Heads of children’s services have warned that full publication of Serious Case Reviews could damage other vulnerable children. They have cautioned against the move and said the review process should not put children under further emotional stress.

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Staff training has been identified as a pressing issue for the growing number of health and social care organisations now working in collaboration with one another. New research from Embrace-Learning shows such collaborative working has increased tenfold since 2007 and is expected to rise steeply in the next two years.

The organisation, which is a developer and consultant in e-learning, says that the health and social care sectors face intense scrutiny in the light of the announcement of a specialist commission to investigate funding. Its study found that collaborative working and sharing resources had increased across the UK. Arrangements in areas including Lancashire, Cumbria, North West London and County Durham had led to reduced costs brought through greater efficiencies.

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The document sets out the Government’s approach to the Spending Review which will be published in the autumn.

The Review will focus on reducing the budget deficit, but it will involve more than the allocation of resources and consider new and radical approaches to public service provision. The aim will be to deliver a step change in public sector productivity and value for money. The drive for efficiency in the public sector will involve driving down the cost of operational delivery as well as simply cutting out waste and lower priorities.

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