A document published by the Department for Education has been criticised by campaigners for encouraging councils to renege on statutory child protection obligations, 18 months after controversial legislation to give local authorities greater freedoms was dropped in the face of opposition. The document, Children’s Social Care statutory guidance myth busting, which has been published on the government’s social care innovation website, highlights a number of elements of statutory guidance that “act as a barrier to good practice and outcomes for children and families”. It cites examples of statutory guidance that is “either misunderstood or perceived to limit local authorities from testing new ways of working”, such as elements of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018. Read more.
You may also like
Make media literacy a curriculum cornerstone, government urged
Some 70 organisations including children’s charities The Children’s Society, Barnardo’s and Action for Children have joined teachers’ union NASUWT in calling for funded training and resources to help schools...
October 7, 2026
Disadvantaged students have higher rates of mental health problems, study finds
More than one in three economically disadvantaged Year 8 students have a probable mental health condition, according to initial findings from a ground-breaking study to chart children’s wellbeing post the Covid-19...
October 5, 2026
Long-term fund to tackle causes of child poverty
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) fund will support projects that reduce the short or long-term effects of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children. The Better Futures Fund (BFF) aims to...
September 23, 2026
