The State of Children’s Services 2018-19

If we are to secure the best possible outcomes for these children, they must be at the forefront of how and why we commission the services they depend upon.

Local authorities have weathered funding constraints over recent years and are increasingly raising concerns about their ability to meet rising demand for services without sacrificing the quality of their provision.

Local authorities and independent providers have, to date, done an excellent job providing high-quality services with the budgets afforded to them. However, they will have no choice but to make further efficiencies in the future. It is essential, now more than ever, that the private, public and voluntary sectors come together to put forward solutions to efficiently meet the increasing demand for services while ensuring children and young people continue to receive the high quality, bespoke care they require.

In meeting this demand, the care that children receive must be all-encompassing and seen as a priority at both a local and a national level. It is vital that those with special educational needs, in foster care, or placed in a children’s home have their whole care and education pathway understood holistically by all agencies. This is essential to improving children’s outcomes and ultimately their overall wellbeing and life chances.

The work undertaken by the Children’s Services Development Group to develop a consensus-driven approach to children’s social care is a positive step. This type of collaborative working is vital if we are to truly tackle the issues in the system.

I welcome this report as an important contribution to the debate on children’s services. Its recommendations should be taken forward at both a national and local level, by government, local authorities and providers, to ensure we develop a truly child- centred, needs-driven approach to care and education for the most vulnerable young people.