Newsletters
Our Regional Improvement Plan can be found here
If you would like to apply to be a SESLIP consultant, please follow this link to Kent Business Portal – KentBusinessPortal and after registering on the portal, search for Ref – SC240046 – SESLIP – DPS
Updates
New LGA guide: Supporting Young Parents
On 10 September LGA published Supporting young parents to reach thier full potential
Headlines
Young parents have enormous potential, but too often they face barriers that make it harder to thrive. Whether it’s juggling education, housing, childcare or mental health support, the challenges can be complex—and the impact on families long-lasting.
The 10-year Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, launched 25 years ago, was the first cross-government initiative to include a focus on improving support for young parents alongside a prevention programme. While it achieved significant progress, the evolving challenges faced by young people today highlight the need for a renewed focus on both prevention and support, ensuring that local leadership remains responsive and effective.
New LGA guide: Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
On 10 September LGA published Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Strengthening Local Leadership
Headlines
Councils have worked tirelessly with partners to reduce under-18 conception rates, improve outcomes for young parents, and tackle the inequalities that underpin early pregnancy. This guide sets out the evidence, challenges and opportunities for councils to continue leading the way.
This guide updates the LGA’s last briefing for councillors which was published in 2018
NAO report: Managing children’s residential care
On 12 September NAO published Managing children’s residential care
- The full report is here (pdf, 51 pages)
- A summary report is here (pdf, 10 pages)
- An eBook is here (ePub, 2MB0
- A press release is here (html)
Headlines
The cost of a single place in a residential children’s care home in England has nearlydoubled in five years to an average £318,000 a year, with private firms racking up huge profits as a result of market failure, according to the public spending watchdog.
The £3bn children’s homes market, which is increasingly dominated by private firms, some funded by private equity, is “dysfunctional” and too often fails to deliver a good service for youngsters or value for money, a National Audit Office (NAO) report said. In the most extreme instances – likely to involve children with complex needs who require 24-hour supervision by multiple staff – councils had been charged up to £63,000 a week (£3.3m a year) for a single placement, the NAO said.
APPG for SEND
On 17 September APPG for SEND launched Reforming the SEND
System in England
Headlines
The report concludes that the current SEND system is fragmented and failing many children and families. Meaningful reform hinges on focused investment in early intervention, skilled professionals, clear accountability, and aligned funding and policy.. It calls for action are:
- A system overhaul
- Significant funding reform
- Workforce investment
- Early intervention focus
- Accountability and oversight
- Escalation and resolution
- Rebuilding trust
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Care Leavers Policy Worshop – NOW BOOKING
On Tuesday 14 October, 10-12, Oxford University’s Rees Centre is hosting online workshop as part of the Children’s Information Project to share the learning from two recent research studies and help us to plan some ways forward.
It is convened by the Rees Centre , University of Sussex, Become and North Yorkshire Council
The workshop will:
Hear the emerging findings from two studies which aim to better understand how outcome frameworks for care leaving services can better reflect what care leavers themselves say is important.
Work with care-experienced group facilitators to help refine a set of recommendations for policy and practice
Parenting disabled children and young people and those with Special Educational Needs
Foundations are pleased to invite you to online sessions for local leaders and practitioners. There will be two opportunities:
- Monday 6th October, 11am -12.30pm – please use this link to sign up
- Tuesday 14th October,10.30am -12.00pm – please use this link to sign up
Webinar details
The sessions will provide the opportunity to hear from the Foundations team who developed the Practice Guide and the Parent Carer who led the Anna Freud’s Parent Advisory Group and who was also part of the Foundations’ advisory group for this Practice Guide. There will be space to:
- Hear more about how this Guide’s Recommendations can support commissioning and de-commissioning cycles by using the best available evidence alongside local population and organisational data, professional knowledge and lived experience.
- Consider how the Key Principles can build on the work already going on in local areas to bring about whole-system culture change.
- Reflect on how parenting support can improve a range of outcomes for disabled children and young people and their parent carers.
- Use the guide’s Reflective Tool.
- Ask questions and hear from colleagues working across the country.
SESLIP QA Conference – NOW BOOKING
On Monday 8 December SESLIP is hosting a collaborative QA co-design event.
Headlines
On behalf of the SESLIP QA network, Kent Analytics has been research CSC QA processes and practices across the region.
This event will be an opportunity for QA leads and staff to participate in the co-design of new improved procedures based on the research findings.
SESLIP Targeted Support
The SESLIP Targeted Support scheme is now open to enquiries from children’s services authorities in the south east.
This project is funded by the DfE’s RIIA grant and is open to both CSC and SEND.
Details
The prospectus introduces our dedicated Targeted Support Core Team, which includes experienced, ex-local authority leaders, who have worked at director, assistant director and principal programme manager levels,
The core team’s practice is enhanced by collaboration with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from across the full range of children’s services.
A bespoke package will be agreed at scoping stage.
For more information, or to become involved as a subject matter expert, contact Claire@clairewoodcockconsulting.com
Regional Improvement Plan 2025-26
On 18 July 2025 SESLIP published our regional improvement plan for 2025-26
Headlines
The new regional improvement plan has 47 projects and a budget of just under £2m.
The plan incorporates our delivery plan for DfE’s RIIA grant of £1.6m to SESLIP for the current year
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2025)
On 17 September APPG for SEND launched Reforming the SEND
System in England
On 12 September NAO published Managing children’s residential care
On 10 September LGA published Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Strengthening Local Leadership and Supporting young parents to reach their full potential
On 1 September Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) published new guides to help social workers support those children in care with insecure immigration status.
On 29 August SESLIP published its Targeted Support scheme prospectus
On 23 July LGA published Children and young people’s mental health in their “Must Knows” series
On 22 July ECPAT UK published More than Words: how definitions impact on the UK’s response to child trafficking and exploitation
On 16 July 2025 Ofsted published Social care providers and places as at 31 March 2025
On 16 July Foundations (What works centre for children and families) published a new practice guide: Parenting Disabled Children and Young People
On 13 July Nesta published on open call for an Early Years Resident as part of the Nesta Residency Programme
On 10 July 2025 DfE published Families first for children pathfinder – Implementation and process evaluation report: early findings
On 10 July 2025 BMJ published Characteristics, outcomes, and maternity care experiences of women with children’s social care involvement who subsequently died: national cohort study and confidential enquiry
On 9 July Inclusion in Practice published Emerging Insights
On 7 July the Office of the Schools Adjudicator published its Annual Report for 2024
On 7 July DfE published Keeping Children Safe in Education for use from September 2025
On 7 July DfE published Keeping Children Safe in Education for use from September 2025
On 26 June Lucy Faithful Foundation published Everyone’s Safer:
Supporting effective leadership responses to harmful sexual behaviour in school
On 26 June DfE published Education and Health Care Plans data for Jan 2025
On 25 June Foundations published its Evaluation of Multi-agency Safeguarding Hubs
On 20 June Become published Moved during exams
On 19 June Women’s Aid published Nineteen more child homicides
On 17 June The Law Commission published the terms of reference for its forthcoming Kinship Care Project
On 12 June DfE published Stability measures for children looked after in England
On 9 June DfE published Supporting Families Whole Family Working: Informing Future System Reform Annual report of the Supporting Families programme 2024 to 2025
On 5 June Foundations published Understanding families’ experiences of being offered a Family Group Conference
On 5 June DfE publsihed Schools, pupils and their characteristics for academic year 2024/25
On 24 May the Family Justice Council published Covert recordings in Family Law proceedings concerning children: Family Justice Council Guidance
On 23 May HMIProbation published Transitional Safeguarding in youth justice and probation services: A scoping study