Supported accommodation for children in care & care leavers

The Department for Education has commissioned the National Children's Bureau to deliver a programme of support to help local authorities and providers of supported accommodation get ready for the new regime of quality standards, registration and regulation for supported accommodation for young people aged 16 and 17 who are in or leaving care. 

They hope to engage as many councils and providers as possible so that the sector is well prepared for the introduction of the quality standards from October, including ensuring as many providers as possible choose to continue offering high-quality homes to young people. To find out what support is on offer, please visit NCB’s website.

Early education and childcare

The Government has announced that changes to the early years elements of Universal Credit, increasing the amount parents can claim back and moving to upfront payments, will be brought in from 28 June.

A consultation released by Department for Education on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework has also been released which is intended to help manage the expansion of the childcare entitlements at the Spring Budget. The announcement is accompanied by a pledge to undertake a recruitment campaign in the new year and consideration of how to introduce new accelerated apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship routes. The LGA will be responding to this consultation so if you are interested in discussing please get in touch with flora.wilkie@local.gov.uk

Early years education and childcare entitlements expansion

Directors of Children’s Services will have received a letter from the Department for Education highlighting the next steps following the announcement at the Spring Budget to expand early years entitlements to eligible working families with children from 9 months. This letter requests the completion of an LA readiness assessment, provides early DfE analysis about supply and demand for the expanded entitlements and information regarding distribution to early years providers of the disability access fund (DAF) and early years pupil premium (EYPP). The LA readiness assessment is voluntary, but the Department would welcome completion by 14 July. 

Youth justice

The LGA has produced a series of good practice case studies looking at support for children and young people in the youth justice system. The case studies from eight councils across England look at taking a whole family approach when supporting a child in the justice system, the development of the pan-London approach to stop children from being remanded into custody and using Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to support a psychologically-informed approach to working with children and young people. 

Working together to safeguard children

The Department for Education has launched a consultation on changes to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance. Proposed changes are intended to strengthen multi-agency working across the system of help, support and protection for children and their families as part of the Government’s plans to transform children’s social care. The consultation will close on 6 September 2023. The LGA will be responding to this consultation on behalf of the sector; if you have any comments that you wish to feed into this response, please email louise.smith@local.gov.uk

Ofsted changes

Following the public debate around inspections, Ofsted has introduced a package of measures to improve aspects of their work. Most of these changes will only apply to school inspections. Ofsted’s approach to safeguarding, and the timing of inspections in social care, will continue in line with the social care common inspection framework, inspecting local authority services for children, and joint targeted area inspection frameworks.  However, the proposed changes to the inspectorate’s complaints system, set out in a consultation published on Monday will impact on all of the remits inspected, including social care. The consultation closes on 15 September.

Youth work in schools

The National Youth Agency commissioned report into youth work in schools has been published. The report makes a series of recommendations including a dedicated Minister for Young People at the Department for Education to drive forward a National Youth Strategy joining up education and youth services; dedicated, stable and joined-up funding with greater accountability from strengthened statutory guidance at national and local levels to put youth work on a surer footing with schools and facilitate more cross-sector working; and an enhanced Ofsted inspection.

Behaviour and mental health in schools

The Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) has published a report on mental health and behaviour in schools in England. Following an online survey and evidence sessions the report found: punitive approaches to behaviour management are harming children and young people’s mental health; and some groups of children and young people are disproportionately impacted by school behavioural policies. The report calls for a wholescale culture shift in how behaviour is viewed and responded to in schools.

NCER SEN2 reporting

NCER have announced that NEW SEN2 reporting is now available in Nexus. 47 per cent of councils in England are already accessing this new reporting via their NCER membership.

NCER have been working with a SEN2 working group made up of local authority SEN and data professionals to ensure that this exciting new development in Nexus delivers the analysis local authorities need to scrutinise their 2023 special educational needs person level survey data (SEN2). 

Please view the short NCER SEN2 video which outlines the new SEN2 functionality and reporting available in Nexus. For more detailed information about SEN2 Nexus please view the NCER SEN2 Bulletin.

Please share the news about this SEN2 reporting in Nexus with colleagues working in SEN teams in your local authority who may not have access to Nexus currently but may be interested in this new analysis. 

Book now for #ncasc23

The National Children and Adult Services Conference is a must-attend event for councillors, directors, senior officers, policy makers, service managers and those with responsibilities for children and adult services in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. Join us to hear about and respond to the very latest thinking on key policy and improvement agendas in social care, children’s services, education, health and related fields.

Confirmed speakers include: 

For more information and to book your place, please visit the NCAS Conference website.