Almost 2,000 kids ‘at risk’

NEARLY 2,000 children in Kirklees are deemed at risk of abuse or neglect.

New government figures have revealed that there were 2,462 children under the age of 18 considered to be “in need” in our area at the end of March.

Of those, social services had identified 1,868 children who needed protection against abuse or neglect in particular.

That works out as one for every 53 children living in Kirklees – a similar rate to the national average.

Across England, 215,270 children were deemed to be at risk of abuse or neglect – or one in every 55 children aged 0 to 17.

A child is defined as being “in need” if they are aged under 18 and need council intervention to prevent harm or to achieve a reasonable standard of health or development – or if they or their parents are disabled.

A further 196 children in our area needed help because their families were judged to be dysfunctional, while 72 had families that were under acute stress.

In 34 cases, social services were concerned about absent parenting, while for 35 children the main concern was their socially unacceptable behaviour.

Nationally, the total number of children in need stood at 404,710 at March 31 – up from 389,040 at the same point in 2017, and the highest number on record.

Some 32 per cent of children in need are aged 10 to 15, while 24% are aged five to nine and 18% aged one to four.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “Whilst the figures for Kirklees are in line with national averages, we are not complacent and strive for the best outcomes for all children and young people in Kirklees.”