Care targets are rejected
ANGLESEY council has refused to commit to Welsh Government’s targets aimed at reducing the number of children being taken into care.
Despite opposition, the Welsh Government last week announced the introduction of “soft targets” with another rise in the number of looked after children expected when the latest figures are published in November.
But a meeting saw the council leader confirm Anglesey is one of six Welsh authorities to have refused to commit to setting any targets.
In the Senedd the Deputy Social Services Minister had said while councils will not face penalties for falling short of targets, there would be a “safety-first approach.” Referring to a 34% rise in looked after children over 15 years, Julie Morgan AM said: “We just cannot let this go on and we can’t let it go on for the sake for the children.”
March 2018 figures show there were just over 6,400 looked-after children in Wales, 8% up on the previous year. But Anglesey councillors noted that it was “impossible” for a council to turn away children in need. “Four or five years ago we had 70 children on the looked after register and now have approximately 160, but I am happier now knowing we are looking after children as we should be,” said Cllr Llinos Medi, who holds the social services brief and is council leader, during a meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee on Monday.
“It’s fair to say that the Welsh Government has been supportive of what we’ve been doing on Anglesey, and perhaps they should be looking at further talks instead of imposing targets.”
The leader’s stance also enjoyed opposition support. Members unanimously backed Cllr Dylan Rees’ motion, resisting Government plans to impose targets.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Our priority is to take a safety-first approach nothing overrides the need to protect children from abuse or neglect. Our aim is to rebalance the system towards better prevention and earlier intervention so families are supported to care for their own children and better outcomes are achieved across the whole care system. We are working with local authorities to develop plans to reduce the number of looked after children.”