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<p>Funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government
Finance Settlement (LGFS), which gives local authorities flexibility to target spending
according to local needs and to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including
services for looked-after children.</p><p> </p><p>Over the five-year period to 2019-20,
councils have access, through the LGFS, to over £200 billion to deliver local services,
including children’s services. Core spending power has increased from £45.1 billion
in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20.</p><p> </p><p>Social worker caseload data
is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2018"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2018</a>.
The average caseload per children and family social worker was 17.4 cases (based on
full-time equivalent counts) in 2018. Specific data on the ratios for social workers
working with looked after children is not available.</p><p> </p><p>Along with my right
hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, we regularly meet key stakeholders,
including Directors of Children’s Services, to discuss children’s services. Officials
in regional teams also meet local authorities regularly and the most recent meeting
with Durham County Council was earlier this month.</p><p> </p><p>The department recognises
how important it is to speak directly with those who are delivering services for children
and families and we are working between now and the Spending Review to get a sharper
and more granular picture of children’s services costs and pressures.</p><p> </p><p>We
are also, through our ‘Strengthening Families, Protecting Children’ programme, investing
£84 million over the next 5 years to support up to 20 local authorities with high
or rising demand for children’s social care to work more effectively with their most
vulnerable families.</p>
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