We believe that care funding should be offered to all children not just the disadvantaged, helping more families avoid debt from growing nursery and school fees. Children can gain access and support in one to one therapy sessions either face to face or via a telephone call. Over 2,300 children in Derbyshire are currently receiving help to build resilience and to help reduce the development of serious mental health issues. Children’s services supports children who need to get away from the home offering residential care as well as rest bite care for young carers who need a break from home life. Providing a safe space for the child is important offering clubs and support outside of the home and school to gain a safe space to talk.
Children’s Services provide a safe place for children to grow and develop outside of school or a household and gives them a safe place to talk, clubs are a great way to achieve this. Children’s services support children who need to get away from the home who are offering residential care and it also allows young carers a break from home life.
According to the Local Government Association, “In 2018/19, councils across England were forced to spend £770 million more on children’s social care than they had budgeted for.” “Government funding for the Early Intervention Grant has been cut by almost £600 million since 2013. It is projected to drop by almost a £100 million more by 2020.”
Children’s Services are responsible for supporting and protecting vulnerable children. This includes providing children and families extra help. Where a child is thought to be in danger, children’s services will take steps which aim to make sure that are kept safe.
Children’s services can be different in different parts of the country. This means the way they do things and the full range of services they provide may change to some extent.
The way children’s services are involved with a child may change over time and will depend on different things such as:
- What kind of help the child and family need and whether this can be provided without social workers being involved.
- Whether the children’s services are worried that the child may have suffered, or in danger of suffering.
- The particular approach taken by children’s services in the local area.
- Whether the children’s services thinks the child’s situation is improving or getting worse.
Types of children services
Universal Services is a service which all children have access to depending on how old they are, the stage of development and their individual needs.
Universal services can be provided by a number of different agencies including health and education.
Early Help provides extra help as soon as a problem emerges. This support can be provided at any time in a child’s life, whether the child is very young or a teenager.
When getting early help a ‘Early Help Assessment’ is carried to identify what support the child needs.
After this assessment a lead professional will then be appointed to coordinate any support offered to the child by different professions and agencies. For example:
- Speech Therapy
- Counselling services
- Young carers groups
- Family support workers
- Heath visitors
Child In Need
If a child is assessed as having more significant or complex needs, then that child may be classed as a ‘Child In Need’.
The child will receive extra help/services, although depending on the needs this may be different for each individual.
Children’s services must provide information about the help they give.
Extra help which may be offered to the family include:
- Daycare (for children under 5)
- Parenting classes or courses
- A family support worker or other help at home
- Help with housing
In Derbyshire alone there are roughly 630 children in care and roughly 3,600 children in need.