Children and Young People Now report on a counselling service which is being set up in North Yorkshire to offer support to young people who have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse.
The Guardian looks at how some councils’ children’s services are applying the ideas set out in the Munro Review. Examples include: Cornwall has appointed a principal child and family social worker; and Cambridgeshire has adopted a practice model highlighted as good practice in the Munro review.
A specialist team to tackle child sexual exploitation has been set up in Bradford. The scheme brings together professionals from different agencies, facilitating information sharing.
Manchester City Council is piloting a scheme to introduce intensive foster care for children currently living in residential homes, funded by social impact bonds, in the hope that it will save
The Government has published an Action Plan for Adoption setting out proposals to overhaul the system for prospective adopters and strengthen the performance regime for local authorities. Proposals include: scorecards to rate local authority performance on adoption targets; approval process for new adopters cut to six months; and a national gateway for adoption to provide a first point of contact.
The Department for Work and Pensions has published the Social Justice Strategy, intended to help vulnerable families. It emphasises the importance of preventive services, and providing support and tools to allow people a second chance to transform their lives. Emphasises the importance of joint working, and looks at how public, private and voluntary sector organisations can work together to deliver intervention services locally.
Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has written a letter to the UK Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, expressing concerns on a number of issues pertaining to the juvenile justice system, including: the low age of criminal responsibility, recommending that it be put in line with the rest of Europe at age 14 or 15; use of restraints; and separation of juveniles from adult offenders.
The Family Rights Group has published a new film about child protection conferences. The film, which looks at a fictionalised example of an initial child protection conference, is designed to help prepare parents and practitioners to participate in these meetings.
Cafcass received 9,299 new care applications between April 2011 and February 2012, 11.9% higher than the same period last financial year. There were 878 care applications in February 2012.
