Some local authorities have combined the functions of director of children's services with those of other top-tier managers. Joe Lepper explores the benefits and potential pitfalls of different approaches.
Children's services leaders gathered at CYP Now's Early Help Conference to discuss latest policy developments in early help and hear how local areas are developing interventions across a range of settings and age groups.
Qualification requirements and training provision for working with children and young people is continuously adapting in line with changes in policy and practice. Charlotte Goddard provides a comprehensive overview.
There has been the scent of revolution in the air recently. First, Jeremy Corbyn won a landslide Labour leadership election on an anti-austerity ticket that was the antithesis of New Labour (Analysis,
p10). Then the man he hopes to one day replace in Downing Street, David Cameron, used a speech on the "smarter state" to outline the government's intention to pick up the pace of reform in children's
services by handing "failing" children's social care services to third-party providers (Analysis, p8).
Sure Start children's centres are at a crossroads. With funding cuts forcing many councils to close or downgrade provision and a government review about to be launched, experts set out what the future holds.