Local government entities are under serious financial pressure, and procurement is tasked with helping to reduce spend.
Leicester earmarks £2.5m for children’s services
An extra £2.5 million is set to be invested in Leicestershire County Council’s children’s services to reduce caseloads, improve services and manage a rise in the number of children in care.
The council has witnessed an eight per cent increase in looked after children over 12 months, and a 36 per cent rise since 2012.
Leicestershire was rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted in February, and will use the additional funding to create 37 new social care posts in the service and achieve the inspectorate’s 17 recommendations.
Ivan Ould, cabinet member for children and families, said: “Supporting young people is our number one priority. Ofsted’s report underlines that we’re effectively protecting those at most risk. But, we’re committed to recruiting social workers to reduce caseloads and drive quality across our work. Across the country, demand for support is intensifying pressure on vital services. This issue illustrates the tremendous challenge facing councils, including essential services supporting vulnerable people.”
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