DfE ‘encouraging councils to shirk legal duties’

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.