Exploring the declining rates of state social work intervention in an English local authority using family group conferences

Over the last decade England has seen rising numbers and rates of children in care and subject to child protection intervention. This article draws on national data and quantitative data from a study of ‘City’, a local authority in the north of England with a large Family Group Conference service. In distinction to national trends, City has seen substantial declines in the numbers and rates of children in care and who are subject to child protection intervention. The article analyses how notable these declines may be, comparing the declines with national trends, and exploring six-month service indicators for children who had a Family Group Conference. Implications regarding the reduction of levels of state social work intervention in family life are discussed

The contemporary refocusing of children's services in England

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the changes in child protection policy and practice in England over the last 30 years, in particular to critically analyse the nature and impact of the “refocusing” initiative of the mid-1990s. Design/methodology/approach: Policy analysis. Findings: While the period from the mid-1990s until 2008 can be seen to show how policy and practice attempted to build on a number of the central principles of the “refocusing” initiative, the period since 2008 has been very different. Following the huge social reaction to the death of Peter Connelly, policy and practice moved in directions quite contra to the “refocusing” initiative’s aims and aspirations such that we can identify a refocusing of “refocusing”. Such developments were given a major impetus with the election of the Coalition government in 2010 and have been reinforced further following the election of the Conservative government in May 2015. Originality/value: The paper places the changes in child protection policy and practice in England in their political and economic contexts and makes explicit how the changes impact on the role and responsibilities of professionals, particularly social workers

Local authorities and the school system: The new authority-wide partnerships

Coalition government policies have put into question the role of local authorities in a 'self-improving school system'. In a number of local authorities new authority-wide partnership bodies are being set up involving all local schools, including academies, and controlled by headteachers. This article begins with an analysis of the new partnerships, differentiating their functions and the education policy leadership roles of headteacher-led and local authority-led partnerships. It then examines as a case study the evolution of a new partnership in Birmingham from the initial model proposed by the local authority through to the emergence of a headteacher-initiated model. The article proposes an analytical framework for the new partnerships, situating them in the wider theoretical context of network governance and the role of the state in local government theory and policy. It concludes with a discussion of the questions of educational principle about agency and purpose in local education policymaking which the new partnership developments raise. © The Author(s) 2014

International social workers in England: Factors influencing supply and demand

Recent years have seen considerable increases in the number of internationally-qualified social workers in England. This article presents trends in the international labour mobility of social workers migrating to work in England alongside information on the supply of UK-trained social workers. It concludes that demographic changes and policy imperatives have accentuated structural issues making it difficult to ensure an adequate supply in the number of domestically-trained social workers. We suggest that more cross-national research is needed to achieve a better understanding of the factors influencing social workers' decisions to work in international settings and the extent to which this reflects permanent or temporary migration between countries