08.01.15
Children in council care and deprivation figures closely linked – ADCS
Local authorities only place a child or young person into care when there is ‘clear evidence’ that they will suffer significant harm if action is not taken, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has told PSE.
The response comes after recent DfE figures highlighted that councils with the highest proportion of children in care were, predominantly, northern.
ADSC stated that the recent figures, which revealed Blackpool as having the highest proportion (152 children in care per 10,000), tally closely with the government’s latest index on deprivation.
Published by the DCLG in 2010, the ‘English Indices of Deprivation’ report highlighted that “the conurbations of Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle together with the neighbouring metropolitan areas contain many highly deprived areas. This is also the case for the large metropolitan areas in Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands”.
The 10 local authorities with the highest proportions of children in care in 2014, as identified by the DfE, were Blackpool; Wolverhampton; Torbay; Manchester; St Helens; Kingston Upon Hull; Dudley; Middlesbrough; Salford; and Liverpool.
Alan Wood, president of the ADCS, told PSE that each local authority makes its own arrangements for bringing children into care which reflects the approach it takes towards “early intervention, use of social work time and existing provision such as residential homes”.
He added that decisions that care is needed are made by the courts “based on clear evidence that a child or young person will suffer significant harm if it is not granted”.
“There is no ‘correct’ or ‘appropriate’ figure and it is likely that at times when an issue becomes high profile, the death of a child for example, then referrals increase significantly,” he added.
Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]