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Councils stand ready to help the Government prioritise disadvantaged pupils in its education recovery plan and to prevent the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and young people and their peers from widening further as a result of the pandemic.

“Councils stand ready to work with government to ensure no child is left behind as we recover from the pandemic and have called for a cross-Whitehall strategy to improve children’s lives and put children at the centre of our COVID-19 recovery."

More than eight in 10 councils in England responsible for children’s social care overspent in the year to 2019/20. This comes despite councils increasing their budgets by £535 million that year and by £1.1 billion in the past two years.

“The forthcoming Spending Review should properly resource all early years settings so that councils and providers can support the Government’s ambition to reduce the attainment gap and ensure that every child has the best start in life.”

“We support the ambition of the independent review of children’s social care to make sure children, including those in care, grow up in loving, stable and safe environments.

With councils now looking after nearly 16,000 more children than they were 10 years ago, and the needs of those young people becoming more complex, it is becoming increasingly difficult for councils to make sure that every child has the best home to meet their needs

“The pandemic has taken its toll on children and young people, including their education and social routines, but this disruption has been worse for those with special educational needs and disabilities"

Early support hubs which allow young people to access mental health support without referrals should be made available nationwide to help tackle a rise in mental health issues during the pandemic.

School-based counselling needs to be available and fully funded by the Government in all state funded secondary schools and academies to help support rising numbers of children and young people reporting mental health issues during COVID-19, the Local Government Association urges today.

“The CMA has confirmed our recent findings that private equity providers are making extremely high profits and carrying concerning levels of debt that risks the stability of homes for children in care, which is paramount if they are to thrive."