A CRY FOR HELP
How ever-more children are being placed in care because of abuse, absent parenting, disability and poverty
ARECORD number of children are living in care in England and Wales, shocking new figures have revealed.
Findings from the Home Office show that 78,625 children were being looked after by local authorities in England and Wales as of 2016/17.
That’s nearly 5,000 more children than the 73,835 who were looked after in 2012/13.
Children in care either live with foster parents, at home with their parents under the supervision of social services, in children’s homes, or in other residential settings.
They can be placed in care voluntarily by their parents, or children’s services may have intervened because they believed the child was at risk of harm.
Some 20,440 children were placed in care in 2016/17 for the first time because they were deemed at risk of abuse or neglect.
Family dysfunction was the second most common reason for a child to enter care - although 50 did so because their families had low incomes.
Natasha Finlayson, chief executive of children’s charity Become, said: “Low income can have a dramatic effect on families.
“It can mean they can’t afford to feed, clothe, and care for their child, and this can lead to children being taken into care. “The lack of support systems for families, and changes in benefits such as the rolling out of Universal Credit, mean that more families are experiencing homelessness and the need to rely on foodbanks to survive. “More needs to be done to support these families before their children are taken into care. “Local authority children’s services face a £2 billion funding gap by 2020. This will lead to more children going into care, and not receiving the right support once they’re there.
“It is imperative that the government fully fund children’s services, including children’s social work, mental health services, and fostering and adoption teams.”
While the number of children in care is at a five-year high, the number that go on to be adopted is at a five-year low.
Just 2,760 children were adopted in 2016/17 - a 29 per cent decrease from the 3,885 children in 2012/13.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We know that a happy and stable home life is key to making sure our most vulnerable children grow up to achieve their full potential, and there is no one-size-fitsall approach to supporting them. “Through our reforms we have strengthened guidance for councils, so that every single child, no matter where they live, receives the same high quality care. “The Adoption Support Fund, backed by £67 million to date, has supported thousands of children and families.”