London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

Care services 'too focused on investigating families in crisis', review says

Care services 'too focused on investigating families in crisis', review says

Child protection services in England are too focused on investigating families in crisis and do not provide enough early support, a report says.

An independent review of council-run children's social care said services to protect vulnerable children were in urgent need of investment and reform.

It concluded that with an increasing demand for help, the current system was unsustainable and failing young people.

The government, which set up the review, said it was boosting funding.

Over the last three months, the review team has heard from more than 1,000 young people, families and staff working in children's services.

It found a system under significant strain with an increasing number of families being investigated, more children in care and costs spiralling.

Josh MacAlister, who chaired the independent review, said: "If we carry on like this, children's social care will both become more expensive and continue to be inadequate in the support it gives to children and families, so we need to change."

The report said deprivation was a key factor among families needing help. Many of those who asked for support found assessments and investigations added to their stress.

The number of inquiries into whether a child is at risk of significant harm - known as section 47 inquiries - has more than doubled since 2010, rising to 201,000 investigations in a year.

But the report said 135,000 of those led to no child protection plan. It concluded that concerns about risk have dominated.

Official figures also show that in 2019/20 there were more than 80,000 children in the care of local authorities in England, up 24% in a decade.

Separated from siblings


The review team looked at the availability and costs of foster care places and children's homes. It concluded this "placement market" was broken and that too often young people ended up being moved a long way from home.

"Too often children are moved far from where they have grown up, are separated from their brothers or sisters, are forced to move schools, and have a revolving door of social workers," the report said.

"We are failing to build lifelong loving relationships around these children."

With council budgets squeezed over the last 10 years, spending has increasingly focused on expensive crisis services that local authorities are legally required to provide. That has meant cuts to early help for families.

At High Trees Family Centre in Hertfordshire, the county council provides the sort of wide-ranging support that the review team believes is vital. In one place, all local families can access health and care services along with playgroups.

Chelsea, mother of one-year-old Darcie, says council-run playgroups are a place to get advice and tips on parenting

Chelsea, whose one-year-old daughter Darcie is happily playing with paints, said there should be more play sessions like this.

"It is very important for the mum and the baby," she said. "It means the mum can meet new friends and get advice and tips."

Sammy Lewis works with pregnant mothers and under-ones at the centre. She said that because the centre was open to everyone, it was easy for parents to ask for help and made a real difference to those who were struggling.

"That can help to prevent the need for additional support later down the line and they can feel more happy and confident about family life," she said.

The independent review will publish its final report, making recommendations for change, next spring.

NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said the review should seize a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to create "a comprehensive, properly-funded care system that works for every child and family who needs it, regardless of their background or where they live".

Sammy Lewis, who works with pregnant mothers, says giving parents opportunities to ask for help can prevent issues escalating

Mark Russell, chief executive at The Children's Society, said children's social care was "hamstrung" by under-investment and bureaucracy, too often intervened only at "crisis point", and had "serious systemic flaws" including a lack of understanding of threats outside the home.

"Covid has left more children at risk of abuse, exploitation, isolation, mental ill-health and poverty," he said, with vulnerable older children being failed as they enter adulthood.

The government said it was giving councils an extra £16m to target more support earlier in the lives of children already in the care system. It is also planning a pilot scheme to increase educational help.

Children and families minister Vicky Ford said: "For children in care, or those who are known to social care teams, it is absolutely vital we help them to overcome the barriers they can face in education so that they have the best chance to succeed in life."

Directors who run council care services said that while the child protection system in England was one of the safest in the world, the report represented a once-in-a-generation chance to make meaningful and lasting change for children and young people.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×