Today, Monday 24 February, the Local Government Association (LGA) released a report calling on the government to work with councils on reviewing the care system. They say that demand has caused local authorities to overspend on children’s social care budgets by £3 billion in the past five years. This was covered by the Mirror.
Local authorities will have access to £49.2 billion in 2020-21, a £2.9 billion, or an estimated 4.4% increase, to help them deliver essential services for local communities, including an extra £1.5 billion for social care.
The funding plans provide certainty for councils and represent the biggest year-on-year real terms increase in spending power in a decade
A Government spokesperson said:
We are giving local authorities access to an extra £1 billion grant for adult and child social care next year - on top of continuing the £410m in social care next year - so that every child in care receives the support they need.
We know the numbers of children in care are rising, which is why we are taking early action to keep families together when safe to do so, while working to boost the number of foster and adoptive parents. We are also moving forward with an independent review to take a fundamental look across children’s social care.
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