Dramatic rise in child poverty in North East England in the last five years shows the scale of the ‘levelling up’ challenge
Newly released figures have revealed that even before the pandemic, in some parts of the UK, the majority of children were growing up in poverty, once housing costs are taken into account.
Research, carried out by Loughborough University for the
Local indicators of child poverty after housing costs, 2019/20, shows that the North East of England has seen the most dramatic rise in child poverty in the past five years, fuelled by stagnating family incomes. In London high housing costs are pushing many families to the brink.
Children’s social work case complexity has increased due to Covid, councils tell DfE
Regular survey of Covid’s impact finds more councils describing a rise in case complexity due to pandemic pressures, though councils split on whether they anticipate increases in referrals
Image: Supakrit
A growing number of local authorities have reported an increase in the complexity of children’s social work cases due to pandemic pressures, a Department for Education (DfE) survey has found.
The report on wave 22 of the department’s vulnerable children and young people survey found councils reporting issues including increased mental health problems among parents and children, parental substance misuse, neglect and emotional abuse, non-accidental injury, more newborns presenting in care proceedings, self-harming in young people, acute family crisis situations and escalation of risk in existing cases.
Sam May 4, 2021 at 3:10 pm #
BASW being true to its elitist self. I work alongside a Support Worker colleague who actually has far more intimate contact with users of services than I do. Why is my safety more important than theirs? Stop trying to divide us. Leanne May 5, 2021 at 1:27 pm #
Perhaps I am focusing on the wrong bit here but I find it surprising and a bit frustrating that within the text and comments social care professionals who are not registered social workers are being referred to as ‘unqualified’. It isn’t just about status, it’s about accuracy. I don’t understand in what sense a worker such as me is ‘unqualified’ when I do have qualifications and am qualified for my particular role.
My Money: It feels like a luxury to shop for non-essential items
Published
image captionSarah enjoying a sunny day
My Money is a series looking at how people spend their money - and the sometimes tough decisions they have to make. Here, Sarah, 31 from Kent talks us through her weekly spending as the UK emerges from its third national lockdown.
Sarah lives with her three-year-old daughter Annie, who attends nursery while Sarah works from home.
Sarah works as a team manager in social care where she recently received a promotion. The increased salary has allowed her to spend more during her week.