Number of looked-after children continuing to rise on eve of Covid
Latest figures show 2% rise from 2019-20 in care population, taking it to over 80,000 in England, amid sharpened focus on systemic pressures and growing clamour for government care review
Photo: Detailblick-Foto/Fotolia
The number of looked-after children in England was continuing its year-on-year rise on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic, Department for Education figures show.
The number of children in care reached 80,080 in March 2020 – up 2% on the previous year – with the rate of looked-after children rising to 67 per 10,000 children – up from 64 in 2018 and 60 in 2015, the DfE figures showed.
However, for the third consecutive year, the number of children starting to be looked-after during the year fell, with 30,970 entering the system in 2019-20, down 3% from the 31,770 in 2018-19 and a peak of 32,940 in 2016-17. Andy Elvin, chief executive of fostering and adoption provider TACT, said this suggeste
Current guidance is failing clinically vulnerable families
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Family Law Week: Number of looked after children at 31 March 2020 increased by 2 per cent on a year ago
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Councils withholding advocacy from parents with learning disabilities in child protection process
Advocacy organisations report councils delaying or withdrawing referrals for services to support parents with learning disabilities involved in pre-court processes, shifting the financial burden to other organisations and ‘denying rights’
Image: Michail Petrov
Some local authorities are withholding or delaying advocacy support for parents with learning disabilities involved in child protection cases, contrary to good practice guidance and potentially breaching their human rights, a leading professional network has warned.
Members of the Working Together with Parents Network (WTPN), which supports professionals working with parents with learning disabilities and their children, said some local authorities had started withdrawing or delaying referrals for their services in providing advocates for parents.