Children and young people - first magazine for councillors

For primary aged schoolchildren sit at their desks looking at digital tablets, with their schoolteacher standing next to them.

Schools White Paper

by Councillor Lucy Nethsingha

Councils played a crucial role in education during the pandemic – the Government must recognise their importance.

Adult therapist sitting at a table doing drawings with a young child

Financial oversight of children’s care providers

by Councillor Lucy Nethsingha

Better understanding of private companies is needed to safeguard those in care.

children in a school canteen waiting for their meals

Million more pupils could have free school meals

by The Editorial Team

More than a million additional school children could receive free school meals and be entitled to extra support funding if the scheme was simplified and extended to more families.

Ahead of the Government’s much-anticipated review of the support provided to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the LGA has commissioned research into the huge rise in legal disputes and tribunal hearings since the SEND reforms of 2014.

A boy in a wheelchair in a classroom sitting with a teacher

Social worker shortages

by Councillor Lucy Nethsingha

Councils are facing a staffing crisis in children’s social care, with the number of children and family social workers quitting their jobs at a five-year high, potentially putting thousands of young people at risk.

Making change happen in the early years

by Ben Lewing

In 2020, the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) published a review of children’s centres and family hubs.

Surge in children with mental health problems

by The Editorial Team

The LGA has warned of a rise in the number of children with mental health problems seen by social workers, which has surged by a quarter since before the coronavirus pandemic.