Northumberland sees spike in looked-after children

A performance update was presented to the Thursday, July 16, meeting of Northumberland County Council’s family and children’s services committee.

The report, which was originally due to be presented to councillors in May, showed that the rate of children and young people subject to child protection plans (CPP) per 10,000 of population was 75 in the last quarter of 2019-20, above the overall rate for the year of 71 and the target of 65.

It states: ‘Numbers subject to CPPs are higher than they have been for 10 years, but they were already relatively high over the last six months and the latest increase largely took place in the four weeks before Covid-19 lockdown.

‘We are not witnessing decision-making that is outwith the norm and the Ofsted inspection noted prompt and timely responses to child protection concerns.’

Children are made subject to CPPs if they have suffered significant harm, such as neglect, physical or sexual abuse, and are at continuing risk of this harm.

The report also shows that the rate per 10,000 of looked-after children (LAC) has risen dramatically from 62.8 across 2019-20 to 74 in the last quarter of the year, with the target being 60.

‘Northumberland has experienced an increase in its LAC population since the summer and the end-of-March rate is now above the national average (equating to 435 in real terms), but still remains well below the regional average,’ it notes.

Cath McEvoy-Carr, the council’s executive director for children’s services, told the meeting that this spike had continued into lockdown – with the report suggesting the number had increased by 17 during this period – but that this was not down to more children going into care, so much as the authority not being able to get young people out of care at the same rate as before, with issues such as courts not sitting as regularly.

Elsewhere in the report, the increased number of LAC was described as the ‘the driver behind the continued financial pressures across the service’, with children’s social care recording a £3.8million overspend in 2019-20.

‘The most significant pressure continues to be the rising cost of external residential placements’, which overspent by £5.7million. This figure was brought down by under-spends at Kyloe House secure unit and in staffing due to vacancies and turnover.

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