News
The key drivers of care leaver wellbeing: findings from research
2+ hour, 14+ min ago (668+ words) For most young people, turning 18 is a milestone filled with excitement and possibility. For many care leavers, however, reaching adulthood often marks an abrupt and accelerated transition from care with support falling away just as expectations increase." If we are…...
Ofsted criticisms of ‘profiteering’ children’s homes prompts counterblast from provider body
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (1707+ words) Ofsted criticisms of "profiteering" in the children's homes sector has prompted a counterblast from the main organisation representing providers. The regulator said that the rapid growth in the number of homes and their concentration in cheaper areas suggested decisions were…...
Racism against social workers has increased significantly in past year, say practitioners
2+ mon, 4+ day ago (522+ words) Racism against social workers from ethnic minority groups has "significantly increased" in the past year, according to most practitioners. The results of a Community Care poll echo warnings from the Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers" (NAFP)that "rising hostility towards…...
Child and parental mental health problems increasingly driving need for social care, DfE figures show
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (1174+ words) Mental health concerns about children showed the biggest increase from 2017-18 to 2024-25 among factors identified following child and family assessments, according to the DfE's annual children in need census, released last week. And parental mental health concerns had the third highest…...
Government to scrap presumption of parental involvement ‘to protect children from abusive parents’
2+ mon, 3+ week ago (1129+ words) The reform follows a review of the measure, which found that the courts" "no stone unturned" approach towards fostering children"s involvement with both parents in private law cases appeared to be leaving some at risk of harm. The decision…...
My Care Story: ‘Social workers witnessed my isolation, documented it and did nothing’
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (1207+ words) My Care Story" is a new series dedicated to amplifying the stories of care experienced people and providing social workers with vital insights to improve the support they offer. I was born with cerebral palsy. But before I was ever…...
Social workers not confident they can tackle poverty, poll finds
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (438+ words) var pd_tags = new Array;pd_tags["15909724-src"]="poll-oembed-simple"; Most social workers do not believe practitioners can meaningfully address poverty with the people they support, despite the longstanding link between deprivation and involvement with social services, a poll has found. A 2024 Social Workers Union…...
Huge rise in fitness to practise concerns about social workers
5+ mon, 1+ day ago (1019+ words) var pd_tags = new Array;pd_tags["15879200-src"]="poll-oembed-simple"; There has been a huge rise in the number of fitness to practise concerns about social workers in England since the start of 2025, Social Work England has revealed. The rise has been driven by referrals…...
The overlooked link between poverty and domestic abuse in child protection: findings from research
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (757+ words) While welfare reform is at the centre of current UK political debate, the relationship between poverty and domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is little understood. As part of the team behind the Child Welfare Inequalities Project (CWIP), which reported in…...
Addressing poverty: can social work go back to its roots?
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (1719+ words) Since 2020, the UK has seen a steady rise in poverty among children. By 2023-24, 4.5m children (or 31%) were in relative poverty, meaning their household's income was below 60% of the national average after housing costs, up from 3.9m in 2020-21. There is also a well-established…...