[holding answer 11 June 2009]: The Government are investing £130 million in social work reform over the full spending review period of which £57.8 million is additional new investment announced on 6 May 2009 as part of ‘The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming’. This represents a substantial commitment to support the recruitment, training and development of social workers and will significantly increase the capacity of the system to implement change immediately.
Expenditure on children's social care has also increased by over 90 per cent. in real terms between 1997-98 and 2008-09, equating to an average real terms increase of 6.1 per cent. per annum. It is the responsibility of all partners on Children's Trusts to assess the adequacy of their funding of children's services. As Lord Laming acknowledged in his report, ‘The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report’, most of his recommendations require all partners on Children's Trusts to ensure that they are applying existing guidance and good practice effectively and do not depend on additional resources.