How the pandemic exposed the crisis in children's social care

Children's services have reached breaking point in some areas as family breakdown and a lack of funding have resulted in a perfect storm A Guardian investigation into the state of children's services in the last 18 months has revealed a sharp rise in social services referrals during lockdown, plus spiralling costs for mental health support and a bulging backlog in the family courts, with some councils buckling under the weight of the extra work brought by coronavirus. The Guardian's Helen Pidd t...