Category: Children and Young People
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More Services, Greater Expectations: The Changing Children’s Social Care Landscape
Ofsted has published its annual Children’s Social Care in England 2026 statistics, providing an important picture of the size, growth and inspection performance of regulated children’s social care services across England. The headline figures show a sector continuing to expand rapidly, but the picture is very different depending on the…
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Children’s Social Care in England 2026: What Ofsted’s Latest Statistics Mean for Providers
The Department for Education and Ofsted have published the latest Children’s Social Care in England 2026 statistical release. While the publication is primarily a collection of national data, it provides valuable insight into the direction of travel for children’s social care and reinforces many of the themes that providers are…
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Missing from Care: Prevention, Response and Learning
Every missing episode should be treated as a safeguarding incident, not simply an absence. While finding and returning a child safely is always the immediate priority, effective practice goes much further than this. The Department for Education’s Statutory Guidance on Children Who Run Away or Go Missing from Home or…
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Bespoke Training That Fits Your Service: Not the Other Way Around
Every social care service is unique. While regulations provide a common framework, no two organisations share the same culture, workforce, challenges, or ambitions. That’s why training should never be a one-size-fits-all solution. At Social Care Skills, we provide bespoke training that reflects the needs of your organisation. Whether you’re looking…
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Should This Incident Be Notified to Ofsted? Why the Answer Is Not Always Straightforward
Serious incident notifications are an important part of regulatory oversight across children’s social care. However, deciding whether an incident should be notified to Ofsted is not always as straightforward as identifying that “something serious happened”. During training, consultancy and compliance work, we regularly see uncertainty around notification decisions. Does police…
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Safeguarding Children E-Learning Course: This Week’s Featured Course – Save 20%
Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. For professionals working in children’s social care, education, fostering, health, housing, or any role that brings them into contact with children, the ability to recognise concerns and respond appropriately is an essential part of safe and effective practice. This week, we are featuring our CPD…
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Ofsted’s New Equality Objectives: What They Could Mean for Children’s Social Care Providers
Ofsted has published its new equality objectives for 2026 to 2030, replacing its previous objectives for 2023 to 2027. This is not simply an equality, diversity and inclusion update. The objectives provide an indication of how Ofsted intends to develop its approach to inspection and regulation over the next four…
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Surveillance and Monitoring in Residential Childcare Settings: Ofsted Guidance
The use of CCTV, audio monitoring and other forms of surveillance in residential childcare settings requires careful consideration. Providers must balance their responsibility to safeguard children with the need to respect children’s privacy, dignity and individual rights. Ofsted has published specific guidance explaining how inspectors will evaluate the use of…
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£25 Million Investment in Child Trafficking Guardians: What Children’s Social Care Providers Need to Know
The Government has announced a £25 million investment to expand the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) service across every local authority in England and Wales. The announcement, published by the Home Office on 13 July 2026, represents a significant development in the national response to child trafficking, modern slavery and…
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Home Again: A Major New Direction for Children at Risk of Deprivation of Liberty
The Department for Education has published a significant new programme that could fundamentally reshape how England supports children and young people at risk of, or experiencing, deprivation of liberty (DoL). Known as Home Again, the programme is far more than a funding opportunity. It provides a clear indication of the…