Latest news with #childrenServices
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Children in Sheffield face 'unacceptable waits' for SEND referral
Children are facing "unacceptably long" waits for neurodiversity services after the number of referrals increased threefold in five years in Sheffield, according to a new Dixon-Teasdale, Sheffield City Council's strategic director of children's services, said an overhaul of the existing system was needed to enable services to cope with the rising to the report neurodevelopment referrals have grown from approximately 1,500 in 2019-20 to 4,600 in the past 12 issue is due to be discussed by members of the council's education, children and families policy committee on 10 June. Ms Dixon-Teasdale said: "There is a shared view our children, young people and families are waiting for an unacceptably long time and service models that no longer meet need. "There is a shared view we need to work together to develop a radically different model of care and support across the city."She said improvement work had been taking place for three years with fortnightly city-wide meetings of directors from key organisations taking place since last summer. Learn Sheffield is also leading the development of a SEND Manifesto for the city, she Dixon-Teasdale said the education committee will get an update of the work taking place in September. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Staff turnover fears despite improved Medway Council child service
A council's children services have been praised for improvements, but inspectorate Ofsted has warned staff turnover has "hindered progress".Medway Council has made changes since being rated "good" in 2023, the education watchdog said after a recent reinspection, but added that they still needed time to were raised that the positive steps made were on shaky ground because of ever-increasing demands for the service and the high turnover of staff and retention Price, Medway Council's portfolio holder for children's services, said the service had been on a "significant improvement journey in recent years". The visit, conducted in April, was to look specifically at the authority's performance in relation to children in need or the subject of a child protection plan, according to the Local Democracy Reporting inspectors said improvements had been made to the support given to children, particularly to 16 or 17 year olds at risk of homelessness, and there was a focus on developing the response to disabled children and teenagers at risk of of the service was also raised as an issue, with inspectors saying quality and impact of assessments, plans, interventions, management oversight and supervision could vary widely.A letter from the inspectorate to the council read: "Recent turnover of staff threatens to undermine the tenuous progress made."The stability and experience of the workforce continue to be the most significant and stubborn challenges and barriers to progress."Ofsted also recognised the leaders of the service understood the issues it was facing and the key areas for service was previously rated "inadequate" in Joy, shadow cabinet member for children's services, also welcomed the progress but said it remained "fragile given the continued challenges around permanence within the service".
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Lib Dems take control of Devon County Council
Improving services for children and fixing roads are the top two priorities for the new leader of Devon County Democrat Julian Brazil will lead a minority administration and has included Green Party leader Jacqui Hodgson as a cabinet member for climate change and said earlier in May there was a "risk of harm" to children in Devon due to continued failings in services while the cost of special educational needs services posed a "risk to the ongoing financial stability" of the said the council had been "failing our most vulnerable children" and vowed to improve services starting by splitting responsibility between three cabinet members. Brazil will take on responsibility for education, with Denise Bickley in charge of special educational needs and disabilities (Send), and Richard Jefferies taking responsibility for children's social council leader said: "The only way we can deliver the services the public need and deserve is to work with our partners, by creating productive relationships with agencies from the NHS to schools, from parish and town councils to community groups."We have been failing our most vulnerable children for far too long, and we want to send a message - our children need us, and we must deliver."He said improvements to children's services "should be the judge of the success or failure of this administration". Devon County Council has the largest road network in England to look after and is understood to have a backlog of pothole repairs that would cost about £200m to said there was a "plague of potholes" and improving highways maintenance would be a top priority, with Dan Thomas taking charge of the cabinet said he would be looking at bringing maintenance contracts "back in-house" and suggested previous rubbish collection problems in South Hams was an example of "when things go wrong" when outsourcing services. 'Change of culture' The Liberal Democrats took 27 seats in the elections on 1 May making them the largest party but four seats short of an overall came in second with 18 seats, the Conservatives with seven, the Greens with six and two said he wanted to work with all party groups and introduce a "change of culture" at the council."It doesn't matter what political tribe you're from, if your top priority is to do what's best for your community, then we're on the same side," he said."Too much time and energy can be wasted over petty political squabbles when we should be focused on delivering the services residents expect."
