The Facts

In 2004/05 Personal Social Services spend on Children and Family was £4.5bn:

• 12 million children in the UK (3 million under 5 yrs, 6.4 million aged 5–14 yrs, 3.1 between 15 and 19 yrs)
• A fifth of the total population aged under 20 are from ethnic minority backgrounds (important when designing and delivering services)
• 400,000 children in need
• 60,000 Looked After Children
• 320,000 Disabled Children
• Approx 1 million with mental health disorders

What is it?

Children´s services often represent a key component of social services departments in the UK. The key areas involved are those services for children and their families where children are ‘looked after’ by the council, in need of child protection, and other children assessed as being ‘in need’.

Services provided include:

• Information
• Advice and Support
• Fostering
• Adoption
• Residential centres for adolescents
• Resource centre
• Joint Consultancy Teams (for specialist child protection advice)

Our Objective

To deliver childcare services which safeguard and promote child welfare.

How can we help?

Social services departments often deliver their services through a mix of directly supplied services and commissioned services. The UK government has set out a National Service Framework for children and young people that puts forward the principles to which policies and services should follow.

These include;

• Centered on the needs of the young person – taking into account their wishes
• Family orientated – full recognition must be given to family members
• Inclusive – Services need to be sensitive to individual needs and aspirations of every child, taking full account of race, ethnicity, gender, ability or disability
• Empowering – Children and young people should have opportunities to play an effective role in the design and delivery of services

As outlined above Children´s social services covers a wide range of possible areas. The areas where Medico are most qualified in terms of delivering services are:

Family Support Teams – These teams provide a range of services to the most vulnerable children and families at points of crisis, who require extra support in order to prevent children being inappropriately looked after. Elements of these services are sometime commissioned from external agencies.

Children who are seriously ill or disabled – Families faced with serious illness, long-term disability or developmental delay of a child often need extra help e.g. in arranging respite breaks appropriate to a child's age and their family's needs.

– We are only a phone call away. Use our Branch Finder to find out your nearest Medico office.

Further Information:

www.dfes.gov.uk – Department for Education and Skills www.dh.gov.uk – Department of Health