A child is referred to social services every 49 SECONDS, shock analysis shows
Hundreds of thousands of kids were dealt with by children’s services last year
A CHILD is referred to social services every 49 seconds, shock analysis shows today.
Hundreds of thousands of kids were dealt with by children’s services last year.
Under pressure councils are coping with a staggering 1,770 referrals a day, according to figures from the Local Government Association.
And social workers are launching 500 child protection investigations every day to keep kids safe from harm - up from 200 a decade ago.
The LGA’s Children and young people chair Cllr Richard Watts said services were struggling to cope with a £2bn funding gap.
He said: “These figures highlight the staggering scale of the pressures that have now been building on children’s services for a number of years.
“With councils now having a child referred to them every 49 seconds on a daily basis, it is vital that they have the resources necessary to provide an effective response.”
According to the LGA’s analysis, there were 646,120 referrals to council children’s services during 2016-17.
Eleanor Briggs, of the charity Action for Children, added: “Central government cuts to children’s services budgets have been nothing short of devastating, and services that could intervene early to stop problems escalating have been among the hardest hit.
“These statistics from the Local Government Association show the true pressure local areas are facing.”
