Publications

This policy paper was developed based on a range of discussions with stakeholders across councils to understand what local authorities believe they need to see change so they can effectively deliver on their sufficiency duty for early years education and childcare. It explores the challenges in the current system facing local authorities, providers and parents and it looks at what might work going forward.

A resource to help all councillors to better understand their own local offer and how they can look at the role of evidence in developing and improving early help services.

Results from a survey of local authorities that explored recent changes by central government to both funding and policy in the early years sector. The survey focused in the cap on central spend, maintained nursery schools, early years entitlements, provision for disadvantaged children and early years practitioners.

An introduction to the Act and summary of the main issues on which the Local Government Association (LGA) lobbied.

While the council role in education continues to evolve, one thing that has remained constant is the vital role that councils play in driving school improvement to ensure that children, young people and their families all have access to a good school place.

This briefing provides top tips, helpful resources and case studies from seven councils, showcasing just a small selection of positive approaches going on across the country.

Establishing local Healthwatch (LHW) is a series of briefings produced by the LGA to assist local authorities and their partners in local communities and the NHS to support the commissioning, setting up and early development of local Healthwatch.

The Children in Trouble programme is a joint project supported by LGA and the Howard League for Penal Reform and sets out to encourage, develop and showcase different approaches to reducing the use of custodial sentences. This report documents the programme's achievements and challenges following an evaluation by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

Findings of the evaluation, undertaken by Shared Intelligence, of the Children’s Services SLI Programme delivered by the LGA.

This report details an analysis by the LGA Research and Information team to try to explain why some councils spend more on children’s services per young person than others.