Families not getting enough help before crisis point, charities warn

In December 2022, an independent review of children’s social care highlighted a system that was “increasingly skewed to crisis intervention.”

The review author, Josh Macalister, is now a Labour MP. He described Monday’s report as “the latest in a long line of reports that all show the same trend”.

“We have the plan, evidence and workforce to reform the care system,” he said. “The last government made modest changes but we need the full scale reform programme that children and families deserve.”

The charities say the government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill does not amount to the scale of reform that is required, describing this as a “serious concern”.

“The new government has not committed to the widescale reform of the sector that is required, nor has it pledged any increase in funding for family help services, despite this being a central recommendation of the independent review of children’s social care in England. For many, the lack of such a commitment is a serious concern.”

In response to the report, the minister for children and families, Janet Daby, said: “It is devastating that young people are being let down by a system that should be keeping them safe.

“We know that all too often care placements for vulnerable children come at a massive financial cost to councils and a human cost to young people who aren’t getting the support they need.”

Ms Daby said the government was “committed to cracking down on providers making excessive profits” and the Children’s Wellbeing Bill would “strengthen regulation”.