The Government has established “a proper approach” to assessing whether its new programmes will deliver better outcomes for children in the care system, according to MPs.
But the Department for Education (DfE) has “further to go to embed a culture of evaluation in social care” so that the opportunities to secure better outcomes for children are not lost when dedicated funding for innovation projects ends.
The DfE’s £333 million Children’s Social Care Innovation programme (CSIP) was intended to improve outcomes for children in the social care system and produce savings for taxpayers.
However, in a new report, the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee says it “is not yet convinced the department’s dissemination of learning from the programme is delivering widespread improvement”.
Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “CSIP has been shown to decrease the rate of children in care in participating council areas, which highlights what councils can achieve when they are given additional funding.
“Therefore, it was disappointing that more than a third of councils did not receive any extra funding from the programme, leaving them unable to develop, or in some cases maintain, crucial services that can make a difference to the lives of children and families.
“Furthermore, it is vital the Government adequately funds children’s social care and stands by its commitment to respond to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care by the end of this year so that we can get on with the job of reforming the system without further delay.”