DCP comments on government’s social care strategy

3 mins read

Thursday 2 February 2023

Tags: disabled children's partnership, social care, campaigns, stable homes built on love, social care stategy, policy

The government has today launched its long-term strategy for children’s social care in England, Stable Homes, Built on Love.

The strategy aims to improve children’s social care, with action plans split across six ambitions:

  1. Family help.
  2. Keeping children safe.
  3. Supporting families to help children.
  4. Make care better for children in care and care leavers.
  5. Children have great social workers.
  6. Improving the whole system for children and families.

You can read the full strategy online.

Statement from the Disabled Children’s Partnership

The Disabled Children’s Partnership is a campaigning group of which Contact is a leading member. A statement from the group reads:

“Social care plays a vital role in supporting disabled children and their families to live full and fulfilling lives. Children and families have a legal right to this support, but too often it is de-prioritised in light of the other pressures that children’s social care faces. Moreover, where it is provided, it is often only when families hit crisis point, and the process can be stigmatizing rather than supportive.

“We welcome the recognition of these issues and the focus on early help in the government’s publication today. Early help makes all the difference to disabled children and their families, boosting their life-chances and in some cases preventing family break up and a child unnecessarily moving into residential care. However, implementation will be key, and there must be a specific and distinct focus on families with disabled children, including in the family support pathfinders.

“We are also very concerned that the government is investing insufficient funds to take forward the changes at the pace needed, given both the recommendations in the Independent Review and our own analysis, which shows an annual shortfall of over £500million for disabled children’s social care alone.

“Finally, we welcome the announcement of a review by the Law Commission into the legal framework for disabled children’s social care. This is long overdue, given the complex nature of the current law, and creates an opportunity to improve the system for disabled children. This is something that the Disabled Children’s Partnership has been campaigning for over the last five years.

“We look forward to engaging in this review, and it is vital that it is taken forward in full partnership with parents and young people.”

Have your say

The government is seeking views on its proposals for reforming children’s social care.

Have your say online.

The consultation closes on 11 May 2023.