Child welfare inequalities on the agenda? A qualitative study of the local political stream in England

Background There has been a steep, sustained rise in children in care in England. Adverse socioeconomic conditions, including rising child poverty and cuts to preventative services, are drivers of care entry. But the local political environment for tackling these drivers remains poorly understood. Objective To understand the status of anti-poverty and prevention strategies on local political agendas, and how best to raise that status. Participants and setting 15 Children’s Services policymakers across six local authorities in England. We targeted recruitment to places with outlying trends in care entry after controlling for local economic conditions. Methods We conducted individual semi-structured interviews. Data were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using a framework derived from political science theory. This focused the analysis on features of the local political environment: the public mood, political forces, consensus-building strategies, turnover and jurisdictions. Results In participants’ accounts, the national mood was intemperate, tending towards inequitable Children’s Services policy. The local mood was elusive, and interest groups seemed scarce. Within local authorities, power was largely hierarchical. Leaders’ commitment to prevention was therefore key, and participants used soft power to bolster commitment and build consensus. Only Ofsted troubled the hierarchy, forcing a political reckoning. Local stability was valued, while national elections structured expectations and possibilities. Prevention remained the province of Children’s Services, but the case for proportionate universalism was not yet won. Conclusion In this study, we shed light on a challenging local political environment for tackling child welfare inequalities and propose strategies for policy entrepreneurs. Evidence is not enough. Solutions must be attuned to local political realities.