Shock of 31 mums with at least 5 kids in care
THIRTY-ONE mothers in Sefton have had five or more children taken into care in the past 10 years, according to newly released figures.
The shocking statistic was revealed under a Freedom of Information request. It also revealed that 80 of the children removed by social workers were never returned to their mothers.
Of those 31 mothers in Sefton, only eight had any of their children returned to them.
Across the country at least 1,850 mothers had five or more children taken away from them during the past decade.
The figure for the whole of Merseyside is 90 moth- ers, while one woman in Dudley, West Midlands, even had 11 children taken into care.
A spokesman for Sefton Council said taking a child away from their family is a last resort.
He said: “Our social workers will only recommend this when it is absolutely necessary to protect the wellbeing of the child.
“We offer a wide range of support for families to ensure that a child’s needs for security, safety, health and development are fulfilled and promote the safeguarding of children within their family when this is possible.”
Jon Plant, Hull City Council‘s children safeguarding manager said that “the data reflects the level of deprivation” in some UK cities.
“Sadly, in extreme circumstances, vulnerable women who have repeated pregnancies will have their children removed at birth.
“Agencies are working together to support these women to make positive long-term choices and changes to improve their lives.”
There were over 8,000 children in care across the UK last year which cost the taxpayer £1 billion, according to a Government review on children’s residential care published in July 2016.
Of the 206 councils across Britain, 71 said they could not provide numbers due to the cost of searching for the information and 11 said they did not hold relevant information.
Five councils said they had no mothers who had five or more children taken into care.