Durham Tees Care

Children’s hospices in England will receive £80 million in government funding over the next three years. The announcement, made by Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock, confirms that the funding will be distributed via Integrated Care Boards on behalf of NHS England. This multi-year settlement replaces previous annual funding cycles and builds on a prior £100 million investment. It is part of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, which aims to shift more care into community settings. Currently, around 99,000 children in the UK are living with life-limiting conditions—a figure that has tripled over the past two decades. Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, described the funding as a significant step toward greater sustainability for the children’s hospice sector. The funding commitment runs for the remainder of this Parliament. #childrenshospices #fundingannouncement #governmentsupport #ukhealthcare #nhs

According to the Institute for Government’s Public Services Performance Tracker 2025, local authorities are projected to be poorer by the end of this parliament than they were fifteen years ago. One in six upper-tier councils is expected to rely on emergency funding in 2025/26, while reserves have fallen to their lowest levels since 2011/12. Over two-thirds of council spending now goes toward adult and children’s social care—up from around half in 2009/10. The cost of adult social care has risen faster than inflation for over a decade, and spending on children’s social care has doubled relative to the growth in children in care. A shortage of fostering households continues to strain the system. Homelessness pressures have intensified. Net spending on temporary accommodation has increased nineteen-fold since 2009/10, and one in every 200 households now lives in temporary housing. Of the 68 local authorities assessed by the Care Quality Commission, only two achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating. The report is supported by the Nuffield Foundation. #localgovernmentcrisis #publicservices2025 #socialcarestrain #councilfunding #emergencyfunding

👪 Caring for your loved ones, like family At Durham Tees Care, we understand how important it is to find homecare you can trust. Our compassionate carers provide tailored support that helps your loved ones stay safe, comfortable, and independent—right where they belong. Whether it’s daily help, companionship, or specialist care, we’re here to make life easier for families across County Durham and Teesside. 💬 “They treat Mum like one of their own. It’s made all the difference.” 🛏️ Personalised care plans 🧑⚕️ Experienced, local carers 🕰️ Flexible visits to suit your routine 🧠 Dementia and complex care expertise 📍 Serving homes across the North East Because peace of mind starts at home. Contact Us: https://lnkd.in/easM6Nez #HomecareWithHeart #DurhamTeesCare #FamilySupport #NorthEastCare #DementiaCare #CareAtHome #CountyDurhamCare #TeessideCare #CompassionateCare #ElderlySupport #LocalCarers #PeaceOfMindCare

Digital Innovation in Foster Care: The Big Welcome Rolls Out Across Wales A new platform developed by Foster Wales is reshaping how children are introduced to foster families. The Big Welcome allows children to view personalised profiles of their future carers before moving in — including household details, hobbies, pets, and a photo of their new bedroom. The initiative was co-designed by Action for Children and Super Being Labs, with input from 75 foster carers and 120 care-experienced young people. Following a successful pilot, nearly 600 foster carers have registered nationally. Amy Davies, who entered care at age 11 and has fostered for over two decades, noted that visual introductions could reduce anxiety for children entering new homes. Em Hattersley, now working on Cardiff University’s Confident Futures project, highlighted the role of visual storytelling in building trust during transitions. The platform reflects a growing emphasis on trauma-informed, child-centred approaches in social care. #digitalinnovation #fostercare #thebigwelcome #fosterwales #childcenteredcare

Child-on-Parent Violence: The Hidden Crisis Undermining Social Care Resilience 💔🧠 In Northumberland, a group of parents recently completed a ten-week course to learn how to protect themselves from violent behaviour—from their own children. Is this a growing issue in the North East? 📈 PEGS reports a threefold increase in families seeking help over the past three years. 🗣️ Parents describe being concussed, pinned down, and threatened—often by children with complex needs. 🚫 There’s no legal definition of child-on-parent violence, and no statutory duty for services to intervene. Is this a family systemic blind spot in UK social care? It intersects with workforce burnout, neurodiversity, trauma-informed practice, and the urgent need for joined-up, long-term support. If you’re a provider, policymaker, or practitioner, what's your opinion? We have to build a care system that protects everyone—including those who care. #SocialCare #ChildOnParentViolence #TraumaInformedCare #KarePlus #NorthEastEngland #HealthAndSocialCare #WorkforceSupport #Neurodiversity #EarlyIntervention #Safeguarding #FamilySupport #PublicHealth #PolicyToPractice #DomesticAbuseAwareness #CareSectorLeadership

Why Integrated Transport Matters for Social Care Access — Lessons from Newsham Station 🚉🚌 Body: In Blyth, Northumberland, a newly opened train station—Newsham—has sparked debate over bus connectivity. Despite a dedicated bus stop at the eastern car park, local services like Arriva’s X8 and X30 bypass it, leaving passengers with mobility challenges facing a long walk to catch their train. At Durham Tees Care, we know that joined-up infrastructure is essential for frontline workers, service users, and families navigating health and care systems. If public transport doesn’t meet people where they are, it reinforces exclusion—especially for those without cars, with disabilities, or working irregular shifts. 🧠 What’s needed? • Integrated transport planning that centres accessibility, not just efficiency. • Public-private collaboration to align bus routes with new rail investments. • Policy translation that turns infrastructure into usable, equitable systems. It should be a legal duty and a condition of a license to operate to ensure that everyone can access public transport easily including those with disabilities so that can be active and included in their local community. It is also essential for the local economy to thrive. #SocialCare #TransportEquity #NorthEastEngland #DurhamTeesCare #PublicTransport #AccessibilityMatters #IntegratedCare #HealthAndSocialCare #WorkforceEmpowerment #DigitalTransformation #PolicyToPractice #Blyth #NewshamStation #Arriva #KimMcGuinness #NEPTUG

Right to Buy: A costly legacy for social housing New analysis from The Big Issue reveals the scale of social housing loss under the Right to Buy scheme. Over the past five years, 53 councils in England sold 20,836 homes through the policy, raising £2.25 billion. Yet they spent nearly the same amount—£2.12 billion—buying back just 8,590 properties. More than half of the repurchased homes had previously been sold under Right to Buy, meaning councils effectively paid twice for the same stock. The net result: a loss of 12,246 homes from the social housing system. This pattern reflects a structural imbalance in housing policy. While councils retain receipts from sales, the funding rarely stretches to one-for-one replacements. The long-term effect is a shrinking pool of affordable homes, even as demand continues to rise. The report also highlights how this dynamic contributes to wider housing pressures, including increased reliance on temporary accommodation and growing waiting lists. As councils face mounting financial shortfalls in their housing budgets, the legacy of Right to Buy remains a central challenge in efforts to rebuild social housing capacity. 🔗 Read the full investigation: Big Issue – Right to Buy social housing crisis. #righttobuy #socialhousing #housingcrisis

Social care reorganisation: the cost of fragmentation A new report from the County Councils Network and Newton warns that splitting large county councils into smaller unitary authorities could deliver a “triple whammy” to care services: higher costs, reduced quality, and intensified workforce shortages. The modelling suggests that reorganising counties into councils serving fewer than 500,000 residents could add £270 million in annual care costs and require over 1,000 new senior roles. Smaller authorities may struggle to recruit skilled staff and meet rising demand, while larger councils currently benefit from economies of scale and stronger Ofsted-rated services. Only 6% of county council chief executives and directors of adult social care and children’s services believe central government will fully consider these risks. Yet the stakes are high: vulnerable people could face upheaval, diminished support, and overstretched services. The report underscores a critical tension in local government reform—between the promise of streamlined structures and the reality of complex care ecosystems. With multiple regions submitting competing proposals, the choices ahead will shape not just governance, but the lived experience of care across England. #socialcare #reorganisation #countycouncils #newtonreport #careservices

Temporary Accommodation Costs and the Strain on Local Government Finance Recent research from the London School of Economics, commissioned by London Councils and associated bodies, highlights the escalating financial pressures faced by local authorities due to temporary accommodation (TA) costs. In 2024/25, eight London boroughs collectively spent £543 million on TA, resulting in a £223 million deficit. If this trend is consistent across all boroughs, the projected citywide shortfall could exceed £740 million annually—equivalent to £202 per household. The report notes that boroughs are now allocating the equivalent of one in every nine council tax pounds to TA. This is compounded by the housing benefit subsidy freeze, which limits councils’ ability to recover costs from central government. Seven boroughs are currently reliant on Exceptional Financial Support, and others are approaching the threshold of financial insolvency. London Councils has identified several contributing factors, including the misalignment between Housing Benefit support and Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, and the broader gap between LHA rates and actual market rents. The group also points to the need for capital investment to enable councils to build or acquire housing stock, thereby reducing reliance on TA and improving standards. Cllr Grace Williams, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration, described the situation as one where “the system is buckling under the strain,” with councils absorbing costs that the current benefit framework does not adequately support. The findings underscore the complex interplay between housing affordability, welfare policy, and local government finance. They also reflect the broader challenge of meeting statutory duties in a context of constrained resources and rising demand. #temporaryaccommodation #localgovernment #financestrain #housingcrisis #londoneconomics

Mining Banners: Symbols of Solidarity, Memory and Community Since 1871, the Durham Miners’ Gala has brought together communities across the North East to celebrate a shared industrial heritage. Central to this tradition are the silk banners—vivid, hand-painted emblems that represent the values, struggles and pride of mining communities. Historically, banners served as rallying points, both literal and symbolic. They carried the names of collieries, union lodges, and mottos that spoke to collective identity and resilience. During the miners’ strike of 1984–85, banners became visual declarations of defiance and unity, often blending humour, politics and portraiture. The artistry behind these banners—most famously produced by George Tutill—was rooted in fairground design, making them both accessible and aspirational. For many communities, commissioning a banner was a mark of dignity and recognition. Today, institutions like Beamish Museum, Woodhorn Museum and Redhills preserve these artefacts, while local groups continue to restore or recreate lost banners. The Langley Park Miners’ Banner Campaign is one such example, reconnecting a village to its history after decades of absence. Banners also offer a platform to honour overlooked contributions. The Women’s Banner Group, founded in 2017, highlights the critical role women played during industrial disputes, particularly in sustaining families and organising community support. Beyond their aesthetic and historical value, banners remain powerful tools of remembrance. They embody working-class culture, intergenerational storytelling, and the enduring importance of place. As communities evolve, these banners continue to speak—about solidarity, loss, and the pride of belonging. https://lnkd.in/enDvGCKn #durhamminersgala #miningheritage #solidarity #communitypride #industrialart