Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
Kent County Council struggling to cope with child refugee numbers
The Council has also been put under added pressure through operation stack, having to provide up to 500 meals a day to drivers parked up along the M20 while channel tunnel services are disrupted.
Council leader Paul Carter has said that the council would need £5.5 million to deal with the extra demand on services and has reached out to Home Office to discuss the situation.
Carter said: “We are now caring for 605 under 18s. Staff are working flat out to support these vulnerable young people through our reception centres and we are urgently looking at new premises in order to expand the facilities.
“We are now working with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services to come to a dispersal arrangement outside of Kent as we need places across the country where they can go after assessment.”
David Simmonds, Deputy Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), released a statement calling on the government to reimburse local councils whose services are being stretched by the increase in child refugee numbers.
Simmonds said: "Councils are rallying together to help deal with the current emergency situation, but with around a third of migrants aged under 18, the LGA is calling on government to commit to reimburse the costs in full as the strain on already-stretched children's services budgets risks becoming unsustainable.
"When an unaccompanied child arrives in the UK, it is the council area where they arrive that is responsible for all costs associated with that child up until the age of 25… With the well-publicised issues around the channel tunnel, both local and central government need to work together to identify long term solutions to ensure that local communities do not have to cope with all of the pressures caused by an international problem."
Latest News
26/04/2024 - 12:12
New planning powers come into effect today giving local councils more tools to hold rogue developers to account as part of the government’s Levelling-up and Regeneration Act.
26/04/2024 - 11:13
Sport England has published a report which reveals a long-term increase in activity levels among adults, but also highlights further action is need
25/04/2024 - 12:28
The Welsh government will work with councils to set out a three-phase plan to implement a 20mph limit.
25/04/2024 - 11:56
£11 million of grant funding has been confirmed for public sector bodies in Scotland.
25/04/2024 - 10:32
The Labour Party has announced that it would renationalise most passenger rail services within five years.
Company Focus
Located in Bromley, Japanese Knotweed Eradication Ltd has been providing solutions in the treatment and removal of Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia Japonica) for over a decade. During this time we have mastered a repertoire of methods, from herbicidal treatments to landscaping solutions, tailored to address the unique challenges our clients face with this pervasive weed.
Event Diary
UKREiiF has quickly become a must-attend in the industry calendar for Government departments and local authorities.
The multi-award-winning UK Construction Week (UKCW), is the UK’s biggest trade event for the built environment that connects the whole supply chain to be the catalyst for growth and positive change in the industry.
Supplier Profiles
At GeoEnergy Design, we're on a mission to disrupt the traditional way heating and cooling ha
Latest Features
Professor Harith Alani, director of the Knowledge Management Institute at the Open University explains how AI can be used for good and bad.
Alex Lawrence, head of health & social care, techUK sets out techUK’s Five Point Plan for CareTech.
