One of the biggest challenges facing councils across the country is the growing demand for children’s services.
Here in Swindon, improving outcomes for children is one of our top priorities, and I have been working closely with Cllr Kate Tomlinson, our Cabinet Member for Children and Education, as we continue to improve the support the Council provides.
More children are coming into care with increasingly complex needs, while fewer people are coming forward to foster.
Our responsibility is to make sure vulnerable children in Swindon receive the care, stability and opportunities they deserve, while also supporting the foster and kinship carers who do an extraordinary job providing safe and loving homes.
We also want to do more to support children and families before problems become more serious. That means putting greater emphasis on early help and prevention through our Best Start in Life work, alongside improving the experience of children and families who need SEND support.
This is particularly important at a time when rising demand for social care is placing enormous pressure on council finances.
We need to keep improving services while making sure every pound we spend delivers the best possible outcomes for children and families.
Over the coming months, one particular focus will be recruiting more foster carers in Swindon. There are children in our town who need safe, loving homes, and we want to make sure more people hear about fostering and the support available to those who come forward.
There is a great deal of work ahead, but I am hugely grateful to the social workers, teachers, foster and kinship carers, schools, nurseries, families and many others who work every day to give Swindon’s children the best possible start in life.
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