William Eichler 07 March 2018

Council chiefs warn of children’s social care crisis in the north west

Local government leaders in the north west have warned of a ‘growing’ children’s social care crisis in their area.

Cabinet members from 20 councils have written a cross-party letter to Phillip Hammond warning the north west has 13,000 Looked After Children — the greatest number of children in care of any region in England.

This figure has risen by 12% since 2013 which is double the 6% increase in the rest of the country, they told the chancellor.

The letter also noted there had been a £45m increase in expenditure on residential care placements this year, and there were 90,930 referrals in 2016/17, driven by increases in domestic abuse and mental health issues.

‘There is a growing crisis in children’s social care in the north west and councils are struggling to cope,’ said Cllr Barry Kushner, Liverpool’s cabinet member for children’s social care and lead member for the north west on the Children’s Services Network of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services.

‘We know that the sustainable solution to reducing children’s social care is early intervention and stopping problems becoming crises.

‘But the increasing costs of children’s social care is driving our limited resources away from funding early help.

‘This is not good for families because we can only intervene when a situation has escalated out of control, or for society as we often end up taking children into care, which is far more costly and damages their life chances.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

HR Onboarding Officer (CDC)

City Of Doncaster Council
Grade 7, £27,259 - £29,955 (Pay award pending)
You have an opportunity to be part of a busy Human Resources team which offers HR support across the Council. Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Recuriter: City Of Doncaster Council

Purchase to Pay Administrator (Fixed Term) - WMF2122e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£25,584 - £25,992
We are looking for an Administrator to join our Purchase to Pay and Accounts Receivables team Cumbria / Various
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Social Worker - WMF2123e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£41,511 - £42,708
We’re looking for passionate social workers to join our team in Kendal following a recent reshape of our services. Kendal, Cumbria
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Environmental Health Officer

Wyre Borough Council
£38,626 - £41,511
We are looking to appoint a full time Environmental Health Officer within the Environmental Protection and Community Safety Department. Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire
Recuriter: Wyre Borough Council

Trainee Graduate Accountant

Wyre Borough Council
£25,992 - £37,938
Are you looking to kickstart your career in Finance? Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire
Recuriter: Wyre Borough Council
Linkedin Banner