What's next for children's social care in England? An interview with Josh MacAlister | Podcast

Listen to Josh MacAlister, the chair of the Independent Review of Children's Social Care in England, talk about proposed reforms to the social care system.

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.

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Photography by Tom Hull.

The children and young people pictured are models. Adults pictured are models and volunteers. Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros [http://goo.gl/YmnOAx]

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The NSPCC Learning Podcast features experts from the NSPCC and external organisations discussing a range of safeguarding and child protection issues. No matter your role or sector, whether you work or volunteer with children and young people indirectly or directly, you’ll gain valuable information through our discussions, one-to-one chats and debates.

For more from the NSPCC Learning Podcast, visit nspcc.org.uk/podcast