|
LGA hosts Bright Futures exhibition in
parliament
This month the LGA hosted a parliamentary exhibition on its
Bright Futures campaign, promoting councils’ outstanding work in children’s
services to MPs, Peers and external stakeholders throughout the week. Our
Chairman, Lord Porter, spoke at the launch alongside Children and Families
Minister Nadhim Zahawi, Liberal Democrat Local Government Spokesperson and
sponsor of the exhibition Wera Hobhouse MP, and mental health campaigner Hope
Virgo. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,
James Brokenshire MP, visited the exhibition later in the week as did a number
of Shadow Ministers and members of key committees. You can find out more about
our Bright
Futures campaign online.
£4.5M innovation fund open to help children of
dependent drinkers
£4.5m of joint funding for up to eight local authorities aimed at
improving the support services for children of dependent drinkers and alcohol
dependent parents has been committed by the Department of Health and Social
Care and the Department for Work and Pensions. The fund is being managed by
PHE, who today announce that local authorities (LAs) can now bid for funding
which closes on 17 July. Alongside this call for bids PHE has published a toolkit to support LAs in planning services.
Youth Justice Resource Pack
Councils are responsible for working together with local
partners to prevent youth crime and work with young people in the youth justice
system. Our new resource pack outlines
these responsibilities and supports councillors to understand, scrutinise and
support local performance.
National SEND Tribunal
Nadhim Zahawi,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, and Caroline
Dinenage, Minister of State for Care, have written a joint letter to Directors
of Children’s Services, Directors of Adult Social Services and Chief Nurses or
their equivalent in Clinical Commissioning Groups announcing the start today of
the SEND Tribunal single route of redress national trial.
The letter
provides information on the trial, including on the regulations and the support
available and links to further information, as follows:
Updated guidance on accommodating 16 & 17 year olds who are
homeless/at risk of homelessness
Updated
statutory guidance on supporting 16 and 17 year olds who are homeless
or threatened with homelessness has been jointly issued by MHCLG and the
Department for Education. The guidance was originally published in 2010
following court judgements (including the Southwark Judgement) that clarified
that primary responsibility for assessing the needs of 16 and 17 year olds
rests with Children’s Services. MHCLG will also offer advice and joint
training on the new guidance over the next few months, contact either Anna.Whalen@communities.gsi.gov.uk, or Kim.Davis@communities.gsi.gov.uk.
Integrated Communities Strategy
The National
Youth Agency has launched its NYA Network. This is free to join and gives
members free access to NYA products and services – sign up here.
Funding for Accessible Playground Equipment
The
True Colours Trust is offering grants of up to £10,000 to councils interested
in increasing their accessible playground provision for disabled children and
their families. Grants are intended for the purchase and installation of
accessible equipment which will improve access to public playgrounds for
disabled children.
Integrated Communities Strategy
The Government is currently seeking views on its Integrated
Communities Strategy Green Paper, which aims to build strong
communities were people from all backgrounds live, work, learn and socialise
together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities.
Consultation on
the green paper closes on 5 June 2018.
Unregistered Schools and Out of School Settings
The DfE has released non-statutory guidance setting out how the
Department for Education, Ofsted and local authorities can work together to
help make sure that children attending unregistered independent schools and out
of school settings are safe and are receiving a suitable education.
Home education and
illegal schools
With more children
being educated at home or in unregistered educational settings, how can
councils make sure they are safe and getting a good education? Join us at a
conference on 14 June, which is free to all LGA members to discuss these issues
– you can find more details and sign up on our website.
LGA responds to ONS figures on teenage pregnancies
30 May 2018
LGA responds to Ombudsman report on special guardianship orders
29 May 2018
Tooth decay: LGA responds to the PHE survey of five-year-old children
15 May 2018
LGA responds to data on education support for deaf children
14 May 2018
LGA responds to NSPCC report on school referrals for mental health treatment
14 May 2018
LGA responds to DfE announcement on school places
11 May 2018
LGA responds to Committee's report on children's mental health green paper
9 May 2018
 We hope that the latest issue of first has arrived at your door and that you've enjoyed its content. If you haven't received your copy you can view it online or download the magazine for free.
|
|
