The LGA's media office provides the national voice of local government in England and Wales on the major issues of the day for national, regional and local press.
“The extra funding for adult and children’s social care announced today is positive but will not on its own be enough to tackle the significant challenges facing children’s social care which was already under strain prior to the pandemic as a result of increasing demand and long-term funding reductions."
"We need to do all we can to support the retention of good school leaders and teachers, which requires every school to have the necessary funds to invest and prioritise high quality staff development."
More than a million young people in England could be missing formal full-time education, fuelled by significant gaps in education legislation, rising child support needs and a lack of funding.
“Youth services have a vital role to play in providing young people with safe spaces to go and trusted relationships with adults who can help them make positive life choices and avoid being drawn into negative situations during and after the pandemic."
“It is essential that we have enough childcare places to support families to ensure the country can recover from COVID-19, both economically and socially."
The LGA said councils are bracing themselves for a rise in referrals for support that would have normally been made when children were being seen regularly by social workers and health workers.
Some children and families will need significant interventions, including child protection plans or even coming into the care system. But for many, they will just need some extra help to get through a difficult period. That could be low level mental health support, sessions with a youth worker, understanding how to support children showing difficult behaviours, or working through parental conflict.
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"Equality of access to laptops and the internet for online learning have been an issue for pupils, while the closure of schools will have an impact on all children."
“Childhood obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges we face and this report is another stark reminder of the urgent need for radical action to combat this."