Following on from our recent blog on how the history of social care has shaped todays social care provision, we now take a timely look at our sector’s future and what it holds. Children, after all, are our future, so we as a society need to do everything within our power to ensure that the provisions are in place to continue to secure their wellbeing.
Reflecting on experiences which characterised social care’s past has taught us to keep protecting and building on the more established, and positive social care frameworks which exist. Those which enable platforms for continued changes needed, and pivotal to the evolving demands on services.
Future Funding of Social Care
The government has recently pledged substantial funds to support young people who rely on the social care system, while at regional level has promised renewed monies to ‘build back better’ to counter the detrimental effects the global pandemic has had on the children’s social care here in the UK. Both announcements certainly represent a big step towards futureproofing, whilst Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson recently announced a new independent review which focuses on Children’s Social Care.
However, an independent review has pointed to a system that’s crying out for significant reforms, and desperate for investment in the wake of years of cuts. Meanwhile, it’s suggested that Local Authority foster caring services will need an overhaul to keep pace with the forecast rise in children requiring foster care, and subsequently putting incremental demands on the existing provisions over the next decade.
Will Funding Alone be Enough to Address Future Issues Faced by Children’s Social Care?
Underfunding of Children’s Social Care services can’t be overlooked, as families need access to all levels of support to help them do the best for their children. A recent Ofsted report cited; ‘although statutory social care services have been largely locally protected, reductions in funding in other areas are leaving Local Authorities unable to intervene enough when young people present as needing help.’
Demand on services inevitably leads to additional calls for financial injections, and during 2017/18, it was reported that some 404,710 children required intervention by social services departments, a hike of 14,580 when compared with figures for 2014/15. Domestic violence stands as the most important factor statistically acknowledged as contributing to children turning to the social services for help, followed by mental health issues, the suffering of emotional abuse, neglect, and substance abuse.
The Future of Children’s Social Care Services and Reforms Starts Now
While funding remains at the very heart of social care reforms across the board, it’s not the only means by which effective change can be driven. The proposed loosening of the public purse for Children’s Services is just one example of how the government plans to more generally alter its funding approach in the future. Systematically transitioning it away from preventative, early intervention thinking and practices and positioning it as a more reactive public service.
The future does appear brighter if the main findings of Ofsted’s ‘Children’s Social Care in England 2020’ report ring true. Causes for optimism highlighted by the findings of this publication includes the following headline points:
- The overall effectiveness profile of Local Authorities continues to improve, with a 50% increase in terms of the proportion having their overall effectiveness being adjudged to being ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, as of March 2020.
- Formation of new children’s homes in England on the rise, with 2,460 new homes providing 12,175 places referenced in the same timeline. This statistic represents a 7% increase from 12 months earlier.
- The percentage of independent fostering agencies (IFAs) showing improved service deliveries has witnessed an increase, with 93% judged ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, while the number of voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) decreased by 22% as of March 2020.
Local Rather Than Centralised Governmental Delivery Key to Future of Social Care Reforms
Professional opinion suggests that money aside, the continuation of a more decentralised social care provision package is hugely important in the arena of Children’s Social Care. Collaboration with the NHS and other providers remains fundamental, of course, however local council authorities should ideally be afforded the opportunities for ‘optimised local delivery models’ to vain further traction going forward.
Offering their own wide-ranging blueprints and strategies, as opposed to directly from the NHS, will maintain the momentum of service evolution; coupled with optimising the facilitation of the voluntary and community sector and embracing digital transformation.
The sector hopes that the government’s anticipated green paper on Children’s Social Care reforms ensures that delivery remains under local democratic control, rather than returning to the centralised management which historically existed.
Children’s Social Care Needs to Change with the Times
Addressing the audience at the Future of Care Conference in London earlier this year, the CEO of Care England, Professor Martin Green insists that providers and Local Authorities should use the next 12 months to rethink the way they deliver care. And responding to individual needs in innovative and creative ways.
Green told delegates; “We need to stop doing things the same way we did 30 years ago and start challenging ourselves,” he said. “As our lives evolve and our expectations change and get more complex, we need to see social care responding to that in very innovative and creative ways. And that means that all bits of the system need to rethink what they do.”
As well as touching on missed public relations opportunities – citing the raft of hospital and paramedic-inspired TV documentaries – where engaging the general public with insights into the world of social care has been largely overlooked, Green also paid mention to how data will shape the future of social care.
The Future of Children’s Social Care is Data-driven
There’s no doubt that the deployment of data revolutionised the health and care sector as the UK got to grips with Covid-19, and therefore experts stress that all healthcare and wellbeing sectors have a duty to apply what was learned to create a better future for service users.
Speaking about the government’s new ‘Data Saves Lives’ report at the recent NHS Confederation Conference, the Director of Policy and Strategy at NHSX, Simon Madden told delegates; “COVID has transformed how we actually use health and care data, and we believe it points the way to a new future,” going on to add; “Data has been used in so many new ways to care for people, and to help the NHS and social care better understand and respond to the virus.”
From tracking the spread of the virus to ensuring resources (such as ventilators, oxygen and vital PPE was in the right place at the right time), the NHS data bank was an invaluable source of information which enabled greater coping mechanisms during a hugely challenging time for a heavily burdened health service. Data also proved its worth when it came to the efficacy and safety of the vaccination programme, as Madden also pointed out.
The Future at Advanced CCA
At Advanced CCA we have a long-established culture of adopting change in our work with Children’s Social Care. Just as we have done with the implementation of 24/7 In the Home, a brand-new assessment set to revolutionise the standard residential assessments in order to provide an assessment that better suits modern family life and the needs of Local Authorities and Solicitors. Our future goals will remain as steadfast as our historical ones achieved over the past 25 years. And that’s the delivery of specialist and extensive Social Work assessment and report services.
Continuing to build on our reputation amongst Local Authorities, Solicitors and most importantly of all, the families directly affected in the Children’s Social Care sector.
For more information get in touch with us today.
