More children in care since start of lockdown

THE number of children in care in Rochdale since the beginning of lockdown has risen by 3.8 per cent.

Greater Manchester has had a huge increase in the number of children in care since the start of lockdown.

The most affected boroughs are Rochdale, Wigan, Bury, Salford and Oldham as there are now 98 more children in care in these areas than there was at the start of March.

All boroughs across Greater Manchester have seen a rise, with Rochdale’s rate rising by 3.5pc.

Manager of Perpetual Fostering, Lisa Witterpe, said: “It’s difficult to pinpoint the reason why so many children in Greater Manchester find themselves in the care system.

“But what we are certain of is that one of the main reasons why children find themselves in the care system is down to abuse or neglect.

“Other reasons often include relationship breakdowns or the family being under acute stress.

“As we know, the coronavirus pandemic has brought with it a whole host of challenges for children and families across the country, including a rise in domestic abuse cases and mental health problems, which can often result in children being entered into the care system.

“Unfortunately the number of children in need of foster homes is continuing to rise, but at present, there aren’t enough foster carers in Greater Manchester to accommodate these children.”

Over the last decade, there’s been a 139pc increase in cases where local authorities across the UK have had reason to believe that a child may be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

Last year, a survey of 500 UK adults to discover how many people would consider becoming foster carers found that: Just over 40pc would be open to the idea of becoming a foster carer. Almost 10pc say they’d definitely become a foster carer. Nearly half of people in the UK say they definitely would not want to be a foster carer.

IF you think you may be in a position to foster a child, get in contact via the website: perpetualfostering.co.uk.