Dear constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about funding for local children’s services and social care.
I share your concern about the services our children receive and want to ensure that they have a future in which they can grow and thrive. I appreciate your concerns about the funding for these services. It is welcome that over the past two years, £300 million of new grant funding has been provided for adult and children’s social care. Further, I was encouraged that a new funding package of £104 million will be provided by 2024-25 to help reform unregulated provision in children's social care which will improve safeguarding standards for vulnerable children and young people. I understand that £259 million was also made available during the 2021-22 financial year to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children's homes.
Further, I welcomed the publication of the Government's response to the independent review into children's social care -Independent review of children’s social care - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Proposals include setting up a new National Implementation Board of sector experts and people with experience of leading transformational change and the care system; boosting efforts to recruit more foster carers increased support for social workers including on leadership, recruitment and retention; and the implementation of a new evidence-based framework for all the professionals working in children’s social care. The support social workers receive in the early part of their careers will be refocused, to enhance their skills and knowledge of child protection.
I hope this has provided a measure of reassurance.
Sincerely,
