What’s Happening with Investment in Children’s Social Care?
You’ve probably seen a lot in the press about investment in children’s social care, especially for children in need of care. But what does that actually look like in practice? And what’s been happening so far?
Why Change Was Needed
It was no secret that children’s social care wasn’t working as well as it should. Outcomes for children weren’t always great, and those working on the ground knew the system wasn’t effectively supporting children and families. This urgency was brought into even sharper focus by the national safeguarding review following the tragic deaths of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. The message was clear, things needed to change, and fast.
The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care
The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care was led by Josh MacAlister, former CEO of Frontline (a leading children’s social work charity).
One of the key takeaways was that Foster Carers were described as the “bedrock of children’s social care.” But there’s a big problem, right now, we’re losing foster carers faster than we’re gaining them, even as demand continues to rise.
Why Foster Care Matters More Than Ever
Without enough foster homes, many children are being placed in expensive residential care, often because of capacity issues rather than need. These placements cost significantly more but don’t always lead to better outcomes. Worse still, children are sometimes moved far from their families, friends, and schools, not because it’s best for them, but simply because there isn’t a local foster home available. This review has been a wake-up call. It’s sparking innovation and a renewed focus on keeping children in family-based care whenever it’s safe to do so—whether that means fostering or supporting kinship care arrangements.
What’s Next?
There’s still a long way to go, but the sector is shifting. The focus now is on recruiting and retaining more foster carers, improving support for families, and ensuring that children can stay in familiar environments whenever possible. Change is happening, and for the children who need care, it can’t come soon enough.
In 2023, the government published their strategy to transform social care as a response to the review: ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’. These proposals are backed by £200 million of additional investment and focuses on 6 ambitions.
Ambition 1: Family Help
Ambition 2: Keeping children safe
Ambition 3: Supporting families to help children
Ambition 4: Making care better for children in care and care leavers
Ambition 5: Children have great social workers
Ambition 6: Improving the whole system for children and families
Specifically for Children in Care and Care Leavers, there are an additional six key missions to bring ‘love’ at the focus of our care for children looked after. A large amount of these initiatives have already been piloted and taking place, as the government recognises the urgency for change.
Strong and Loving Relationships – A push to normalize family finding, staying close, and staying put programs to ensure children maintain stable relationships.
Stable and Loving Homes – Efforts to increase foster home capacity include:
Creating geographical recruitment hubs
Expanding the successful Mockingbird program
Enhancing foster carer financial support
Launching Pathfinders initiatives
Conducting in-depth reviews of residential homes
Establishing a National Support Service to improve recruitment practices through diagnostic services
Corporate Parenting Responsibilities – Strengthening support for care leavers with:
An increased leaving care allowance (£3,000)
An increased apprenticeship allowance (£3,000)
Enhanced corporate parenting duties
A focus on challenging the stigma of being a looked-after child
Support for the Social Work Workforce – Measures to improve retention and career development, including:
Career support and apprenticeships
Workload action groups
Regulations to reduce reliance on agency staff and promote a permanent workforce
System Reform – Steps to improve service delivery:
Sharing best practices
Collaborating with Ofsted to enhance services
Improving information-sharing guidance
Strengthening CPD and workforce development frameworks
Delivery – Ensuring changes are scalable nationwide, with a commitment to long-term funding to create sustainable improvements.
References
https://thefrontline.org.uk/who-we-are/.
https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/programmes/mockingbird-programme/
