concerted action on workforce recruitment and retention with everyone at the table: from central and local government, Frontline, Social Work England and others. The Care Review was right to challenge government not to cherry pick its recommendations. But some issues need a laser focus.

3. Give greater voice to children and young people. Children were remarkable during Covid and they offer untapped potential from peer support to service design. When their voice isn’t heard things can go tragically wrong. As the National Panel report on the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson said: “Professionals did not always hear Arthur’s voice.” This is also about hopes and dreams. As well as the system protecting from harm we need to nurture talent and support children to thrive.

4. Keep a relentless focus on child protection. It was brilliant to see the Care Review focus on early help and families, on kinship, fostering and more. But we know abuse persists and is too easily hidden. The Commission for Young Lives work highlighted ongoing county lines exploitation. The NSPCC campaign “Listen Up, Speak Up” reminds that it’s an issue for us all. Don’t let child protection become the poor relation in the reform agenda.

5. Harness the richness of data and evidence. Significant work has been done on data transparency, information sharing and analytics. Trust remains a barrier, as we saw in local government mistrust of central government’s asks for data during Covid. Yet the school attendance data shows how collaboration on actionable, timely information can help both nationally and on the ground. Don’t let last December’s Children’s Social Care Data Strategy get lost. And make the most of the evidence held by organisations like Foundations, the Youth Endowment Fund, Nuffield, Coram and Office of the Children’s Commissioner. Data and evidence can help deliver better services for children, young people and their families more efficiently and effectively.It has been disappointing to see so little focus on children’s social care in the election debate – or special educational needs and disabilities, to which similar lessons can be applied. However, whoever forms the next government, I’m confident there will be ambition, focus and drive to improve.

• Indra Morris was director general at the Department for Education 2017-23, first for social care, social mobility and equalities, and latterly families