Baby P case prompts £58m overhaul
Updated on 06 May 2009
The government announced a £58m plan today to "transform" social services in the wake of the Baby P scandal.
The Children's Secretary Ed Balls outlined a six-point plan to improve services in response to Lord Laming's independent report, accusing local councils of failing to implement recommended reforms.
See full report here
The six point plan is as follows:
1) Two hundred sponsored university places, so that graduates from any discipline can sign up to conversion courses to become part of the social work profession;
2) Recruitment campaign targeting social workers who may have left the profession to give the current work force a boost. Target for 500 social workers back in the workplace as early as this autumn;
3) New social workers pilots so that all new social workers joining statutory and voluntary services this September, and all overseas children's qualified social workers who need it, receive supervision;
4) New practice-based Masters in social work to start in early 2011 so that social workers can continue to develop their knowledge;
5) New programme to create senior practice-focused roles to keep experienced social workers in children’s services;
6) Increased public scrutiny of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSBC) by recruiting two members of the public from the local community; annual progress reports; and independent chairs for Children’s Trusts and LSCBs
Hilton Dawson, the Chief Executive of the British Association of Social Workers, talks to Samira Ahmed.
