Shining a light Volume 2: Children’s Services Essay Collection

I am delighted to introduce the second volume of our ‘Shining a Light’ essay collection, highlighting some of the key challenges facing children’s services. The essays set out some thorny issues, capture important insights and share valuable experiences from those at the coal-face of service delivery across the sector.
The challenges faced are considerable and well documented, matched only by the pace at which new ones appear. Since our inaugural collection was launched, demand has continued to escalate, inappropriate cuts to preventative spend have increased, a new Minister for Children has been appointed, and Ofsted have demonstrably recognised the role they need to play in driving improvement. Probably the most concerning headline of all over the last few months, was the Local Government Association forecasting a £2 billion shortfall in funding for children’s services by 2020. This made sobering reading, and has been described by Lord Porter, their Chairman, as “a bigger pressure than adult social care on council budgets”. To date, there is little or no evidence to suggest that Whitehall departments are acting on this.
The debates surrounding children’s services are not exclusive to the social care community, and this is reflected in the backgrounds of our authors. Diverse in topic, the essays reveal some interesting links and themes. Who is best to lead the drive for continuous improvement? Are local authorities consistent enough in their approach to corporate parenting? Is the market for child placements really broken? Are we equipped with the skills and capabilities needed for systems leadership? Are we creating the right environments for social workers to thrive?
These essays provide some interesting food for thought when considering the debate about sustainable children’s services, and some of the broader issues facing the sector. I would like to thank each of the contributors for their time and insights, and without whom this collection would not have been possible: Nick Barnett, Emma Bennett, Shannon Corkish, Cllr Peter Fortune, Sue Harrison, Mark Rogers, Tolis Vouyioukas and Chris Wright. I would also like to thank my colleagues at iMPOWER, particularly Ebony Hughes and James Edmondson, for their assistance in drawing together such an interesting and diverse group of contributors. Finally, thanks to all of those who continue to download our materials and engage with us so openly; we are immensely proud of the work we do in the sector, but it means little without the mutual support and respect of our many friends and partners.
Olly Swann
Director
iMPOWER Consulting
www.impower.co.uk