56: What’s next for children’s social care in England? An interview with Josh MacAlister

NSPCC Learning Podcast

This is the first in a two-part series looking at the future of children’s social care in England.

Earlier this year, the UK government published its vision for the reform of children's social care in England: 'Stable homes, built on love'.
The Independent Review of Children's Social Care in England, which published its final report in May 2022, provided a cornerstone for this strategy. The review was chaired by Josh MacAlister and aimed to produce recommendations for a social care system that puts lifelong loving relationships at the heart of the care system and acts decisively in response to abuse.
In this podcast episode, Abigail Gill, the NSPCC’s Associate Head of Policy and Public Affairs, sat down with Josh to talk about the review and what still needs to be done to meet its aims.
The discussion covered:

• the story of the Care Review and what problems it was trying to address
• how the review captured the voices and lived experiences of children, young people and adults that have received the help or support of a social worker, or who have been looked after
• problems found with the social care system and how these negatively impact safeguarding and child protection
• the reforms and recommendations proposed by the review to address these problems
• how to implement reform and create positive future change in collaboration with professionals.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.
💬 About the speakers

Josh MacAlister is the Executive Chair of Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families. He is also Co-founder and Chair of SHiFT. He chaired the Independent Review of Children's Social Care between March 2021 and May 2022.
Abigail Gill is the Associate Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the NSPCC. She works across a number of policy areas, including children's social care, place-based approaches, early help and early intervention, poverty, and neglect.
📚 Related resources
> Stable Homes, Built on Love: Implementation Strategy and Consultation
> News: The government’s plans to reform children’s social care in England
> Government plans to reform children's social care in England: CASPAR briefing
> The independent review of children’s social care final report: CASPAR briefing
Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros